.218 Bee
| .218 Bee | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Left, compared to .223 Remington | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Rifle | |||||||||||||||||||
| Place of origin | US | |||||||||||||||||||
| Production history | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Designer | Winchester | |||||||||||||||||||
| Designed | 1937 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Manufacturer | Winchester | |||||||||||||||||||
| Produced | 1937–present | |||||||||||||||||||
| Variants | .218 Mashburn Bee | |||||||||||||||||||
| Specifications | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Parent case | .32-20 Winchester | |||||||||||||||||||
| Case type | Rimmed, bottleneck | |||||||||||||||||||
| Bullet diameter | .224 in (5.7 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Neck diameter | .242 in (6.1 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Shoulder diameter | .329 in (8.4 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Base diameter | .349 in (8.9 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Rim diameter | .408 in (10.4 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Rim thickness | .065 in (1.7 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Case length | 1.345 in (34.2 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Primer type | Small rifle | |||||||||||||||||||
| Maximum CUP | 40,000 CUP | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ballistic performance | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| Source(s): Hodgdon | ||||||||||||||||||||
The .218 Bee / 5.7x34mmR is a .22 caliber centerfire rifle cartridge designed for varmint hunting by Winchester in 1937. The cartridge was originally chambered in the Winchester Model 65 lever-action rifles, which may have ultimately led to its lack of popularity. The cartridge is named for the bore diameter of the barrel in which the cartridge is chambered rather than the usual practice in the United States of having the cartridge's nomenclature reflect in some way the bullet diameter.