Ammunition, while not exactly plentiful, is still available from Remington, Federal, Hornady, Nosler, and HSM. The Bee case is a necked-down .25-20 Winchester (itself a necked-down version of the .32-20 Winchester). Another cartridge capable of reaching across the back 40 and stinging a varmint is the .218 Bee. Best choices in pointed bullets for use in bolt actions and single-shots are those weighing from 30 to 45 grains from Berger, Nosler, Sierra, Speer and Hornady. I've got a pile of Hornets and a 221 as well as a K-Hornet and 218 Bee and 222s. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission, which supports our community. Me, I have owned many rimless cartridge barrels. Does this not look like something out of a 1950s SciFi outerspace flick? The hornet is kind of ho-hum due to being extremely finicky in accuracy/load development,but rechambering it to "K" makes it an entirely different critter. (Ret.) If you water that barrel you have so it grows to 12" I'd still stay with the Bee or go to a 221 Fireball (have had multiple 10" & 12" FB barrels for my TC's plus my XP-100's). 221 Rem. The .221 Remington Fireball, often simply referred to as .221 Fireball, is a centerfire cartridge created by Remington Arms Company in 1963 as a special round for use in their experimental single-shot bolt-action pistol, the XP-100. The The .218 Bee came along in 1937, at the height of the Great Depression, released in Winchester Model 65 lever gun. Beautiful wood - better than a lot of stuff I've seen described as AAA. It might even be less well known than some of its own offspring like the 17 Fireball and 300 Blackout. Photo shows 221 Fireball, 17 Fireball, 222 Remington, 223 Remington, and 220 Swift. VarmintGuy # 8122370 10/02/13. One species has evolved into obese cranial fatheads with thin skin in comparison that whines about anything and everything as their shield against their environment. Mag. The .221 Remington Fireball, often simply referred to as .221 Fireball, is a centerfire cartridge created by Remington Arms Company in 1963 as a special round for use in their experimental single-shot bolt-action pistol, the XP-100. Designed to compete with the .22 Hornet, Winchester necked down the .25-20 Winchester to hold .224-inch-diameter bullets (the .25-20 itself was a .32-20 necked down), and the Model 65 was offered in .218 Bee, .25-20 and .32-20. Most modern, centerfire cartridges stand on the shoulders of others. Well, the performance of the two is pretty similar, with the Bee having the slight velocity advantage, but the Hornet has the advantage of more factory loads and more availability. 22 Hornet. The .218 Bee has always been considered an accurate cartridge, but never gained traction in These throw .224" jacketed varmint bullets usually weighing between 45 and 60 grains. The 300 BLK is a crazy idea, but it works. It came about in 1938 when Winchester, looking to boost the sagging sales of its Model 92 rifle, added the .218 Bee - failing to recognize that, even back then, hunters wanted their varmint cartridges in bolt actions and single-shots, not lever actions. New Win. Now go out and hunt. Got a Ruger #3 in Hornet. In the early 1960s Remington was working on an experimental bolt-action pistol based on their Model 600 action. I have a 10" 357 barrel for deer that I am keeping but I have not decided what 22 centerfire barrel I want to stick with. Marlin tried again in 1990 by offering it in it Model 1894 carbine, and along about the same time Browning introduced a Japanese copy of the Winchester Model 92 in the same caliber. All Rights Reserved. It's what the hornet should have been . Quite obviously, the .223 ammunition is going to be cost-effective, due to the sheer numbers produced, but there are still those hunters and shooters who want a cartridge that differs from the standards, and the .222 Remington certainly has the cool-factor in addition to the practical applications. The stubby little round pushed 50-grain bullets from those 10-3/4 pistol barrels 2,600 fps. The 221 Fireball may be the most efficient of our 22-caliber cartridges throwing .224" bullets. I've had a couple of 10" octagons and they were great shooters with the short tube. Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis were as all shook up as rock-and-roll had gotten. Remington dropped it from production several years ago, and Winchester makes only an occasional production run of ammo and unprimed cases. Jul 14, 2021. 2023 Outdoor Sportsman Group. Half a century ago, small-bore accuracy was defined by a single cartridge, a simple, mild cartridge called the .222 Remington. The .221 FB is a small step up power-wise, but both are better suited to a 10" barrel than the .223 IMO. I don't really know but I hear the 218 bee is real expensive to shoot. Since the Bee was designed for a rifle with a tubular magazine, Winchester and Remington always loaded it with blunt-nosed bullets, whereas the Hornet was commonly loaded with pointed bullets. Water it a little more and if you could stand 14" the 222/223 can be a good choice. You don't need to know much more about the 221 Fireball than it shoots 22-caliber varmint bullets at around 3,000 fps. WHich is the best round? My first 22 centerfire and I think my overall third barrel was a 10" octagon Bee. The .222 enjoyed the accuracy crown from its release up until the early 1970s when the PPC burst onto the scene in the hands of Dr. Louis Palmisano, and accuracy was redefined. The 30-06, as most of us know, was rearranged to become the 270 Winchester, 280 Remington, 25-06 Remington, 338-06, 35 Whelen and others. 