View source for .218 Bee

{{Short description|Cartridge}}
{{more citations needed|date=January 2013}}
{{Infobox Firearm Cartridge
|name= '''.218 Bee'''
|image= 218_Bee.jpg | image_size = 200px
|caption=Left, compared to [[.223 Remington]]
|origin= US
|type= Rifle
<!-- Service history -->
|service=
|used_by=
<!-- Production history -->
|designer= [[Winchester Repeating Arms Company|Winchester]]
|design_date=1937
|manufacturer=Winchester
|production_date=1937–present
|number=
|variants= .218 Mashburn Bee<ref>Landis, Charles S. ''Twenty-Two Caliber Varmint Rifles'' (1947) Small Arms Technical Publishing Company p.60</ref>
<!-- Specifications -->
|is_SI_specs=
|parent= [[.32-20 Winchester]]
|case_type= Rimmed, bottleneck
|bullet=.224
|neck=.242
|shoulder=.329
|base=.349
|rim_dia=.408
|rim_thick=.065
|case_length=1.345
|length=
|rifling=
|primer=Small rifle
|max_cup=40,000<ref>Saami pressures. (n.d.). Retrieved May 3, 2023, from https://leverguns.com/articles/saami_pressures.htm</ref>
<!-- Ballistic performance -->
|is_SI_ballistics=
|bw1=35
|btype1=VMax
|vel1=3205
|en1=799
|bw2=40
|btype2=BT
|vel2=3130
|en2=870
|bw3=46
|btype3=JFP
|vel3=2708
|en3=749
|bw4=50
|btype4=BT
|vel4=2654
|en4=782
|bw5=
|btype5=
|vel5=
|en5=
|test_barrel_length=
|balsrc= Hodgdon <ref name="hodgdon">{{Cite web |url=http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp |title=Hodgdon Online Reloading Data |access-date=2007-08-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071111143616/http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp |archive-date=2007-11-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
}}

The '''.218 Bee / 5.7x34mmR''' is a .22 [[caliber]] [[Centerfire ammunition|centerfire]] [[rifle]] [[Cartridge (firearms)|cartridge]] designed for [[varmint]] hunting by [[Winchester Repeating Arms Company|Winchester]] in 1937. The cartridge was originally chambered in the Winchester Model 65 [[lever-action]] rifles, which may have ultimately led to its lack of popularity. The cartridge is named for the bore diameter of the barrel in which the cartridge is chambered rather than the usual practice in the United States of having the cartridge's nomenclature reflect in some way the bullet diameter.

==History==
The .218 Bee cartridge was designed by Winchester for use in their Model 65 lever-action rifles. Winchester designed the cartridge by necking down the [[.25-20 Winchester]] cartridge to accept a .224 diameter bullet. Just as the .32-20 can be considered to be the parent cartridge of the .25-20, it can also be considered the parent cartridge to the .218 Bee. The cartridge was introduced as a commercial cartridge by Winchester in 1937 in their Model 65 lever action rifle, which was also chambered for the .25-20 and .32-20 Winchester cartridges. However, while the .25-20 and the .32-20 Model 65 rifles have 22-inch (560&nbsp;mm) barrels, the rifles chambered for the Bee have 24-inch (610&nbsp;mm) barrels.

Despite showing some early promise, the cartridge never really caught on, even though it was later chambered by Winchester in their new [[bolt-action]] Model 43 rifle and by Sako in their L-46 rifle. There was some question about the accuracy of the .218 Bee as compared to the .222,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Association |first=National Rifle |title=An Official Journal Of The NRA {{!}} Head to Head: .22 Hornet vs. .218 Bee |url=https://www.americanhunter.org/content/head-to-head-22-hornet-vs-218-bee/ |access-date=2025-10-14 |website=An Official Journal Of The NRA |language=en}}</ref> but that was likely due to the difference of inherent accuracy between the bolt-action rifles commonly chambered for the .222 and the lever-action rifles commonly chambered for the .218 Bee. Although not in common use, it is still a very effective cartridge in its class, for small to medium varmints out to about {{convert|200|yard}}. Production ammunition and rifles are still available from a few manufacturers.

==Performance==
In terms of relative performance, the .218 Bee falls between the smaller [[.22 Hornet]], and the larger [[.222 Remington]] and the more popular [[.223 Remington]].

==See also==
* [[5 mm caliber]]
* [[List of rifle cartridges]]
* [[List of rimmed cartridges]]
* [[Table of handgun and rifle cartridges]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* [http://www.chuckhawks.com/218Bee.htm The .218 Bee] by Chuck Hawks
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101127005310/http://reloadingroom.com/index_files/218%20Bee.htm Contender Varminting - .218 Bee] at Rocky's Reloading Room

{{Rimmed cartridges}}
{{Winchester Cartridges Firearms}}

[[Category:Pistol and rifle cartridges|218 Bee]]
[[Category:Rimmed cartridges]]
[[Category:Winchester Repeating Arms Company cartridges]]