The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Skunkworks > Handloading, Reloading, and Bullet Casting

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old June 9, 2009, 10:51 AM   #1
Magnum Wheel Man
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 26, 2006
Location: Southern Minnesota
Posts: 9,333
218 Bee / 22 Hornet... Let's get ready to "RUMBLE"... which one wins ???

I'm going to have an extra 13-14" of left over 1 in 9" twist barrel after my "change out barrel" conversion on my Taurus 22 Hornet revolver... I collect Contenders, & have a buddy that machines blocks that the barrel threads into for the Contenders, so I'm looking for what to do with the extra barrel...

I already have barrels in 22 Hornet, 5.7 X 28, 221 Fireball, 222, & 223... so I was looking for suggestions, & the Bee came up...

after going through a few load reciepes, the Hornet & the Bee seem almost a dead heat... the Bee gets a few added marks for more durable brass, but the K Hornet jumps ahead of the Bee in velocity...but then there is the Mashburn Bee

anyone shoot these 2 out of similar platforms, & seen much difference, in either performance, or in accuracy ???

loading difficulty or any advantages either way would be appreciated... ( I'm trying to justify K Hornet, Bee or ??? with the extra chunk of barrel )
__________________
In life you either make dust or eat dust...

Last edited by Magnum Wheel Man; June 9, 2009 at 11:02 AM.
Magnum Wheel Man is offline  
Old June 9, 2009, 11:02 AM   #2
Sam06
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 19, 2008
Location: Fayettenam
Posts: 1,086
219 Zipper. Whit that slow a twist it will chuck 60gr bullets way faster than the others. 2nd choice would be the 218 mashburn.

219 Zipper brass is made from 25-35 or 30-30 brass i believe. In a Contender you could shoot pointy bullets. That would be a blast in a 14" barrel.

Edit: For even more fun the 219 Donaldson Wasp would be a blast. Its an improved 219 zipper.
__________________
The two most abundant elements in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity.
Sam06 is offline  
Old June 9, 2009, 11:06 AM   #3
Magnum Wheel Man
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 26, 2006
Location: Southern Minnesota
Posts: 9,333
those were also suggested, but I was under the impression ( perhaps in error ) that they were higher pressure rounds & maybe a bit too high for the Contender action
__________________
In life you either make dust or eat dust...
Magnum Wheel Man is offline  
Old June 9, 2009, 11:09 AM   #4
Sam06
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 19, 2008
Location: Fayettenam
Posts: 1,086
They cambered the Zipper in the Winchester 64, a lever action based on the 1894 Winchester action. Let look in my Cartridges of the world and see what ol Fred has to say. I will edit this post when i get info.


Edit: Everything I have seen says 42,000 PSI. I think the PO Ackley improved version would be the one to go with as opposed to the Donaldson Wasp version. The PO Version should have a little lower pressure. That would be on the edge and you would have to select powders but it doable in a contender.
__________________
The two most abundant elements in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity.

Last edited by Sam06; June 9, 2009 at 11:21 AM.
Sam06 is offline  
Old June 9, 2009, 11:25 AM   #5
Magnum Wheel Man
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 26, 2006
Location: Southern Minnesota
Posts: 9,333
hmmm... thanks... more options... I'll have to look at availability of dies, reamers etc.
__________________
In life you either make dust or eat dust...
Magnum Wheel Man is offline  
Old June 9, 2009, 12:07 PM   #6
SL1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 8, 2007
Posts: 2,001
Regarding cartridge pressure in the Contender frame, Mike Belm seems to think that you should stay below about 45,000 or maybe 47,000 psi in cartridges with a case head the size of a .30-30. The Accurate Powder manual says that Thompson Center told them to stay below 42,000 psi, but when I asked T/C about that, they said they have no record of ever saying that. (Then they gave me some data that was lower yet.)

SL1
SL1 is offline  
Old June 9, 2009, 12:32 PM   #7
Sam06
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 19, 2008
Location: Fayettenam
Posts: 1,086
SL1, that is the same I have heard. I think a 219 Zipper AI would be ok in a Contender. If you do your part and are a careful handloader it should be fine. I think in a 1-9 twist barreled T/C in the AI Zipper will out preform a 223 contender all day long with 55-62gr bullets.
__________________
The two most abundant elements in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity.
Sam06 is offline  
Old June 9, 2009, 01:13 PM   #8
SL1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 8, 2007
Posts: 2,001
Sam,

Comparing the Zipper and the .223 in a Contender is a bit hard to do, because you can go to a substantially higher pressure in the smaller-headed .223 case. Belm seems to think much hotter than the .30-30 case head, but I don't really understand why, based on simple calculations of case internal base areas. But, Belm has the hands-on experience, so I am assuming that my theory must be lacking.

SL1
SL1 is offline  
Old June 14, 2009, 07:22 AM   #9
Sam06
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 19, 2008
Location: Fayettenam
Posts: 1,086
MWM, I was looking in my "Cartridges of the World" by Barns and found what I think might be another good choice;

The 226 JDJ. It is a .224 cartridge based on the 225 Winchester but is an Improved version. It was developed to work in a Contender frame.

Now Mike Bellm Likes the 223 head size and thinks the 222 rem mag improved is the better cartridge.

http://www.bellmtcs.com/FAQ/226JDJ.htm

Another way to go would be a 223 AI. It would be about the easiest to work with.
__________________
The two most abundant elements in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity.
Sam06 is offline  
Old June 15, 2009, 07:18 AM   #10
Magnum Wheel Man
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 26, 2006
Location: Southern Minnesota
Posts: 9,333
ouch... thats too bad... I had 100... 50 loaded & 50 empty cases of 222 mag... I just traded to my buddy... didn't even think about that as another "tender" option

I'm really leaning towards the Bee, because if the barrel length... if I could go longer then those bigger 22's would be nice...
__________________
In life you either make dust or eat dust...
Magnum Wheel Man is offline  
Old June 15, 2009, 11:26 AM   #11
Sam06
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 19, 2008
Location: Fayettenam
Posts: 1,086
With the Barrel length you mentioned I think either the Bee or Mashburn Bee are the way to go also.

Good Luck with it...........Sam
__________________
The two most abundant elements in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity.
Sam06 is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:35 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.06340 seconds with 8 queries