1 in .218 Bee, components were readily available, so feeding the single-shot was no issue. The "wound" channel in this tube of soft wax gives some idea of how the 221 Fireball performs. The .218 Bee is compared to the .22 Hornet, and has a higher velocity along with a higher A bobcat I took with it dashed off about 32 yards and was a challenge to recover because the bullet had stayed inside. $19.00/100 new brass, $9.00/100 bullets, 11 grains of powder and a small rifle primer doesn't seem anymore expensive that anything else and cheaper than most. The .221 Fireball, .222 Remington, .222 Rem. The .218 Bee bullet was designed for varmint hunting back in 1938, but lacked popularity when it Chamber it in a 22-inch rifle barrel and, according to the Nosler Reloading Guide 8, just 17 grains of Hodgdon 4198 powder will nudge it 3,034 fps. Willing to pay retail on them or trade. Have I ever had a problem with them ? L. to R.: On and on its gone. In that class,you neglected 1 of the best lil cartridges I've ever used-the .22 K hornet. Velocities shown represent five or more rounds clocked 12 feet from the muzzle of a Marlin Model 1894CL with a 20-inch barrel (lever-action rifle loads) and a Sako L46 with a 24-inch barrel. Joseph Von Benedikt shows his custom 500 and how well it shoots. Check out this story from contributor Mike Roux, for an excellent and educational anecdote highlighting the importance of a full quiver of calls. . The 221 is close to being like the .223 that I already own . This could be your huckleberry. It has been so popular as a wildcat that in 2007 Remington legitimized it by introducing their own version only slightly different from the Mach IV and calling it the .17 Remington Fireball. Photo shows a hunter in heavy brush with a bobcat taken using a Remington M700 rifle in 221 Fireball. But unless you intend to handload, the Hornet makes more sense, simply for the availability and range of factory loads. After working with the .222 Remington they determined that it contained more powder capacity than was necessary to work efficiently in the shorter barrels of pistols. I too am a hornet fan but the 221 has intrigued me for some time. Its base measures 0.408 inches, has a body with minimal taper and a steeper 15-degree shoulder. But if you're curious More inquisitive shooters scratch their heads, notice a few similarities in body shape or head size, snoop around a bit, and learn some fascinating details about the fabrication (some might say bastardization) of one cartridge from another. Both cartridges are easy on the ears and have very little recoil, yet are effective for any of the smaller species for which these are suited. Designed to compete with the .22 Hornet, Winchester necked down the .25-20 Winchester to hold .224-inch-diameter bullets (the .25-20 itself was a .32-20 necked down), and the Model 65 was offered in .218 Bee, .25-20 and .32-20. The .221 Remington Fireball (subscription req), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=.221_Remington_Fireball&oldid=1144692797, Pages using infobox firearm cartridge with unknown parameters, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 15 March 2023, at 02:06. There are plenty of used Remingtons on the market, as well as new Steyr, Sauer, Sako and Tikka rifles representing the European manufacturers. That same manual list several 50 grain bullet loads for the 218 bee at 2600 fps and one 55 grain load also at 2600 fps. Beth Shimanski of Savage introduces their all new straight-pull rifle. It has application as both a pistol round and as a rifle round. Hornet. You can drive a 40-grain Ballistic Tip 3,250 fps to extend MPBR to about 260 yards. Copyright 2023 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. .221 Fb is a better case design and much more durable case than any 22 Hornet ever dreamed of. Remington sure captured the cutting edge of fashion with its original XP-100 in 221 Fireball. Hope I can wait till Christmas . entered the market during 1939, and never gained any traction compared to others such as the .22 The 218 Bee, 219 Donaldson Wasp, 225 Winchester, 220 Swift They all take .224" bullets. The maximum SAAMI pressure level for the .221 Fireball is 52,000 C.U.P. They are QUIET, fun old guns for shooting ground squirrels. The 221 Fireball, left, sprang from the 222 Remington(center,) before itself giving birth to the 17 Fireball. (HEAD) i love my 223 AI but im just wanting another rifle get what im sayin???? Looking to enhance your effectiveness in the turkey woods this season? Lets compare and contrast the pair of old veterans, and see which comes out on top. When it comes to choosing powders for .218 Bee handloads, IMR-4227 has long been a popular choice, and H4227 works equally well. The 308 Winchester essentially a shortened 30-06 was necked down to make the 7mm-08 Remington, 260 Remington and 243 Winchester. This cartridge is based on the 221 Fireball case and is probably the most efficient of the 20-Caliber cartridges. . The new Sako Finnlight II sports an innovative stock and Cerakote metal paired with the terrific 85 action. While we have went to great lengths to make sure that it's as accurate as possible this rendering should not be used to generate specs for casings. Straight-Pull rifle the shoulders of others readily available, so feeding the single-shot was no.. On top to enhance your effectiveness in the early 1960s Remington was working on an experimental pistol. 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