I've been wanting a .218 Bee for years....finally I can see my way through to buy one.....but have no experience with any of the models.
On the watch list is a Winchester M43 a Browning M-65 and a Marlin lever gun

Can anyone tell me about the accuracy and reliability of any of these guns?

My only experience is with the M43. I acquired it in the '80's, a beautiful rifle in perfect condition. However- No matter what I tried for ammo, factory and handloads, it was not an accurate rifle. In addition, it had excessive headspace, often causing case separations, even with new factory ammo.
I sent it down the road, at a nice profit, to someone who really, really wanted an M43!
I then acquired a .218 Bee barrel for my Contender, which proved wonderfully accurate, with the same ammo I had been using for the Winchester. The first game I took with it was a beautiful Rio Grande turkey in Texas, which I had mounted- the Bee ruffled nary a feather!

I have never owned a Bee, but have experience with several belonging to friends, including a M43 and a Marlin lever-action. Neither shot well enough to interest me, but another friend let me use his Ruger No. 1B .218 Bee on prairie dogs one day. It shot 40-grain Ballistic Tips very accurately at 3200 fps, and I almost bought the rifle, since he was thinking of selling it.

But the longer I thought about it, the more practical a 1B in .22 Hornet sounded, and at the time Ruger still offered them. The biggie was brass availability, one thing that can affect the .218 from time to time. I acquired a 1B Hornet and it shoots 40-grain Ballistic Tips, V-Maxes and Sierra Blitzkings at 3100 fps very accurately, so there's no noticeable difference in the field. But once in a while I do have a twinge of regret about that 1B Bee....

I recently acquired a Marlin 94 in .218 Bee. It is accurate as heck, just won't feed. I have not had time yet to find out why. The lifer appears to be just a "hair" short of getting the bullet nose into the chamber. Was really hoping to use it as my critter gitter this spring.

MD:
Do you have any experience with the .218 Mashburn Bee? I've just gotten into one of these in a Martini Cadet action that is an MOA shooter with 40 gr. pills and 4227.
I received plenty of formed brass with it, but see that Hornady is offering new brass for the standard Bee presently. Would you anticipate me needing to anneal the new brass before fire-forming it?
GC

I have a 1894Cl that I use for coyotes, the 46gr Win HP has worked well. I have used loaded pointed bullets and they shot well also, one in the chamber one in the mag. I've put a Wild West trigger in mine. I used it with a receiver sight until my eye surgery and now have a Weaver K-1.5 (duplex) scope on it. Great for called coyotes. I'm going to give 52gr Speer HP's a try this summer.

GrouseChaser,

You shouldn't have to anneal new brass when fire-forming, but have seen exceptions.

Don't have any experience with the Mashburn Bee. Sounds like a nifty rifle!

I hunted a Browning 65 for a few years. It was very accurate, tight and nice all the way around. I didn't much like the shape of the grip. I eventually found that hammer guns for calling rifles gave the coyotes one more opportunity to bust me when I cocked the hammer back. The same for all hammer lever actions, when game is close I don't like the extra noise of the click.

Of course, I'll be the only person in the history of the world with this opinion since this is the campfire. That's one of the reasons the best lever guns are hammerless. The other is a rotary magazine rather than tubular. I'm speaking of Savage 99's here. Brownings Bee required using Hornady Bee bullets.

I had a Ruger No. 1S in 218 Bee a number of years back and solved the brass availability problem. While traveling for work, I lucked into 800 once fired cases from a tiny little gun shop in Wyoming. I ended up selling the rifle to a friend out of guilt - he was interested in it and told me about a custom Ruger No. 3 in 22 K-Hornet he was considering. I ran down and bought the No. 3 so sold him the Bee with most of the brass (I think I still have a couple hundred pieces). I wasn't sure how serious he was about the No. 3 and if I bought it out from under him or not, but felt selling him the Bee was the right thing to do.

Vapodog,
An old and very dear friend of mine, who was a farmer and rural mail carrier, owned a Winchester 43 Bee and killed a truck full of coyotes and fox (50+) every year with it. I have no idea if it was accurate or not as he never wanted to waste bullets firing at paper targets. He didn't think of it as a short range rifle either - if he saw a coyote he would shoot at it. Not long before his death his wife spotted a fox down by their grain bins and he was able shoot at it from the house...one shot and one dead fox.

