Sta Bal 6.5 powder

[sbhooper]

Anybody but me playing with this powder yet? I am fairly pleased, so far. Better velocity from other powders, but it measures great and does not fill the case quite as tightly. It seems to be pretty accurate in my Creeds and .260s.

 

[BWALKER77]

I plan to when its available locally.

 

[sbhooper]

Our local shop has a bunch of it and a buddy had given me a bit to try. My Creeds really like it and it did OK in my .260s. It is definitely worth playing with. The 147s over a max load are extremely accurate in my rifles. Another good option for the 6.5 stuff.

 

[ImBillT]

I plan to eventually, though likely not in a 6.5mm.

Any time I can get a ball powder to shoot I’ll use it. They meter almost perfectly and that’s worth a lot. Further, they fill space exceedingly well which means that you usually fit more powder in the case when you get to the slow burning end of things. DO NOT COMPRESS THEM. When the bullet touches the powder you’re maxed out. Compressing then lightly has caused me some pretty wild pressure swings that are entirely absent even at a slightly lower charge. If you try to compress them more than lightly, you actually end up bulging the case. My best loads with ball powders have been loads that nearly filled the case, had the bullet jammed, and were not high pressure.

 

[sbhooper]

I plan to eventually, though likely not in a 6.5mm.

Any time I can get a ball powder to shoot I’ll use it. They meter almost perfectly and that’s worth a lot. Further, they fill space exceedingly well which means that you usually fit more powder in the case when you get to the slow burning end of things. DO NOT COMPRESS THEM. When the bullet touches the powder you’re maxed out. Compressing then lightly has caused me some pretty wild pressure swings that are entirely absent even at a slightly lower charge. If you try to compress them more than lightly, you actually end up bulging the case. My best loads with ball powders have been loads that nearly filled the case, had the bullet jammed, and were not high pressure.

I am usually not a real fan of ball powder, as the velocity has not shown much good for me. That being said, the preliminary testing shows it to be a pretty good powder, although, as I stated, it does not have the velocity that Re 26, and some others have demonstrated. Not a bad powder, though, and I actually got just as good of results with standard primers, as with magnums. I have a load that I am probably going to test tomorrow in my Creed. It is the same load that shot 1/2 moa at 200 yards, with Speer Gold Dot 140s, but with mag primers. It runs about 2675 with the standard primers, so we will see. The Gold Dots don't seem to do as well for me, if the velocity is pushed. They really hammer deer, though.

 

[BWALKER77]

I picked up two pounds today to use in the 6.5 creed and 7mm-08. I will keep anyone interested posted.

 

[antelopedundee]

Where is the load data for it?

 

[std7mag]

Will it work in my 250 Savage?

 

[golfer]

Who is the manufacturer?

 

[sbhooper]

Who is the manufacturer?

Go to hodgdon’s website for data. Winchester powder,I believe. It was created with the 6.5s in mind, but no reason that it should not work with other short cartridges. It is just another option, but my tests show that it really isn’t any better, or worse than other powders. For now, at least it is available!

 

[BWALKER77]

Tried it in the 6.5 creedmor and the velocities with 120gr bullets were very low.

 

[Curvebow]

I just bought 2 pounds of it from Brownells. The order took well over a week to arrive, it came today. I plan to try it in s 6.5 creed I use for local 300 yard F Class shooting whenever we get the ok from Covid 19. H4350 shoot very well so far, but I’m hoping for better metering and less trickling! Plus I think it’s supposed to be more temperature stable and help reduce copper fouling.

 

[golfer]

It meters very well. I have yet to find the right bullet combo with the Staball in my 6.5

 

[Curvebow]

I made up loads today to try in my 6.5 Creed. I use a Remington Model 700 Magpul with a Sightron 10-50 x 60 scope to shoot a 300 yard F Class. I've been using H4350 (figures since I bought an 8 pound jug!last fall!) with good accuracy with Berger Hybrid 140's. When I'm on, its a ragged hole at 100 yards. Looking forward to the Staball 6.5 for better powder measure accuracy & less trickling than the stick H4350. I can't speak to the velocity. Since its a target gun at only 300 yds, I've never checked it. I'm hoping for a ragged hole at 100a and about 1" at 300 (which the rifle & I haven't done yet, but other custom rifles I've seem in 6mm BR & 6x47 Lapua have done!).

 

[sbhooper]

I made up loads today to try in my 6.5 Creed. I use a Remington Model 700 Magpul with a Sightron 10-50 x 60 scope to shoot a 300 yard F Class. I've been using H4350 (figures since I bought an 8 pound jug!last fall!) with good accuracy with Berger Hybrid 140's. When I'm on, its a ragged hole at 100 yards. Looking forward to the Staball 6.5 for better powder measure accuracy & less trickling than the stick H4350. I can't speak to the velocity. Since its a target gun at only 300 yds, I've never checked it. I'm hoping for a ragged hole at 100a and about 1" at 300 (which the rifle & I haven't done yet, but other custom rifles I've seem in 6mm BR & 6x47 Lapua have done!).

I think that you will be happy with it.

 

[44hunter45]

Hmm, It's slower than I would have expected, falling between 4350 and 4831.

BTW - Here's the latest Hodgdon burn chart BTW.

https://www.hodgdon.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/burn-rate-color.pdf

 

[Curvebow]

I think that you will be happy with it. - Thanks sbhooper. Since I'm only shooting 300, I'm not worried about velocity. I shot last year using 40.5 grains of H4350 and got good accuracy (for a factory barrel). Since I have a cheap Chrony unit, getting the velocity isn't the easiest. A guy at the club last year bought a Lab Radar unit from another of the shooters. Wish I had known about it before he did! Maybe, once we get back to shooting, I'll check my loads for a 15 shot string that we shoot.

I have loaded up 3 loads or 5 rounds each, keeping the same Ogive cartridge length as before, cases, primers, etc. just need NYS's latest bad weather to clear so I can give them a shot. Hogdons listed online data was a max of 43.0 grains. So I loaded 41.5, 42.0 & 42.5. Hoping for groups so tight I have to test at 200 to get a better idea!

 

[sbhooper]

I think that you will be happy with it. - Thanks sbhooper. Since I'm only shooting 300, I'm not worried about velocity. I shot last year using 40.5 grains of H4350 and got good accuracy (for a factory barrel). Since I have a cheap Chrony unit, getting the velocity isn't the easiest. A guy at the club last year bought a Lab Radar unit from another of the shooters. Wish I had known about it before he did! Maybe, once we get back to shooting, I'll check my loads for a 15 shot string that we shoot.

I have loaded up 3 loads or 5 rounds each, keeping the same Ogive cartridge length as before, cases, primers, etc. just need NYS's latest bad weather to clear so I can give them a shot. Hogdons listed online data was a max of 43.0 grains. So I loaded 41.5, 42.0 & 42.5. Hoping for groups so tight I have to test at 200 to get a better idea!

I shot it at max load, if I remember right without checking and I got really good accuracy-but then again, I am not a real paper puncher.