Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 6.5 staball

Opinions please on this powder for 243win and 270win

I know some guys use it. Beretzs has some experience with it. Hopefully he and others will chime in. Seems like a good powder in theory. Marketed as a "temperature stable" ball powder. I know when I see some in the LGS, I'll grab a few pounds of it and play around with it.

From what I’ve heard from those who shoot a lot- it’s very dirty, but I can’t comment on that personally

I use a lot of it in 6 CM and 6.5 CM, and it burns about as clean as most powders when it’s run near max pressure.

Very versatile powder, accurate, fairly speedy in my tests, and being a ball powder it meters awesome. It's no cleaner or dirtier than any other extruded powder on the market today but it's way cleaner than most of the ball powders of yesteryear

I have experience using it in 6.5CM, 7x57, 280AckImp, and plan on trying it in a 338-06. My father has used it in 270win and 30-06.

If you could please expand on your use in 7X57. Have some and going to try it soon.

Thanks

I use it in the 6.5 Creedmoor. It's accurate, gives good velocity, and clean burning. I've never tried it in anything else, because I haven't seen a need to.

I like it when other powders work well in the 6.5 creedmoor. Then I dip into the H4350 less. Also with this being ball powder, It would be nice because it would speed up the loading process. Just drop from the powder measure and go.. Recently I've been messing around with a 300 Rem SAUM and I've been using Big Game powder. Shoots great in that cartridge and like ball powder, it drops from the uniflow like water. That's one of the reasons for my interest in 6.5 Staball powder and why when I saw this thread I wanted to bump it along.. Hopefully the op gets his answer on use for the 243 and 270..

By chance you tried it with a 6.5 127 LRX? I have a 18.5 inch Creed and it gets 2660 fps with a max charge of Hunter. It's mostly mental, but I'd like to get this bullet over 2700 for use on a cow elk this fall. Staball should do it, hopefully with good accuracy, and I'm getting a lb this week to try.

to be fair about it, your short barrel is probably hurting your lack of velocity more than anything else. But, 40 FPS is nothing to lose sleep over.

Yes, I lost ~ 100 fps chopping the barrel from 24 to 18.5. The LRX shoots great with Hunter/RL17; if I can get more velocity and good accuracy with the Staball I'll take it. It's more a mental thing. I've tested the LRX down to ~1770 fps and got decent expansion; better than the 130 Accubond.

If you have it try Big Game. I get 2860 fps using it under 127 LRX out of 22 in barrel.

I’m not Jordan but I’ve been testing it in my 6.5 CM with the 127 Barnes LRX, from my Tikka T3 Superlite.

My best accuracy is at 45 gr and I get right at 2820 fps. I have a 24” barrel. I’m playing around with the seating depths now.

I would be interested in your 338-06 results. The Hodgdon website shows some excellent velocities with 6.5 Staball.

Shot some today in 243 with 85gr Sierra varmint bullets. It seems to show some promise. Ran it all the way up to 47gr and only had the start of flattened primer. Not sure of speed but accuracy was good. I think I’m going to put under some of the new hornady cx bullets next. Shot some of them too but it was with Norma 204 powder.

I used it in my pre 64 std 243 behind a 85 grn tsx….velocity avg was right at 3300, 100 yd accuracy for 5 was right at 3/4”.
I haven’t shot anything with it yet but I suspect I’ll be very pleased with its terminal performance when I do…..

The load I settled on gets 2820 fps with 44.5 gr of StaBall using Herters brass and Tula primers, 0.050” off the lands. Tikka T3x SS with 22.4” barrel.

Staball + Herters + Tula? That's a component combo you don't see everyday

Thanks everyone who responded. Hopefully I get to try Staball out for myself this week.

I just ordered 3# from Powder Valley. Natchez also has it in stock.

Jordan,

Was .050” off the lands your best accuracy with the 127 LRX’s? I start all of my Barnes loads at .050” off and go down from there.

Heaters brass huh? From my understanding Winchester makes the majority of Herters ammo.