If my 25-20 doesn't live up to my hopes, it will be replaced by a Browning 53...just such beautiful rifles!

I can't believe how many people have so much trouble figuring out how to cock a lever gun hammer without making any noise. So simple a cave man could do it. It quickly becomes second nature and you'll do it without even thinking about it.

The cool factor is high with a Bee, but brass and bullets are not so great. I think there was some Bee brass for sale here on the Campfire, it would be a good idea to pick it up, you probably won’t find it anywhere else. I have both a Bee and Hornet in Sakos and they both shoot great. The problem with the Bee is you need to shoot the old style Hornet bullets in it because the plastic tipped bullets won’t work. Those bullets are available from Sierra so you shouldn’t have too much a problem getting bullets.

I would also recommend the Winchester rifle so you don’t put them in a tubular magazine and push the bullets back in the case...

I have one built on a Martini Cadet action. Custom wood and a very heavy 27 inch barrel. Most accurate Cadet I've ever owned. With the right loads it will hold 0.5 inches at 100 yards for 5 shots. Weighs to much too take walking, but great from the bench. I picked up several hundred Winchester cases years ago and am fixed for life.

I also have a .218 Mashburn Bee built on a Cadet action. Not nearly as heavy and not quite as accurate, but a fun gun to shoot. The Mashburn Bee will do 3000 fps with a 40 grain bullet.

Unless you are dead set on a repeater, I'd recommend a Martini Cadet. .218 Bee was a pretty common conversion and they are usually pretty accurate.

Hornady makes new Bee brass. I had no trouble finding brass when I got mine recently. But, I would plan on buying a supply since availability is erratic.

Duh, well I guess I should have remembered the Hornady brass because I did get some of that too. It is easy to forget stuff these days. The short neck on the Bee does make it so you have to use the “Hornet” round nose bullet unless you have a single shot and can load one at a time...

I have a Marin 62 that has been rebarrel in 218 Bee. I put it together over 20 years ago, when component brass and loaded factory ammo tended to be expensive and hard to find. The rifle was upgraded from its original specs by having the barrel threaded into the receiver, instead of being pinned in like the originals, and it is a pretty good shooter. It has a high "cool" factor, but it isn't very practical.

I have an old Winchester lever action bee that I inherited from my grandfather that shoots 1.5" groups and tighter if I load my own.
They make a good scabbard rifle but being that I have other rifles this one just sits in the safe. Ammo is expensive and I don't gain much by loading my own .
I wouldn't purchase a bee new, plenty other calibers that are cheaper and better.

I don't have any experience with the bee, but have now owned 4 Mashburns. All on original 1885 Lo walls. What sweet rifles! I too have played with the 40gr bullets, but tend to mostly shoot 50 tipped bullets and 1680 when i go west to shoot P dogs. The Mashburn and the R2 are my favorites.

Vapodog: I have owned several Rifles in caliber 218 Bee and currently have two Varmint type Rifles in 218 Bee - one is a Ruger #1-B with 26 inch barrel and the other is a Kimber of Oregon 82-B with 24" barrel.
Both are very pleasingly accurate and the ultra-mild recoil makes for FUN Varmint and small game Hunting.
Of the various 218 Bee's I have owned in the past and now own - virtually ALL of them are/were more accurate than any of the many Rifles I have and do own in 22 Hornet!
The 218 Bee brass lasts "forever" it seems, and I run across it for sale from time to time.
Don't let brass scarcity turn you off of owning/using a Rifle in 218 Bee.
The one Winchester Model 43 I owned in 218 Bee I never affixed a scope to it so won't comment on its "accuracy" - my shooting of that Rifle was mostly of a "plinking" nature.
If you buy one of those Model 43's don't lose the magazine!
I shot a friends Browning lever Rifle in 218 Bee and what a blast that was!
Best of luck with whichever you choose - I am sure you would be happier with a Rifle in 218 Bee over a similar Rifle in 22 Hornet!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Dad had a Win 43 in 218 that did a very good job of plopping gophers w/46gn HP's but the side-mount sucks and the trigger did too. If I were to come across a 78 Sako in Bee I might have to have it. It would need to be an in-person impulse buy.

