Anyone familiar with .218 Bee?

[mott555]

Hey guys, registered a while ago but haven't really been around. Oops.

Anyway, I recently inherited an old bolt-action rifle chambered in .218 Bee. I forget the model number but I can get that after work if anyone wants to know what it is (no it's not for sale).

I have one old box of .218 Bee ammo that is probably older than I, it was stored with the rifle. And I am unable to find anyplace that has it in stock. MidwayUSA at least has it listed but always out-of-stock.

I know the thing is ancient and might just be a collector piece now, but it's in fair condition and I would plink with it if I could reliably source ammo. Any tips?

Other than that, any thoughts/info about the .218 Bee? As best as I can tell, it looks like it might be a predecessor to the .223 Remington as it's a .22 centerfire cartridge.

[mott555]

After reading online I found that the Winchester Model 43 was one of the very few .218 Bee bolt-action rifles, and I'm pretty sure it's one of those.

Found ammo listed on a dozen different sites but every single one was out of stock. I guess I'll look for brass next, I have a buddy with a handloading press so that might be an option.

Given how rare the ammo is, I guess this thing will not see much action, but it would be nice to have a small stockpile for it just in case.

[gsd]

Finding .218 Bee is nearly impossible, (but you probably already knew that).

You can form it from .25-20 brass, but that is alsa gaining a reputation as hens teeth.

My best suggestion would be to visit Midway, scheels, gander Mountain, and all the other outdoor supply websites and set up an email notification.  they show they stock it, but don't have any.

[mott555]

Impossible is the right word.

I need to see if my Hornady reloading guide has this caliber. Some cursory Internet searches seem to indicate it uses normal .224 bullets, if that's true then that makes everything but the brass easy. I'm not sure but my guess is brass might be easier to find than full cartridges, unless everyone who still uses .218 is into handloading too.

[FarmerRick]

Try the gun shows. Fremont is this weekend, Lincoln is the next.

Also, look at smaller gun shops and possibly Gun Unlimited in Omaha.

[mott555]

I just read about the Fremont show, it's practically in my backyard but I'm going out of town this weekend  . I'll look up the Lincoln one though.

[SemperFiGuy]

You've got a rifle developed for one of the early Wildcat cartridges.

The parent cartridge is the .32-20Win, from which the .25-20Win is derived.
And then the .25-20Win was squeezed down to the .218Bee.

Which was trying to catch on, but was put down by the .222Rem.

As you state, the bullet is .224 diameter.   If you can find cases, maybe you could fire-form cases with the rifle and then use neck-sizing and bullet-seating dies for a .223Rem (.224 bullet, of course) to load .218Bee cartridges.

Best thing, of course, is to find a 218Bee dieset.

You'll have fun and some interesting experiences just chasing down reloading tools and components.

sfg

[gsd]

If you do get into reloading, give these guys a call. They have a ridiculous amount of dies on hand.

Hungtingtons Die Specialties
601 Oro Dam Blvd E, Oroville, CA 95965
(530) 534-1210
www.huntingtons.com/

[Platte River Jack]

As you have probably figured out you have a Model 43 Winchester. Dies and components are available and the rifle (providing no additional holes have been drilled for scopes etc.) will usually retail for $900.00 to $1,200.00 depending on condition.
If it is an unaltered Model 43, these are nice little rifles and the 218 Bee is an accurate little cartridge. Cooper Firearms still chambers for the round and reloading dies are available from RCBS, Redding and most other die manufactures.

Platte River Jack