big med,Did you get your new toy.. :cool:

Not yet..Hopefully tomorrow!!

well my buddy didn't get back in time to get the Bee. I took a vacation day for Tomorrow to do some early Teal hunting, will have to make a detour to his shop :D If the wind isn't blowing 100 mph I hope to get out and shoot it......Also, I put a WWG trigger in my 32 mag CB rifle yesterday ;) will see how it shoots.

That Wild West trigger isn't going to improve your groups, you have obviously learned to control the factory one, but it sure is going to make it more pleasant to shoot.

I would buy one for my XLR but I'm still thinking about sending it to you for break in.

That Wild West trigger isn't going to improve your groups, you have obviously learned to control the factory one, but it sure is going to make it more pleasant to shoot.

I would buy one for my XLR but I'm still thinking about sending it to you for break in.

It would get shot, no two ways around that ;) The wind died down this evening and I got out for a little while until I couldn't the front sight any more. That trigger is nice, and you are right....it didn't improve my groups ;)

I think this 218 Bee is a keeper! :D Take a look see ;)

http://www.marlinowners.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=15735

Good deal! I need one of those and a 25-20.

Dang i guess its a keeper. :D Nice find big medicine ;)

I'm finding my self shooting my 1894's a lot more. Mostly because of the cost. Bullets are cheap and it only takes a few grains of powder, they sure don't lack in the accuracy dept either :) If I get out again this week I will have to get at lest one target for the match with the Bee.

...in the "Watch that Rowdy Fellow" thread

Ken,
I have got the Bee shooting. It will make one large hole at 50 yards (with scope) but at 100 yards not as good. Dont get me wrong, it will kill any varmit I pull the trigger on, but it ain't gonna beat VTDW the way it sits now. I really notice the trigger with the scope on the rifle, it needs some work. I think the groups will tighten up then. I may mess around a little more with loads, but I think the one I have now is hard pressed to be any better.

The only 218 Brass that I know of is Winchester brass. It seems to work fine. My 25-20 brass is all RP nickel it has more loads through it than I can count I would hold out for a Marlin 218 Bee, I did for 15 years and it was worth it.

Now that I have a fellow 1894CL 218 Bee shooter to think through, I hope to figure my rifle out. My rifle has a bad, bad trigger that I just can't seem to cure despite all the polishing I've done. At present, I've got it to where it is fine on the bench but it still takes too much thought in the field when you are trying to lay out a coyote. I'm continuing to work on that.

I found your (Big Med's) comments on accuracy with 100-yards vs. 50-yards interesting. The further I shoot, the worst my rifle is. That would make sense... but I'm talking MOA and it's not proportional to the distance.

One thing that might be in play here is the bullet stability of Hornady 218 Bee bullet with the 1:14 twist. I don't know what firearm Hornady had in mind when they designed this bullet but I don't think it right for the 1:14 twist of the Bee. (I know the bullet length doesn't work with the OAL of the Bee either.) I don't use the bullet stability function of my RSI Shooters Lab software much but when I plugged in the info it pooped out a report that showed just that... as the bullet becomes subsonic it looses it (the shaded area in the image is hard to see ). When you compare those velocities to the exterior ballistics charts, that all takes place somewhere between 200 and 250 yards with this load. In practice (at the range), it seems to happen just prior to 200-yards as I'm lucky to keep 5 bullets on the paper at 200. I sure wish I hadn't bought 500 of those Hornady Bee's, I guess I can sell them on eBay.

I've put the statistics of the Sierra 40-grain Hornet in the stability generator and it looks okay but I would like to hear a report from a 1894CL shooter before I go off and buy that boolit.

I thought about the Lee custom C225-55-RF Bator (http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/so_mould.asp) available through Mid-South but the stability generator says it's a no go with the 55-grains of lead in the 1:14. I have worked up a TLC225-40-RF for Lee to make, just haven't sent it in yet.

I've shot at some game with the rifle and missed every animal. Before the trigger work started, I tried to hit a 40# hog in the head at 80-yards and missed it completely. Since the trigger work, I've called in a couple coyotes and missed them out at 175-200 yards. I shot at a skunk in my lower food plot at 150-yards from the porch of my house and missed it... picked up my 39A (22LR) sitting behind the back door of the house and killed it clean with the first shot (Win 40-grain DP). I love the looks and feel of this little gun but don't like how crazy it makes me!!!

Would you guys mind if I moved this thread to the Marlin 1894 forum?

Thats fine with me Ranch Dog, i sent you targets on 9/30..

Would you guys mind if I moved this thread to the Marlin 1894 forum?

It's ok with me.

Michael,
I have spoke with Doug at Hornady. He is one of the ballistic techs and did all the work on the loads for the 218 Bee. He is a great guy to talk to and really knows his stuff. The 218 Bee bullet was designed for the Marlin 218 Bee rifle. I have found it to shoot real well. I had to try several powders but 11.5 gr of H110, 11.5 gr of IMR 4227 and a few other powders did well. After the PM work is all done lets discuss this 218 and get yours shooting. I plan on putting a WWG Trigger in mine maby as soon as this weekend. I think that will help with the groups. I sent two targets for the Bee in the mail yesterday. Most of the shots were in the bull, but a couple were in the black, not great but not too bad for the trigger in it.
Alan