I am not a gunwriter, but I had a 218 bee in a T/C Contender with a Foxridge (custom shop) barrel. It was wonderfully accurate and fun to shoot. I eventually sold because I didn't care for the way it carried and it was a pain in my opinion to clean the barrel.

My cousin inherited his uncle's Winchester M43 in 22 hornet and I have shot it some. It shot ok with factory loads and the trigger was heavy and hasd a bit of creep. It looks like a rimfire rifle. I wasn't impressed with it.

The best Bee I saw was a gunsmith friend of mine built a 218 Mashburn Bee on a Sako action which was originally for a 222 Remington. He opened the bolt face and found a 218 Bee magazine for a different Sako and it worked great.

OK.... I did it.....I put a bid on this one.....218 bee

Kimber of Oregon made a bolt action in .218 Bee. I forget the model number (82? 84?). They were very nice little repeaters. Not cheap, but well worth the money.

I bought a Model 43 quite a few years ago that someone had re-barreled to .218 Mashburn and refinished. From the variety and quantity of reloads I got with it he had spent considerable time and money trying to get it to shoot. After a little experimenting, I added some shims to the barrel hold down lug to take the pressure off the barrel and it helped a lot. Not really comparable to a good bolt action rifle, but that is understandable since it is built more like a rimfire. The comments about brass stretch and separation result from the lack of lugs on the bolt. The bolt handle is all that holds it closed. That probably works better on a Hornet.

Not sure why the prices have gone up so much in the last few years. I guess it is just because they are not very common.


Jerry

I'm not a caveman, so that explains it.

I grew up with a M-94 and a M-92.....(30-30 and a 25-20).....further I had a M-39A Marlin.....all hammer guns.....

They were all carried on "half*cock"...never in those years did anything I was hunting become bothered by the sound of the hammer clicking to full cock.....but the art of holding the hammer with the thumb while pulling the trigger to allow the hammer to return to half cock could be bothersome in very cold weather when one wore gloves....or worse when one's thumb was so cold that he couldn't tell if he has a good "grip" on the hammer in that maneuver. While the hammer was intended to be the safety, many lever guns with exposed hammers later also had another safety button.....

Having said that, I find it hard to believe the "click" of the hammer reaching full cock j is a problem.....it's an incredible little click and many times I didn't notice it at all.

I saw a Sako in 218 Bee at a gun show several years back, never knew they existed in that caliber.

Coyotes hear everything. Including a hammer clicking.

Don’t you wish you bought it?

The ones I hunt don't!

My only Bee was a 16" Contender barrel. I bought it thinking I could get Hornet rifle speeds from a pistol barrel. It did just that, and was fun on prairie dogs at any reasonable Hornet range. Never used it on anything larger. Also had a .17 Bee also in a 16" Contender. They both went down the road when I sold off most of my guns.

Will never sell my Browning Micro Medallion Hornet.

I'd enjoy having a Browning 65 in 218 Bee, sounds like it could be a challenging reloading project. Always enjoyed shooting pistol gripped lever guns & small center fire cartridges.


41

If you buy the Marlin 1894CL in .218 Bee, you’ll end up wanting the same rifle in 25-20 and 32-20.

....not a chance.....
1. I've read too mush negative about it's feeding
2. I had a marvelous M-92 Winchester in .25-20....It now has been passed down to a grandchild.....loved it but enough....The .218 Bee is the only lever gun that trips my trigger.....and I already have 50 new brass for it....and dies too.....it's a far more practical rifle than the .25-20 or the .32-20

Boy I've got a live one for you guys. Went to a gunshow in Eugene Oregon today and lo and behold, a Winchester 43 in 22 Hornet for $595. Pretty nice too. And right next to it, it's mate in 218 Bee, for $450! Nice original bluing, BUT, drilled for a sidemount with wood cutout, and top drilled and base installed. Otherwise, really nice 218 Model 43. I left it there.

A guy on the Hunting Washington classifieds just put up 600 bullets for .218 Bee for $50. FYI. Don't know if that's a good price or not, just happened to see it.

