Can only hunt with straight wall cartridges or shotguns.Originally Posted by ccmdfd
IDK the real reason. I think they thought the limited range would be "safer" on public lands and stuff like that. But it really doesn't make sense for the super rural areas around kentucky/w virginia, etc
I tend to like the obscure varmint cartridges, and I spent some time with the .218 Mashburn Bee in a Contender barrel (Contenders extract easier with rimmed brass), which uses Bee brass in an improved (fire formed) chamber. Basically the shoulder and neck pushed (blown during fire forming) forward to increase case capacity, case taper decreases, and the shoulder angle increases. It add up to about 20% more space for powder, roughly 2.5 grains more. Loads are developed in 0.5 grain increments.
The Mashburn Bee offers higher velocities than the K-Hornet, but there are few Bee factory loads and brass is not all that common. I think Winchester still loads fifty-round boxes every year or two and is the only source of brass. That factory ammo was the source of my Mashburn Bee brass. Last time I bought Bee ammo, my LGS had to order it for me, and the cost was more than $1.00 per round. For my usage with shorter barrels, the more common Hornet brass and rifles makes more sense in the K-Hornet chamber. If you have a lever action, the Bee was a bit more prevalent as it was originally introduced in lever actions. That explains the Bee flat bullet and why handloading is needed to extract performance from the round. The Bee, Mashburn or otherwise, is obsolete when compared to other rounds, especially the .223 Remington as brass is dirt cheap, it can be loaded to Bee or Hornet levels, and can be loaded to above what either can handle. That being said, a light single-shot Mashburn Bee or K-Hornet is a delight with much less report than the higher pressure .223.
My two non-mainstream rifle calibers are 6.5x55 and 35 Whelen.
My mainstream options are .223 and 308Win.
Chris
Not yet.
I sold my 375, 338, and 9.3x62. I shoot my 7mm RM rarely and my 30-06 sparingly. I shoot my 308 all the time as it most closely meets my current needs. Once I get old and move to Arizona for the heat, I think I’d like the 6.5 Creedmoor for deer and similar game since ranges can get long in that kind of terrain.
But I still dream of hunting Roosevelt elk in the Pacific Northwest one more time and I feel like frontal area matters for that. These elk are roughly 20% larger than Rocky Mountain elk or slightly smaller than a Quarter Horse. They live in low, nasty cover on steep, hilly, terrain that’s always wet due to constant pouring rain. On scouting trips, I have seen mature bulls disappear just by lying down. All of that makes tracking far harder than in open country, so I want a cartridge that will drop a 1,000-pound animal NOW and that doesn’t kick too hard for extended practice. I'm unconvinced that any 6.5 is right for that mix of game and conditions. I think that level of power starts at the 30-06.
If I were to go heavier, then I'd focus on frontal area over velocity and 9.3x62 would likely get the nod. With 250-grain bullets it has about the same trajectory as a 308/165 or a 30-06/180, and recoil isn’t too bad in a well-organized rifle.
The 7-08 is interesting, but 308 ammo is so cheap and common that neither it nor the Creed makes much sense yet.
Okie John
“The reliability of the 30-06 on most of the world’s non-dangerous game is so well established as to be beyond intelligent dispute.” Finn Aagaard
"Don't fuck with it" seems to prevent the vast majority of reported issues." BehindBlueI's
I suppose it started as a safety issue due to the population and terrain and the number of people in the woods during deer gun season. I agree with Mr. Johnson in that the more rugged terrain in southeastern Ohio would be more suited for regular deer rifles. Anything is legal for coyote, boar, and groundhog hunting but there aren’t that many people out doing that at any given time.
That's the scenario the .350 Legend was created to address.
Being a former Miata owner, I am attracted to doing more with less, so I keep going down the K-Hornet rabbit hole. For now, I have a Super 16 .223 barrel for my Contender. It's a really slow twist, I think 1:14, so unlikely to stabilize anything heavier than 50gr. I will still test it with 53gr V-Max, just because the BC is so good on that one. I'm planning to work on the reduced load angle and come up with K-Hornet equivalents.
Obscure stuff I've thought was interesting over the years:
7.92 x 24 mm VBR (.30 carbine shortened and loaded with .312 bullets for service pistol use)
6mm Remington AI
.375 Reaper (basically the same concept as .300 BLK but with a .308 case)
.375 Ruger (not that I have any realistic use for it...)
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Not another dime.
My guess would be range. Shotgun /muzzle loader only is common for parts of the more populous NE states.
The first centerfire rifle I ever shot was .218 Bee. Belonged to a neighbor and he loaned it to me to shoot groundhogs. Do not shoot .218 from inside the grainery without earpro.
At one point I owned M700s in .220 Swift, .300 Savage, and .350 Rem Mag.
I currently shoot a lot of weird stuff in single shot pistols: both Herretts, 7TCU, 17 Mach IV, and a one off 6.5x.30-30 wildcat. If you're not forming brass, you're not having fun.
"Gunfighting is a thinking man's game. So we might want to bring thinking back into it."-MDFA
Beware of my temper, and the dog that I've found...
I have this strange attachment to the .25-20, which is the middle member of the .32-20 family, with the .218 Bee being the smallest. Years ago I owned a Savage 23B in .25-20, bought it on a lark at a gun show for $300 and then foolishly sold it some years later for $400. I really enjoy the light recoil and I've always had a soft spot for the overlooked .257 cartridges.
I'm building another 23B one piece at a time...slowly but surely. I've currently got a barrel / action (it's all one piece of steel), a magazine, and a rare Savage # 15 rear peep sight that fits the factory drilled and tapped holes. It's a ways off yet LOL.
I also just found a Kimber 82 in .25-20, pretty rare firearm.
Finally, if you're a strange person like myself and enamored with this tiny cartridge, do yourself a favor and get on GB right now and buy brass. There's a company called Load-X selling it, and they contracted Starline to make a batch of .32-20 brass headstamped as .25-20 with LX for Load-X on it as well. They're annealing the brass and 2-step forming it down to .25-20 dimensions, which is something that Starline has no interest in doing. I got 1,000 pieces headed my way, and I'll never need to buy .25-20 brass again. Starline is excellent brass and this may be the only chance in a lifetime to get properly headstamped .25-20 brass of their manufacture. It costs about what you'd pay for lesser quality Rem or Win brass, if you can find them.
Other than the .25-20, I've got a few '09 Argentine Mausers in 7.65x53mm, and I'm looking forward to starting to load for a .450/400 NE Ruger No. 1 that I bought years ago. Oh yeah, there's a Swiss K31 in 7.5x55 hiding in there, too.
I think one day I'd like to add a .250 Savage that's old enough to be stamped .250-3000, and also if money starts growing on trees, I'd like a true African double rifle in an appropriate NE caliber. And maybe something in .300 H&H. And....
I load 32-20, but for a S&W M&P 5", so I left it off the list. The 25-20 always sounded interesting, but I never came across a gun so chambered that tempted me.
I like the 32-20 and need to get a rifle chambered in it.
Chris
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