22 Hornet or 218 Bee

[silver]

I have been thinking there should be a new or at least new to me rifle in the house. I have been looking at a 22 Hornet in a Cooper, mentioned this to a friend and he said there were problems with the brass life and he had a Cooper in 218 Bee that he would sell me instead.

My question is which one would you choose? Which one is more reloader friendly? Is one more inherently accurate than the other?

Thank you in advance for your experience and insight.

[Dean2]

I own 4 Hornets and 2 Bees. Both are great rounds. The 22 Hornet is unfairly tagged with bad brass life. If you use the same brass in the same gun and only neck size brass will last at least 20 reloads. I have never lost a brass unless I shot too hot a load and opened up the primer pocket, and that is hard to do too. Tops out about 3150 FPS with Li'Gun and 40 Vmax.

218 is a little hotter round, can be loaded to close to 223 speeds, will do 3500 fps with Lil'Gun and 40 Vmax. Brass lasts well but is harder to come by as there are 30 times more 22 Hornets than 218 Bees. There are no factory loads for the Bee while there are lots of makers for factory 22 Hornet. I neck size the Bee too and have never lost a brass. Have some with over 12 firings. In a Cooper it would be a great round.

Both are nice quiet round if you are shooting in settled areas, about the same as 17 HMR and you can load 50 rounds for about the same price as 50 17 HMR. Effective range on gophers to 400 yards. Both will shoot 1/2 MOA. The 218 Bee is the better choice if you want to shoot 50 or 60 grain bullets. With the 40 grain bullets, either one is a great round.

[32-40win]

Never had a Hornet, but, like my Bee. Powder goes a long way with it, kills gophers and yotes just fine. Brass can be had, but, may take a bit of a search these days.

[Homesteader]

I'll vote for the hornet, especially if you have a bigger 224 already. The hornet is so quiet, it does really fill a useable slot, and still has the power to put the smack on bigger critters. I never did reload for it, but have heard that brass life can be excellent. My one friend that did load for it told me to just use the same brass as already mentioned, and to only neck size enough for proper bullet tension. My Sako was very accurate with factory WW softpoints.

[double gun]

I too have had both. The 218 is slightly more versatile but I think I prefer the hornet especially for a gopher patch. That said, both are great and will serve you well.

[west250]

Originally Posted by silver

I have been thinking there should be a new or at least new to me rifle in the house. I have been looking at a 22 Hornet in a Cooper, mentioned this to a friend and he said there were problems with the brass life and he had a Cooper in 218 Bee that he would sell me instead.

My question is which one would you choose? Which one is more reloader friendly? Is one more inherently accurate than the other?

Thank you in advance for your experience and insight.

Which one has the best wood?

[silver]

The hornet has a bit better wood but the bee has dies, brass, and a scope for less money than the bare hornet.

[Dean2]

Originally Posted by silver

The hornet has a bit better wood but the bee has dies, brass, and a scope for less money than the bare hornet.

That would make the choice a no brainer in my books. You are getting at least a few hundred dollars in accessories and you will have a gun very few others have. Always have liked unique rigs.

[silver]

Originally Posted by Dean2

That would make the choice a no brainer in my books. You are getting at least a few hundred dollars in accessories and you will have a gun very few others have. Always have liked unique rigs.

Actually it is about a grand in favour of the bee, I am trying not to look a gift horse in the mouth, just want the best accuracy. My friend can't find his factory target for the bee, but being a Cooper, I am sure it will be OK.

[dogslayer403]

I was dissapointed with the hornet myself didnt see much real world performance gains over a 22wmr on coyotes its neat to own and shoot but lacks in the performance area when you can shoot the rimfire cheaper never owned a bee but personally would go that route to try something new

[west250]

Sounds like the Bee is the better deal. I wouldn't worry about accuracy of Coopers - the all shoot great as far as I know. My 30-06 shoots anything you put down the pipe great, and my handloads simply outstanding!

Grab the Bee and start hoarding brass!

I see Prophet sells Bee ammo...

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by dogslayer403

I was dissapointed with the hornet myself didnt see much real world performance gains over a 22wmr on coyotes its neat to own and shoot but lacks in the performance area when you can shoot the rimfire cheaper never owned a bee but personally would go that route to try something new

Were you handloading, or purchasing factory loads? I was driving the 40gr v-max at 2900fps, which is a huge step up from the 22wmr, and I have yet to see a 22wmr that was as accurate as my 22Hornet.

[tchardy1972]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

Were you handloading, or purchasing factory loads? I was driving the 40gr v-max at 2900fps, which is a huge step up from the 22wmr, and I have yet to see a 22wmr that was as accurate as my 22Hornet.

Although my wmr is extremely accurate I agree with this. The hornet is a huge step up over the 22 mag. Last year and so far this year I have used my k-hornet exclusively on coyotes. The 35 gr v-max at 3130fps is very effective and fur friendly. I will own a bee one day, I have a soft spot for anything varmint rifle.

[Faststeel]

There is a very good wildcat done on the hornet called a 19 calhoon. All the speed you need with a 28gr bullet and 14.6 gr of AA1680 powder. And they have a 32 gr bullet as well. FS