New Winchester powder

[MThuntr]

I saw this post this morning. Hodgdon has load data posted already...looks promising especially if it is truly temp stable. I'm always tinkering with loads and need something for my 270 once I make the switch to non-lead in that rifle. I'll give it a try if it hits shelves about the same time as my much needed RL26.

Winchester StaBall 6.5 Precision Rifle Smokeless Powder
Winchester® StaBALL 6.5 is the world’s first temperature-insensitive BALL® Powder, stable in extreme-hot or -cold conditions. It provides optimal loading density in cartridges appropriate for the burn speed, which is ideal for 6 Creedmoor, 6GT, 6.5 Creedmoor, 7MM-08, 270 Winchester and many more. Typical of a ball powder, precise metering contributes to improved velocity and pressure standard deviations, ingredients that are paramount to match grade accuracy!


This REACH-compliant, “environmentally green” propellant has copper fouling reducer additives, meaning longer durations of competition and field shooting without having to clean the bore. Precision accuracy throughout the match!

Velocity levels obtainable, depending on the cartridge, are 30-200 fps greater than other propellants in its class.

Stability, Precision and Speed, says Winchester StaBALL 6.5 is the “Best of the Best”!

https://www.powdervalleyinc.com/pro...z91d4sHDLr6tCKnpubFMqk3c_IB9VH0J2C1rDvb9_RyWE

 

[Deleted member 16014]

Can't hurt to try. Props to Winchester on the branding, if they called it "StaBall .264" it probably wouldn't sell for crap, ha.

 

[Don Fischer]

I am an old guy. Amaze's me how a guy can have a rifle shooting great then someone brings out a new powder and the search start's all over. I think guy's simply like to experiment even if it leads no where. Manufacturer's love it!

 

[MThuntr]

I am an old guy. Amaze's me how a guy can have a rifle shooting great then someone brings out a new powder and the search start's all over. I think guy's simply like to experiment even if it leads no where. Manufacturer's love it!

That's 90% of my reloading. I could probably get by with like 2 or 3 powders...I have many half pounders that didn't work. In the case of my 270, I'll be starting over completely because I'm out of powder so now worries. More tinkering

 

[VikingsGuy]

I am an old guy. Amaze's me how a guy can have a rifle shooting great then someone brings out a new powder and the search start's all over. I think guy's simply like to experiment even if it leads no where. Manufacturer's love it!

For some, hunting, shooting and reloading are hobbies - people do all kinds of unnecessary things and spend unnecessary money on hobbies because it is fun to “tinker”. YMMV.

 

[sbhooper]

It would be interesting to try this new stuff, with the Creed, .260 etc. I would not be interested, unless it can approach the Reloder 26 consistency and velocity. That stuff is amazing, especially in the various 6.5s. The problem is, that it is unobtanium (a new element on the periodic table). I bought a big container of it, when I saw how good it was and PRIOR to everybody else figuring it out! I use it strictly to load the 147 ELDM in my Creed. Other powders work great, but virtually none of them approach the Re26 velocities and consistency, in my tests.

The joy of the Creed/.260, is that lots of powders produce great-shooting loads, but not all that fast. H4350, H4831sc (fantastic accuracy), Reloder 16, IMR 4451, Reloder 15, Reloder 17, Reloder 19, IMR 4350 etc., etc.

Old powders work great, but once in a while, they come out with something like some of these new powders, that are the real deal. Many of the newer ones have copper-removing additives that make it interesting, also. It is a never-ending search for the holy grail, for people that like to do load tests. It is simple to find a reasonable load that shoots well and just load up a chingas load of it and be done for years. That is no fun, though! I have bucket-loads of loaded ammo for my 7 mags, .308 and -06, ready for the big one, that I know shoot well. They are boringly accurate and all have killed deer/antelope/elk, so I know that the loads works.

By getting into the 6.5 realm, I have started down a different road. I now have two, .260s and two Creeds that keep me busy with load tests. This new powder may be fun to play with and ball powder sure is easy to load.

 

[std7mag]

I highly doubt you'll beat RL26 in the velocity department!

More likely it'll be like Alliant's AR Comp.
Decent for loading a crap load of them. Probably decent (not great) velocities with decent accuracy (again, not great).

Yet another marketing ploy from Hodgdon.
Did we really need IMR Red, Green & Blue?
Gee, i wonder where they got that original idea from?

 

[FLS]

What kind of velocities are you getting with RL 26 in the Creedmoor?
I shoot the same load for match and hunting. 41 grains of 4350 under a 140 beget hybrid in Laupua brass lit by a BR4 It's not fast, 2640, but I have an ES of 3 over 10 shots.
I can gain another 100 FPS with RL 17, but it's not a consistent.

 

[std7mag]

FLS,
ES, or SD? A 3fps ES is outstanding!
A 3fps SD is still really good!

With RL26 in my 7mm Rem Mag and 150gr ABLR i'm getting ES of 15fps with SD of 6fps over 10 shots.

So yeah, RL26 will shoot!

 

[FLS]

That's ES. SD was 5. I never could get my ES in single digits till I went to Lapua brass. Hornady was always 12-13 with same load. Both are stupid accurate. Just attempting to minimize vertical dispersion at long range.
I also use a carbide mandrel to expand my necks and anneal every other reload.
I'd like to try 26 but it's been impossible to find , and that load shoot so well.

 

[Addicting]

What kind of velocities are you getting with RL 26 in the Creedmoor?
I shoot the same load for match and hunting. 41 grains of 4350 under a 140 beget hybrid in Laupua brass lit by a BR4 It's not fast, 2640, but I have an ES of 3 over 10 shots.
I can gain another 100 FPS with RL 17, but it's not a consistent.

In Nosler brass 48g, Fed 210m, & 140 Accubond it is slightly compressed and pushing 2900 FPS with a SD of 7 and ES of 15.

It could go faster yet but 2900 was a sweet spot.

 

[GlockZ]

After reading up on it on thier website, I'll think it'll be worth a try as they have loads for a few of the cartridges I reload for.

 

[sbhooper]

In Nosler brass 48g, Fed 210m, & 140 Accubond it is slightly compressed and pushing 2900 FPS with a SD of 7 and ES of 15.

It could go faster yet but 2900 was a sweet spot.

Yep. I pushed the 147 up over 2800, but it seemed like I was starting to see some pressure. I backed down to 46 grains, at 2745 fps and it is amazing. I use standard primers and Hornady brass. Very consistent and hammers deer. I tried it with a couple other bullets and had the same results-consistency and velocity. I never tried it in my 7 mags, as I have good loads for them, already, and Reloder 26 is too scarce to burn through too much of it. I have some other loads for the Creed that are great, also, and I keep this powder for pushing the heavier bullets better.

I use Reloder 17 in my .260s, as it produces sub-half-moa groups at 2950 fps, with the 129 Interlock.