andym79 wrote:Hi, here I go again with another odd question, does anyone have a fast twist 218 bee (1:7.7) and if so do you shot heavies (70-77gr) and if so with good results?
Thanks
Andy
Bill wrote:Now that sure is an odd question andym79, I run a Ruger 223 VT barrel on my custom Martini 218 bee and Im pretty sure the twist is 1:12 and it works a treat for 40gr at 3300fps.
whats the rifle and your thinking of using heavy bullets ? I reckon you'd struggle to get decent velocity with a 70-77gr bullet personally.
Bill wrote:Now that sure is an odd question andym79, I run a Ruger 223 VT barrel on my custom Martini 218 bee and I'm pretty sure the twist is 1:12 and it works a treat for 40gr at 3300fps.
madang55 wrote:Just acquired a Martini in 218 Bee. Waiting to see what twist it has. Am told it was used for bench rest. The last owner say he has had trouble with un-burnt powder or powder residue creeping into the chamber, making it difficult to extract spent rounds. He thinks he may have needed to reduce loads. I'm thinking it could be a number of reasons. A worn chamber throat, cases that had been 'turned down', or not enough charge to expand the case to seal the throat against 'back-wash'. Anyway.....everything I can find says that one is setting the bar a bit high if you want to use projectiles heavier than 55 grains in the 218 Bee. I think of the 218 as a Hornet with attitude and I would never use anything above 50gr, more like 40gr, making 45gr the heaviest I will probably venture to with the 218. The end life of this Martini will probably be as a Hornet, its a love affair I can't kick. Or....maybe.....the 350 Legend has my attention, and I am having some spectacular results with the 300 AAC.. Decisions, decisions. Also, from what I have learnt so far is the typical twist in the 218 was 1:16. 1:14 were around ?
madang55 wrote:After much stuffing around................Actually,
the rifle may have started out as a 218 BEE, however. I was having a lot of difficulty with chambering, extracting, grouping etc and I noticed the fired cases
were different. I asked a few questions and it turns out that someone had created, re-chambered to 218 IMPROVED, or attempted to do so and
I found out the hard, long way that the chamber was something of a disaster. It was very rough and needed polishing, which I managed and
after trying some more reloads with the neck sized cases, still no joy. Through some further trial and error I then discovered that the lands were so far in front of the chamber,
that even seating the longest projectiles right to the end of the case, they didn’t come in contact with the lands. There was no way this rifle was going to “shoot” in its current state.
The rifle is now with a gunsmith being converted to 22 Hornet. He is cutting the 218 Bee chamber off and re-chambering the same barrel.