.17 Ackley Bee

The 17 Ackley Bee

The 17 Ackley Bee is a wildcat cartridge developed by legendary gunsmith and ballistic innovator P.O. Ackley, based on the 218 Bee case necked down to accept .17-caliber bullets. Created during the golden age of wildcatting in the mid-20th century, the 17 Ackley Bee exemplified Ackley’s goals of achieving ultra-high velocity, flat trajectories, and minimal recoil, all in a compact and efficient case.

The parent cartridge, the 218 Bee, was introduced by Winchester in the 1930s, designed for use in lever-action rifles like the Model 65. It was itself a necked-down 25-20 case, offering moderate performance. Ackley’s wildcatting vision transformed it by aggressively necking it down to .17 caliber (.172"), increasing velocity and ballistic efficiency for small game and varmint hunters. The result was a screaming-fast round capable of velocities exceeding 3,700 fps with 25-grain bullets and certain powder combinations, as seen in testing from Handloader Issue #117.

The rifle used in the referenced testing was a custom build on a 310 Martini Cadet action, fitted with a 20-inch Shilen barrel featuring a 1-in-10 twist—ideal for stabilizing 25-grain projectiles. Notably, the test rifle showed a distinct preference for Remington bullets, with one standout load using 13.2 grains of Alliant RL-7 pushing a 25-grain Remington bullet to 3,475 fps and grouping at .597 inches, the best recorded accuracy in the trials.

The cartridge is also known for its versatility with various powders, including Hodgdon H-4227, IMR-4198, RL-7, AAC-5744, and H-335. Several loads achieved velocities over 3,600 fps, though some produced extraction issues at the upper limits of pressure—especially with the compressed charges of RL-7 and 5744. This highlighted a key trade-off in the 17 Ackley Bee: while it offers blistering performance, careful load development is essential to maintain safe pressures.

Ackley’s choice of the Bee case as a starting point gave this cartridge a modest capacity and rimmed design, making it especially well-suited for single-shot actions like the Martini Cadet, which gained popularity among hobbyist gunsmiths during the 1960s and 70s. Though it never saw commercial adoption, the 17 Ackley Bee remains a cult favorite among varmint shooters and wildcat enthusiasts for its exceptional speed, flat trajectory, and historical significance. It also played an important role in advancing small-caliber varminting concepts, laying the groundwork for later commercial rounds such as the 17 Remington and .17 Hornet.

In sum, the 17 Ackley Bee represents a brilliant example of P.O. Ackley’s philosophy: taking an existing case and refining it for maximum performance and precision. It remains a benchmark in wildcat cartridge development.