Inky Posted January 30, 2014 Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 Cases urgently wanted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wsm Posted January 30, 2014 Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 Theres nothing like a polite introduction for your first post on the site is there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6mmBR Posted January 30, 2014 Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 Sadly you will be very lucky. I scoured the UK and didn't find any sorry. I managed to find a 100 in the USA when I was out there and brought them home. Sadly I think Winchester has ceased production of them. Good luck in your hunt. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
17 Rem Posted January 30, 2014 Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 I have dies for sale, but sold my brass to another member of this forum last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveW Posted January 30, 2014 Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 Sadly you will be very lucky. I scoured the UK and didn't find any sorry. I managed to find a 100 in the USA when I was out there and brought them home. Sadly I think Winchester has ceased production of them. Good luck in your hunt. Dave Inky, can't help with the cases. Dave, did you ever build/rebarrel for the 218 Bee? I've got a set of Redding 218 Mashburn Bee dies that my father used to shoot, and thought about having play... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6mmBR Posted January 30, 2014 Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 Inky, can't help with the cases. Dave, did you ever build/rebarrel for the 218 Bee? I've got a set of Redding 218 Mashburn Bee dies that my father used to shoot, and thought about having play... Hi Steve, no the brass was for a good friend of mine who bought a beautiful little Marlin under lever rifle very cheap as the guy could not get any more brass. I had a contact in the states who managed to find 100 cases. It was like rocking horse poo out there!!! It looks a fun cartridge a bit like a small hornet, he was landed I got him the brass. Cheers Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borisserge Posted January 31, 2014 Report Share Posted January 31, 2014 I may know the where abouts of some...I need to the weekend to find out though! :} Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted January 31, 2014 Report Share Posted January 31, 2014 You guys need to get your ingenuity up and running. Make it from 25-20 WCF or 32-20 WCF. I found both on MidwayUK after a 30 second search. Size 25-20 to fit and trim. 32-20 needs annealing first. Â I shoot 218 Bee. Great little round that is unfortunately on the list of "underloaded" cartridges with respect to factory spec and loading data. Most was designed for lever action rifles. In a good bolt gun it sings: especially with Lil Gun. ~Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimmie Posted January 31, 2014 Report Share Posted January 31, 2014 Can we have some pictures please ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted January 31, 2014 Report Share Posted January 31, 2014 Can we have some pictures please ? Of the cartidge or the gun? The gun is a rare one over here. It's a Benny Rifle. The Benny was made by a man named E.B. Sunderhaus of Aakron, Ohio in the US. He made.22 Match Rifles in the 40's and 50's and this 218 Bee is the only known centerfire he ever made. The rifle is stamped on the underside of the reciever with the makers name and the date October 19, 1941. It has a Unertyl Hawk 3X scope. A serious old school varmint rifle. I'll try to get some photos if that's what you're asking.~Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spray1Mark Posted January 31, 2014 Report Share Posted January 31, 2014 Joe at Gunshop Barnet had factory ammo in stock last time I looked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimmie Posted January 31, 2014 Report Share Posted January 31, 2014 Of both if possible, I'm trying to picture a small hornet so to speak. I have heard of the .218 before,but never seen a picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbal Posted January 31, 2014 Report Share Posted January 31, 2014 Of both if possible, I'm trying to picture a small hornet so to speak. I have heard of the .218 before,but never seen a picture. The 1938 218 Bee is a little larger capacity than the Hornet and more of a bottle neck regular case shape but not as big as say,the Rem 221 Fireball,and rimmed of course.The Mashburn Bee mentioned is just one of several wildcatted improved versions,giving a 55g bullet the same velocity as the Bee gives a 45g,which was something like 2750-2800fps,with the 55g around 2500fps.A bit better in it's time than the Hornet,but the 222 made them obsolete as varmint small game numbers.It has the advantage of reduced report,but also reduced range-max 200y on small game.Never had much of a choice of rifles,and just did not catch on in any big way.Modern loading would improve a bit,as it has with the Hornet,but as seen,brass is rare-unless it's made from the original parent case,the 32-20 or 25-20,not exactly commonplace over here either. An enthusiast's number,given the Hornet is readily available,and the Fireball is considerably better ballistically. Gbal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted February 1, 2014 Report Share Posted February 1, 2014 Of both if possible, I'm trying to picture a small hornet so to speak. I have heard of the .218 before,but never seen a picture. Â I'll see if the I can find it in the safe.~Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inky Posted July 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2015 I have tried unsuccessfully to form from 32-20 cases and spoke to a guy at Redding who informed me that although I had purchased a 218 Bee forming die I also needed to purchase another forming die to reduce to 25-20. So the process as far as I can work out is to reduce 32-20 to 25-20 to .218 bee. You need to purchase .218 bee and 25-20 dies to enable the process. Don't know if it's worth all the expense, but I have a beautiful Marlin under lever in 218 Bee that I can look at when the urge takes me. Sorry if I offended the member who thought my first post on the site was curt. Gosh he must be insecure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangbangman Posted July 5, 2015 Report Share Posted July 5, 2015 . Sorry if I offended the member who thought my first post on the site was curt. Gosh he must be insecure. You must be a Saint with such a charming attitude. Â I happen to know the whereabouts of some 218Bee brass. But I'm too insecure to approach the owner on your behalf. Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visiter1 Posted July 5, 2015 Report Share Posted July 5, 2015 You must be a Saint with such a charming attitude. Â I happen to know the whereabouts of some 218Bee brass. But I'm too insecure to approach the owner on your behalf. Â love the looks of this gun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inky Posted July 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2015 Sorry if I come over as a 'saint'. This is not the case. Love the photo of the 218 bee. Exactly like mine. Even down to the silencer. Could have been taken at Carreg. Wonder if it is mine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangbangman Posted July 5, 2015 Report Share Posted July 5, 2015 Heh heh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueBoy69 Posted June 9, 2016 Report Share Posted June 9, 2016 Carl,  You don't happen to have a few 25-20 cases too do you as I'm getting a bit low  Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inky Posted July 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2016 Hi Guys To keep you up to date. I managed to get a couple of hundred 218 cases at a high price but they were needed. I'm now on another mission. I've bought a cracking target rifle in 218 mashburn bee. Does anyone have experience with this calibre or does anyone have dies, otherwise the gun could be a looking piece. Hope not its a cracker. Inky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveW Posted July 24, 2016 Report Share Posted July 24, 2016 Inky, Â I've inherited a Redding set and could help you out with some reloading data, let me get them out tomorrow evening and I will send you over some photos. If interested drop me a PM with your email address. When my father was fire forming to the Mashburn Bee he lost a few cases to neck splitting, but I read an article on another forum that described a method and he reckoned he wasn't losing any cases, I will try and dig it out for you. Â Any pictures of the rifle? I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Hancock Posted July 24, 2016 Report Share Posted July 24, 2016 See if Bruce Potts has tinkered with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inky Posted July 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2016 Inky, I've inherited a Redding set and could help you out with some reloading data, let me get them out tomorrow evening and I will send you over some photos. If interested drop me a PM with your email address. When my father was fire forming to the Mashburn Bee he lost a few cases to neck splitting, but I read an article on another forum that described a method and he reckoned he wasn't losing any cases, I will try and dig it out for you. Any pictures of the rifle? I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inky Posted July 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2016 Hi Steve Any help would be appreciated Inky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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