I checked that website....
here it is

I'm almost a Bee owner.....will know in about 25 minutes.....thanks for the heads up

It is now mine.....now to find some bullets for the darn thing....something 50 grains or less with cannelures.....

I wish I hadn't read this thread, because I have a Browning High Grade 65 in .218 Bee sitting in the safe. Bought it new when they first went on the market, and never fired it. At the time it seemed too cute and pretty to fire, and I was into other shooting games. I also bought both Browning 1886 models, a Model 71 Carbine, and an 1895. Now I have the urge to pick up some brass, bullets and suitable powder, and go shoot the .218 Bee. So I'll log off here and hit the vendors for what I need. Thanks guys.

ttt

My first" Varmint " rifle was and is a 43 in .218 Bee. Accurate enough ....if one can use the term accurate. The trigger is poor and the only way to try to improve it is to change angles and not recommended.

The 43 is a basically a model 69....a weak action in centerfire and prone to headspace issues.

I have had both flavors of Browning 65's. I shot the jane the most. It had the distinct issue of denting the tip if the brass on ejection. The deluxe version did not do that.

I picked up a Winchester 65 and sold both Mirokus. I offered the Deluxe version in the classifieds ....think I sold it elsewhere.

The Bees are fun to shoot as are the Hornets

I can solve your dilema. I have a grade 1 Browning 65 I'll trade you for the High Grade. That way you can feel good about shooting the Grade 1. It won't bother me to shoot the High Grade. Everybody wins.

Seriously though the 65 is a lot of fun. Mine's a tack driver. I put on a Marbles windage adjustable tang sight and am liking the combination a lot. Shoot yours and enjoy it. Life's too short not to have fun with the pretty ones.

I have a Ruger No.1, Browning M65, and a Taurus Raging Bee revolver. I don't use that flat point Bee bullet in any of them. In the M65 I load spitzers, one in the chamber and one in the magazine. I can get away with a longer C.O.A.L. in the M65 with perfect feeding using pointed bullets.

I've had a Browning Bee for some time now. Very accurate little rifle. At almost 70 years I thought I was going to have to get rid of it because I can no longer see a front sight. Rigged up a fastfire and back in business. 218's like reloader #7 with 45 gr. bullets.

Vapodog: Good for you - let us know how it shoots!
My friend hand loaded "pointy" bullets for his Browning in 218 Bee!
He Hunted Coyotes with it - he simply loaded one round in the chamber and then one round in the magazine - on those rare occasions he missed with the first shot he then safely levered in the second round.
This friend is left handed and that Browning solved the problems for him of finding a left handed Rifle in 218 Bee.
Again happy for you and your new "Bee".
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

It was shipped USPS and delayed two days for bad weather.....so I'm off to Wisconsin without it but will pick it up when I get home again about Feb 12th.....be assured....it'll get a tryout immediately (weather permitting)....It's what my old .25-20 should have been!

I picked up a Stevens 044-1/2 action in 1991 and built a Bee on it. Ran a few different loads thru it and sort of parked it for about 15 yrs, never really finished working up loads on it. I shot a few yotes and a few gophers with what ammo I had loaded for it over the years. So, being as what I had was almost all gone, I am restarting the process. I still have lots of bullets from back then, but the selection these days with the 35 & 40gr stuff is a boon. I put a 24" stainless octagon barrel and built my own stock for it, that isn't finished yet either. I was playing with it over Xmas and loaded it with LilGun and 40gr Vmax, the LilGun sure performs in it. I'll have to wait til it warms up a bit and get outside with it to see how the loads I tested so far really perform, but am definitely looking forward to it. So far that gun will put 10rds in an inch at 100 with 45 & 50gr loads, 1.5 at 200. Cast bullets worked great in it as well. See how these loads do when I can get out with them. I still have 8 boxes of 50gr Nosler Expanders I may put thru that gun, as that was what I'd chosen for it at the time. They may get relegated to the .223 yet as I picked up 1000 Vmax's and probably another 500 Varmint Grenades and 500 Varmageddon's and 6-800 Sierra's to try out as well. 40gr bullet at 31-3200 is plenty adequate for my purposes.