Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 6.5 Creedmoor Powder?

My 6.5 CM has performed well with Hunter, Big Game, I4350, and H4350. But it really shines with StaBall 6.5 through it's 20" barrel. I'd like to play with RL26 but haven't been able to get my hands on any.

H4350 is the original powder used by Hornady. Fed 210m primer. If your rifle won’t shoot that with a 140 sell it.

what rifle did you shoot it out of ?

This is a 3 shot group at 500 yards that measured just slightly less than 1 1/2 inches. Load was 41.0 H4350, CCI 200 primer, 140 Barnes Match Burner bullet, in a Hornady case. The rifle and load can probably do better, but with my 73 year old eyes, don't know if I could.

I have 143's loaded with 44 gr. Staball 6.5 I'll be running past the chrony. Looking for low SD's and ES's.

Too many other loads using H4350 so looking to off-load one of 'em with something equivalent or better.

StaBall 6.5 is not going to be "better" per se, but it will be a good substitution. I use it when I don't want to dip into my stash of H4350. I was out with my Tikka superlite yesterday, checking a couple different loads. One being the one I use in one of my CTR's. It did alright in my superlite, even though it was tailored around another rifle:



I was going to check it at the 400 yard range, but there was a line of hunters checking their rifles. Deer season is on us over here.



Looks like it's shooting great James..

Finally got around to trying StaBall 6.5 in the 6.5CM factory 22" barrel this morning.

The best load of the bunch was 44.0 grains with a 5-shot MV average of 2,721 fps and S-D of 4.6, and E-S of 12.

I'm going to tinker with 0.2 grains on either side of the 44 grain load and see what happens.

In any case, I think it's time I rustle up a keg of StaBall 6.5

I've used both H4350 and RL-16 successfully with 140s. I've got some StaBall 6.5 but haven't tried it yet.

I tried both sides of 44.0 grains and 44.0 ended up the most consistent. Oh, yea, and I went ahead and bought a keg.

Next up is the 143 grain BondStrike bullet using StaBALL 6.5. It would be nice if they group best with a charge of 44.0 grains, but I doubt I'll be that lucky.

I'll find out tomorrow.

Winchester 760 or H-414 will work

Never tried 760 with anything but the 120 grains in the 6.5, but it really produced an accurate load.

Load data straight from Hornady before much was published. He told me if I wanted a bit more velocity, use 760.

I shot a course record matching score of 58 (at that time. 59 was shot by a friend subsequently) at Whittington’s Sporting Rifle Match with that 760 load

139 Scenar

H4350 and 140gr & 143gr for multiple rifles, all sub moa shooters.. Sta-ball is temp sensitive, I have 11lbs left that I'll burn up in gas guns for plinking and never buy it again.

So what real world velocities are all you H4350 lovers getting? In 22" barrels

Book numbers for velocity with 4350 are considerably lower than those for StaBall 6.5 or RL-16.

I'm about to start load development for a new rifle & have all of those plus plenty of other choices.

Thanks.

MM

I'm loading 143's in my hunting rifle with a 22" barrel.
H4350 gets me just over 2,600 fps.
With StaBALL 6.5 I'm getting 2,700+ fps.

Next up is N555 later this year.

Thank you. That's about the difference I'm seeing from most sources, maybe a little less than some.

MM

In 22” barrels, I’m getting 2630-2650 at the muzzle with H4350 and the 147 ELD.

StaBALL 6.5 and Reloder-17 have been challenging in a similar fashion for me. Velocity gains over my traditional loadings has been a given with these powders, but obtaining accuracy has been a fight. However, in my 6.5 Creedmoor and .270, I have worked up loads with StaBALL that are accuracy-competitive to my traditional H4350 and H4831 loadings, while at the same time I have gained 75-100 ft/sec.in velocity