New powder StaBall 6.5

[Glock 40]

There already is a perfect temp stable powder. Makes everyones groups tighter, guns fell lighter, and all your days brighter. Its called H4350.. Runs for the door...

 

[Grendelshooter]

There already is a perfect temp stable powder. Makes everyones groups tighter, guns fell lighter, and all your days brighter. Its called H4350.. Runs for the door...

That’s a weird way to spell AR-Comp

 

[k4ylr]

Curious to see how it fares against RL-16 for the 6mm GT. Especially if you don't need a long tube in order to feed it. Hoping x-cal has their 6GT gear in December and runs another 25% sale so I can snag a 26" MTU for next year.

 

[cdschoonie]

This thread is a couple years old, but since I just bought 4 lbs of it for my 6.5 Creedmoor, it needs to be resurrected.
Have any of you tested this yet? My 6.5 CM likes IMR & H 4350, but I can’t find it anywhere. After reading more about this, it sounds like an improvement over 4350. Higher energy, fps, and more temp stability than 4350. Not to mention in a ball powder, so it will meter better than stick.
I’ll be loading it under some Hornady 140g and 123g SSTs soon, so I’ll post results in a month or so. If I can get to the range sooner I’ll post them earlier.

Anyway, if you’ve had experience with it, or have load data, I would much appreciate it.

 

[diggler1833]

This thread is a couple years old, but since I just bought 4 lbs of it for my 6.5 Creedmoor, it needs to be resurrected.
Have any of you tested this yet? My 6.5 CM likes IMR & H 4350, but I can’t find it anywhere. After reading more about this, it sounds like an improvement over 4350. Higher energy, fps, and more temp stability than 4350. Not to mention in a ball powder, so it will meter better than stick.
I’ll be loading it under some Hornady 140g and 123g SSTs soon, so I’ll post results in a month or so. If I can get to the range sooner I’ll post them earlier.

Anyway, if you’ve had experience with it, or have load data, I would much appreciate it.

67 FPS swing from 32 to 120 degrees with the 6.5 Staball in the 6.5CM.

 

[cdschoonie]

67 FPS swing from 32 to 120 degrees with the 6.5 Staball in the 6.5CM.

So by his testing, H4350 is still the king. I do think it will be a good alternative powder still. My loads will see very little sub-freezing or 100+ for sure.
I wonder on the variables in testing like this though, like dry vs wet environment, elevation, someone (may have been on another site, or YouTube) mentioned whether the rifle temp was the same as those rounds, would it have changed? Even though I’m new to reloading, I’m not new to metal and mechanics. I know that a cold engine, works differently than a hot one, the pistons, valves, etc., react differently when they are cold or hot. Same applies to anything mechanical, so I’d think, in this type testing, since you’d be at the range, hunting, or wherever, the ammo would work differently. Like say you are deer hunting in December, your rifle and the loaded ammo, will be the same temp, all your ammo has the same load, I know some who carry an extra round or 2 in their pockets, those would be alot warmer than the ones in the rifle, makes sense to me that if you put a warm round in a cold chamber it will react differently than the cold one right?

 

[swampratt]

I did not watch the video but I do wonder about case fill between 2 powders being tested for temp stability.

I found groups open up quite a bit when the ammo gets hot when I do not have good case fill.
Work a load in 17 degree temps and the load falls apart at 55°

I think it could be the airspace warms up in the case and changes burn characteristics.
I am not going to test this theory just give you guys something to think about.

 

[diggler1833]

I did not watch the video but I do wonder about case fill between 2 powders being tested for temp stability.

I found groups open up quite a bit when the ammo gets hot when I do not have good case fill.
Work a load in 17 degree temps and the load falls apart at 55°

I think it could be the airspace warms up in the case and changes burn characteristics.
I am not going to test this theory just give you guys something to think about.

Good point, but filling the case completely with a ball powder can get you into some pretty serious pressure issues quickly. Case fill (or lack thereof) is one if the reasons why low ES and SD with ball powders is more luck than science.

 

[diggler1833]

So by his testing, H4350 is still the king. I do think it will be a good alternative powder still. My loads will see very little sub-freezing or 100+ for sure.
I wonder on the variables in testing like this though, like dry vs wet environment, elevation, someone (may have been on another site, or YouTube) mentioned whether the rifle temp was the same as those rounds, would it have changed? Even though I’m new to reloading, I’m not new to metal and mechanics. I know that a cold engine, works differently than a hot one, the pistons, valves, etc., react differently when they are cold or hot. Same applies to anything mechanical, so I’d think, in this type testing, since you’d be at the range, hunting, or wherever, the ammo would work differently. Like say you are deer hunting in December, your rifle and the loaded ammo, will be the same temp, all your ammo has the same load, I know some who carry an extra round or 2 in their pockets, those would be alot warmer than the ones in the rifle, makes sense to me that if you put a warm round in a cold chamber it will react differently than the cold one right?

H4350 is one of the top 2-3 powders, if not THE best powder for temp stability.

A 30 degree difference between a cartridge in your rifle vs in your pocket isn't going to make much of a change when you shoot it.