| Type Rifle Designer P.O.Ackley Parent case .218 Bee | Place of origin United States Designed 1940s Case type Rimmed, bottleneck | |
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The .17 Ackley Bee is a wildcat centerfire rifle cartridge named after its designer, P.O. Ackley, and is a .218 Bee case necked down to .17 caliber with a squarer shoulder and less body taper. Being a rimmed case it was popular with single shot rifles such as the Martini Cadet and Low Wall Winchester. The caliber is well suited to varmint hunting particularly where minimal pelt damage is required.
Characteristics This little "wild Cat" cartridge has some unique qualities as a result of its velocity and bullet design/co-effiency. In soft tissue, the little projectile is explosive...expanding rapidly, yet will penetrate solid material. For instance if hunting rabbit in the rain, the projectile will explode before reaching the rabbit. However it will penetrate thick gauge steels.