Anyone playing with 6.5 StaBall?

[Wrongside]

Whats your recipe if you don't mind sharing for a starting point? I'll be using the 108 ELDM

I have a bunch of the 108, but haven’t tried them in this rifle yet. Shooting the 115DTAC w/ 42 StaBall. Alpha LR brass, Tula LR primers. Can’t remember OAL off hand. Pretty sure the load is well below max, but as always... work up for your rifle.

 

[Newtosavage]

Glad to hear some of you are getting good accuracy from it. I tried about 1/2 lb. when it first came out, and couldn't get any loads to group like my IMR 8208 XBR did. I wasn't willing to give up 1/2 moa accuracy for 50 fps. Maybe I'll try it again.

 

[sndmn11]

What I have read about Staball is that accuracy comes about with a plateau in velocity near pressure. I have found this to be accurate with the 7-08 and 300wsm loads above, the 30-06 load is accurate but I believe I am a lil from pressure. The 6.5CM load was disappointing in velocity and accurate enough but not very.

30-06:
Staball at 59.8gr, FED210, Rem case at 2.484", 168gr TTSX at 2.579"BTO, 2990fps 24" Vanguard

300WSM:
Staball at 68.4gr, FEDgm215m, Norma case at 2.090", 175gr LRX at 2.175"BTO, 3100fps 23" Xbolt

6.5Creedmoor:
Staball at 45.3gr, Winchester LRP, Hornady case at 1.910"
120gr Etip at 2.195"BTO, 2840FPS 20" Vanguard
127gr LRX at 2.208"BTO, 2853fps 24" Vanguard
By far the hardest to develop. I couldn't get Federal small primer brass to not nipple the primer at lower charges. The 20" gun sees pressure before the 24" gun, hence the two different loads.

7-08:
Staball at 50.3gr, CCI200, Rem/Barnes case at 2.025", 145gr LRX at 2.234BTO, 2900fps 20" Vanguard
This was a 12 shot string and a flat spot from 2890-2907 at 50.0 to 50.5gr. Easiest of the bunch.

So, I loaded up some more, and also some IMR4451 and IMR4166, starting where I had left off before. I also had the loads above pretty long, so I shortened the BTO measurement to where the groove was just shy of the case rim. No science reason for that and it is still longer than the factory federal trophy copper loads.

BTO = 2.157 120gr Etip 20" Vanguard WLRP

STABALL
45.5 = 2901FPS (previously was seeing ~2875FPS at longer BTO of 2.195)
46.0 = 2911FPS
46.3 = 2976FPS
46.6 = 3000FPS
46.9 = 2972FPS
47.2 = 2951fps
47.5 = 2974fps
I am REALLY happy with this. I had yet to see the second/higher plateau of velocity like I saw with the others, I was seeing sort of a gradual climb before but afraid to go past max because of the Federal brass issues I had before. I also had no stiffness or ejector marks...fingers crossed!

For funsies, here is my other data for today.

BTO = 2.157 120gr Etip 20" Vanguard WLRP
IMR4451, If I was feeling ballsy I guess I could have shot the 45.2 to see what happened, but I am making a SWAG it would have popped.
44.0 = 2917
44.4 = 2970 and stiff
44.8 = 3015 stiff and ejector mark
45.2 = Not shot
45.6 = Not shot

BTO = 2.157 120gr Etip 20" Vanguard WLRP
IMR4166 (I was really encouraged here at the start and wanted this to work)
39.7 = 2921
40.1 = 2889
40.5 = 2957
40.9 = 2978 popped the primer
41.4 = Not shot

Here is Hodgon's data


So I suppose my point is that Staball for me seems to maybe have a little more juice than that first plateau.

 

[Ozarkansas]

I’ve used it in .243 Win with 85 TSXs and in 6.5x55 with a few different bullets. In .243 it produced really good velocity from my 20” barrel without pressure signs everywhere from 90%-100% of book max. Ended up with a sub-MOA 3250 FPS load. In my 6.5x55 I always end up way off-book, but I got up to 2750 FPS with no pressure signs and excellent case life using staball and 140 grain Gold Dots before I hit an accuracy node and stayed there. Staball is also what I use in my half-MOA target load in the same gun.

 

[valleyforge.1777]

I've been using it for load development in 270 Win. It is good. Better velocities than H4350 for 130 and 150 grain bullets and decent accuracy.

 

[menhaden_man]

Forgot to share this... ELDM (140) and ELDX (143) over the two powders, shot from a 6.5CM T3x light. The two bullets seem to fly pretty similar, but maybe I didn’t juice up enough on the StaBall (these are loaded a little long).

 

[Wanttohuntmore]

This is a great post! Is it also temperature insensitive? I'm finding this powder more often in stock.

 

[Wright406]

Worked up a a load finally.
6CM 108ELDM @2.275BTO
WLRM primers
Hornady Brass
43.4 StaBall 6.5
2957 fps.
.3-.5 inch groups off bipod and rear bag

Did a pressure test and went all the way up to 44.5 and didn't see many signs of pressure ( one slight ejector swipe ). The extra powder only yielded an extra 45fps so I kept it mild at 43.4.

 

[walk2112]

I developed a load with staball and 145 lrx for my 7mm-08. It shoots pretty good at 0.9 MOA and 2850 fps out of a 22 inch barrel. I developed another load with H4350 that is 2720 fps and 0.5 MOA. Gonna try developing a new load with 131 hammer hunters next.

Hey there westslope, any luck with that 131 HH load with 6.5 StaBall? I’m thinking of trying the 131 heavy hammers in a rifle with a longish throat and thinking 6.5 StaBall might be a good place to start.

 

[westslopelaker]

I switched to H4350 with the 131 hammer hunters. They are going 2960fps and are very accurate. Sorry never ended up trying with staball 6.5 and the HH.

 

[Ikmclean]

Hey there westslope, any luck with that 131 HH load with 6.5 StaBall? I’m thinking of trying the 131 heavy hammers in a rifle with a longish throat and thinking 6.5 StaBall might be a good place to start.

I'm seeing 3000fps in a 24" vanguard with 131 HH and staball 6.5 with great accuracy

 

[wirehead]

I'm seeing 3000fps in a 24" vanguard with 131 HH and staball 6.5 with great accuracy

Tikka T3x superlite with barrel cut to 22" + muzzle brake. 300 wsm

68.3 grains of Staball 6.5
Barnes 175 gr LRX
Norma brass
Federal large rifle magnum primers
0.048" off lands
3125 fps
5 shot group: All shots touching at 0.6" at 100 yards

68.0 of Staball 6.5
205 Berger Elite Hunter
Norma brass
Fed LRM
2.285” CBTO
2867 fps
7 shots a little under 1” at 100 yds but think size of group might be a bit due to a previous barrel scrub without being fully fouled…

 

[sndmn11]

Tikka T3x superlite with barrel cut to 22" + muzzle brake

68.3 grains of Staball 6.5
Barnes 175 gr LRX
Norma brass
Federal large rifle magnum primers
0.048" off lands
3125 fps
5 shot group: All shots touching at 0.6" at 100 yards

68.0 of Staball 6.5
205 Berger Elite Hunter
Norma brass
Fed LRM
2.285” CBTO
2867 fps
7 shots a little under 1” at 100 yds but think size of group might be a bit due to a previous barrel scrub without being fully fouled…

Put the cartridge in there. I'm guessing 300wsm