WB
I'm a sucker for unloved guns with extra holes drilled
Tuesday, March 27, 2018, 08:00

You can get quite the bargain if you search for them. Back in the day it was common to mount the "Weaver" side scope mounts on all sorts of rifles never originally intended for optics. Bunches of fine Remington's are to be found, and Winchesters. All you have to do is clean them up and add some plug screws to the empty holes! This is a Winchester M43 standard grade that is still quite collectable. BUT, if I have it there is always that but, I paid $275 for this one in .218 BEE. I've seen just the magazines sell for almost $100 to some folks due to the rarity! Somebody had the barrel professionally (and it is an impressive example of gunsmithing skill) shortened from the rear about 3". Note how the rear sight is so close to the receiver! There must have been an issue with the chamber or throat. And someone drilled some side scope mounting holes in the receiver too! The front sight hood was missing as well. But a shootable .218 Bee for less than $300 who could pass on that?! That's my reasoning and how I end up with these old dogs.

A good friend gave me the little Weaver B4 scope that was better than the cloudy one that came with it. Actually M43's are drilled and tapped for the #18 weaver bases. I have no idea why someone would go to the trouble and drill for a side mount. The gun shoots adequately, not a strong action with only one locking lug and the bolt handle for a safety back-up. With my home cast and modified 45 gr. HPGC bullets I reduced my loading to 2450 fps and get about 1-1/2" 3-shot groups at 100 yds. About what the gun should do but I'm shooting cast bullets way over 2,000 fps! Very satisfying.

I think I now will fill the side holes with flush plug screws and install an old Weaver K4 1" scope I have in my desk. I'll source some 40 yr. old Weaver rings for the job too. It should still look period. Not many guys around knowledgeable enough to know or challenge it anyway. The new glass will allow me to see better and maybe truly consider trying for a new adventure with it. I've never shot a Coyote and they are super spooky around here. Wouldn't that be something?!! (I'm trying to suppress wild fantasies of shooting Monkeys or small Deer in Africa or South America with this little rig)

My .218 BEE journey has added to my friendship via Mark, Randy, Todd, among several others, and Huey a whole bunch. They all have helped me learn more and assisted in allocating components, studying and modifying cast bullets. They made the learning process possible and it has so enriched my life. My favorite .218 BEE pet load is 8.0 grs. of LilGun with a Remington 7-1/2 Benchrest small rifle primer. I can tell a difference between the CCI 400 and Remington 7-1/2 caps, the latter seems less pressure and more consistent. This is a mild load that runs 2450 fps. I went up to 13 gr. but it flattened and cratered primers in my gun with any normal wt. bullet. The brass was obviously hammered pretty good too as the speeds for 45 gr. pills ran 2850 fps, some special Calhoun 30 gr. Silver Double-HP ran well over 3,300 fps! The Bee has some sting! This fast, special purpose, load seemed OK for limited use in my gun. I have backed off any attempts to hot load the Bee and settled on that mild cast bullet load for fun and longevity of my brass.

Don't pass up on the old dogs, extra holes or not, they can lead you on a very satisfying adventure and introduce you to new lifelong friends. Nothing is by accident and I think it proper for us to embrace such opportunities that invite wonderful Blessings. My intent is to pass it on to my boys too.