Winchester StaBall 6.5 Smokeless Gun Powder

I give Powder Valley a five-star review, as usual. I can’t rate the powder yet, because I have only begun pressure-testing it in my 6.5 Creedmoor. But I want to give a heads-up to everybody who uses QuickLoad to estimate initial velocities and pressures as I do, and to anybody else who may not have reliable loading data to start from. I just chronographed three loads using Berger 130 VLD, 140 VLD, and 156 EOL bullets. Quickload indicated that these three would have good velocities, 100% burn, and case fills between 97-99% at estimated max pressure in my barrel with my bullet seating depths. These outstanding estimated numbers are what caused me to buy this powder. I loaded single rounds beginning at 17% under maximum estimated chamber pressure at a well-estimated OAT of 84F. All three initial loads came in way above QuickLoad’s velocity estimates. The largest underestimate came from the 130 VLD, where my 44.0 grain load came in at 155 psi over the original QuickLoad estimate and 2,657 psi or 4% over max pressure, according to the adjusted QuickLoad numbers. No harm done, but the indicated maximum load for the 130 VLD is now 43.6 grains with less than a 95% fill rate. So if you’re using QuickLoad, take note, and if you are not, take note times two.