218 bee for coyotes?

the .218 is a little snottier than the hornet, and ive used the hornet, many do. and it would be much more fur friendly than the hotter varmit calibers out there, especialy on fox and bobcats. they say a hornet is a 150 yard rifle, but thats cause its kinda inaccurate past that, it has the balistics to be a 250 yard varmit rifle , but you cant always hit stuff reliably that far. ive never shot a .218 so take what in saying for what its worth, i do have plenty of experiance with the hornet, and i know its slightly better.
one problem to consider is ammo availability, unless your a reloader. but i would use it if i had to for coyotes out to 150 yards, maybe more depending on bullet construction available, and how well it shot at those distances. 150 yards is fine up here in the brushy hills, may not work for you in Ill. do a search, and talk to someone who owns one.
 
I've shot many coyotes with my Hornet. What brokenaro and txagy said about distance is my findings as well. For a broadside shot, I like them under about 175yds, for a head-on shot, maybe 100yds.

I've tried 40gr Vmax and BTs, but had to many runners. I use 45gr and have used 50's. Now, I only use a Barnes 45gr XLC @ 2950fps in my Hornet for coyotes. It hits them noticibly harder than any other bullet I've used in the Hornet.
 
The Bee is a great cartridge, its just been surpassed by so many other 22 centerfires, thats its been lost in the shuffle. It has way more poop than the hornet, but just a bit light in the a** to keep up with the .223. A fifty grain bullet can easily be pushed along at 2800-2900 fps, and the sierra 40 grain loads I used could nip at 3,000 fps out of my Ruger #1. Care should be taken, some actions, like the dainty Winchester M43, might not be up to stout loadings, like I could get in my Ruger action.
I like the Bee, and never thought twice about using it for coyote,fox or cat.
 
I have 2 hornets and a Bee. I have shot a few predators with the hornets and am surprised at how deadly the little round is. The Bee I have is more accurate than the hornets and slightly faster. I would consider them close cousins with a slight nod to the Bee for predators. One plus here in the East, they are both relatively quiet.
 
I have not had good luck with the Bee. I love my 43, but it's more suited for gophers and PD's. I like the lack of noise in urban settings. How many of you have shot at dogs more than 175 yards with a Bee???? I have. The results are less than spectacular. Count on a blood trail. I shot one not long ago at 190 yards broadside. Solid forward hit with the Hornady 45 grain HP/Bee bullet. The dog spun two or three times biteing behind it's shoulder and ran straight for me. At close to 100 yards I took a frontal shot and again a solid hit and the dog was still on it's feet. The dog made it 40 yards into the dense blackberries and thats where it died somewhere out of my reach. This is only one example. The 218 is not a coyote caliber. The .223 is where things begin for song-dogs. If you happen to be a mean bastard and like to watch them flop around and run. I'd shoot the 218 Bee. My 2 cents. I'm sure some of you more sensitve types will take offence.

SEMPER-FI Keepem out of the wire!
 
ah but there is a solution - called the 218 mashburn bee. If you're a handloader its about like making a hornet into a k hornet. The 218 mashburn is about hot on the heels of a 223. fireform cases from 218 are simple. my load is 16.2 grains of H4227 and a 40 gr nosler BT. it also does for accuracy of the bee just what K does for the hornet
 
ACE-MAN...

The Hornady 45gr hollowpoints are the wrong bullet. The jackets are heavy and the bullet is designed to mushroom like a big game bullet.
On a PD, they probably didn't even start to open and punched right on through like a ice-pick.

I have a .218 Bee in a Ruger #1, and shoot 40gr V-Maxs and BlitzKings, and these bullets truely explode on contact.

Give them a try.
 
I have an old Winchester model 43 and the magazine length is the determining factor in bullet choices. I shoot the Hornady 35 gr. V-max (terible B.C. on this bullet) or the Hornady 45 grain HP/Bee bullets. The cartridge just does not have enough power to anchor a coyote. IMHO.
 
I love my Model 43 Bee, but carry a 22-250 for coyotes. As Ace says, the mag limits bullet selection. Spire points need to be set deeply into the case, unless you use it as a single shot.

I love the gun, but want more ft./lbs. for dogs.

Rick
 
The Bee has plenty of a** to anchor a coyote, but that 45 grain bullet is just poorly constructed. Try the Sierra 40 grain softpoint. I like the 35 grain vmax, but it is beetter suited to the 22 hornet, BC, at calling ranges, is really of no consequence to my mind.
 
For those of us who use Hornets or 218Bees on coyotes, I urge you to try Barnes 45gr XLC's. They are the best performing bullet I have found for coyotes at Hornet velocities. They are not cheap, but I do not use them for anything other than coyotes.
 
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