I've been giving some thought to shooting big bore half size targets from the offhand position. While I have some Contender barrels that would work adequately, I would like to find an optimal setup for this task. This led me to recall a statement that "old crazy Jeff" was talking about some time ago which was using a .218 Bee for half size. Some alternative cartridges that are about the same and are also being considered are .22 Hornet, .22 K Hornet, and .218 Mashburn Bee.

I would obtain a custom barrel from some source (yet to be determined) with a 1-10" twist (or maybe 1-9") so it would stabilize a 69gr bullet. I'm not real sure what the velocity potential of a round like this would be, but I'm confident that it would do the job. Barrel length would be anywhere from 12-15" as that is not a major concern in this equation.

I'd like to hear any input if you have other appropriate cartridges and/or experience with the above rounds.

What about a fast twist 221 fireball. Maybe a little more case cap than you wanted.

OLD!!! As for the old remark, I have been told I act pretty immature for my age, thank you very much!
Crazy??? Not nearly as much as I used to be.

Bret, maybe you should keep in mind of what you start with cartridge wise, as to maybe needing a rechamber if the initial chambering doesn't work. How about the good ole' K Hornet?
BTW I think Gary had a 270 REN he was playing with...............
Jeff

The 270 Ren doesn't sound very appealing to me at all. Consider the time and effort that must be put into the brass, not to mention that the lost BC's from having to shoot the lighter bullets for the caliber.

However you make a nice point with the K Hornet. That could easily be rechambered to either the .218 Mashburn Bee or the .221 Fireball right? This way, if my first choice didn't work out then I could move to the next and not have to buy another barrel. K Hornet dies shouldn't be too difficult to find a new home. Hmmmmm...Jeff, you just may be good for something afterall.

Rich & I were playing with some numbers on his internal ballistics program and it looks like 1700 fps is possible from a regular Hornet with 69gr bullets. I'm sure that K Hornet would be good for at least another 100 fps and maybe even another 150 so that would be a nice range.