Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .45 ACP with .451 | 120gr | Lehigh Defense Xtreme Defense bullet and 34 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Maxam CSB 2, Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol and Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star.
Important Notice: DO NOT go below Minimum Charge or above Maximum Charge. Since we have no control over the equipment and components used, any responsibility and liability for the results achieved is rejected.
Only powders/loads that match the current filter criteria are displayed: max pressure of a load ≤ 90% of max. standardized pressure, fill rate ≥ 60% and propellant combustion ≥ 80%. Use the sliders above the tables to adjust these thresholds.
Charge: Powder weight in grains. Start with the minimum load and work up carefully.
FR (Fill Rate): Case fill as a percentage. Values above 100% mean compressed loads.
MaxP / %: Maximum chamber pressure in bar and as a percentage of the standardized maximum for this caliber.
V(0): Muzzle velocity in feet per second (fps) at the standardized barrel length.
z (Powder Burn): Estimated propellant combustion percentage at bullet exit.
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Max Load - Barrel Length: 5"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate Solo 1000² | <<locked>> | 72% | 16,114 psi | 85% | 1246 fps | 98.5% |
| Accurate Solo 1250* | <<locked>> | 84% | 15,954 psi | 85% | 1293 fps | 92.6% |
| ADI AP 70N*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 15,925 psi | 84% | 1328 fps | 93.9% |
| ADI APS 350² | <<locked>> | 64% | 16,070 psi | 85% | 1145 fps | 100% |
| ADI APS 450² | <<locked>> | 68% | 16,520 psi | 88% | 1152 fps | 100% |
| ADI AS 30² | <<locked>> | 76% | 16,636 psi | 88% | 1265 fps | 100% |
| ADI AS 50N² | <<locked>> | 72% | 15,069 psi | 80% | 1251 fps | 97.5% |
| Alliant BE-86 | <<locked>> | 84% | 15,795 psi | 84% | 1306 fps | 95.5% |
| Alliant Green Dot | <<locked>> | 80% | 16,853 psi | 89% | 1257 fps | 97.7% |
| Alliant RED DOT | <<locked>> | 80% | 16,346 psi | 87% | 1287 fps | 100% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 100 | <<locked>> | 80% | 16,723 psi | 89% | 1280 fps | 97.3% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistolᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 14,895 psi | 79% | 1275 fps | 98% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 103 Pistol² | <<locked>> | 76% | 15,331 psi | 81% | 1291 fps | 97.5% |
| Hodgdon Clays² | <<locked>> | 76% | 15,925 psi | 84% | 1138 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon Universal* | <<locked>> | 80% | 15,925 psi | 84% | 1328 fps | 93.9% |
| Lovex S011*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 15,867 psi | 84% | 1244 fps | 94.1% |
| Lovex S020* | <<locked>> | 80% | 16,172 psi | 86% | 1322 fps | 88.5% |
| Maxam CSB 1* | <<locked>> | 88% | 15,911 psi | 84% | 1288 fps | 92.8% |
| Maxam CSB 2 | <<locked>> | 92% | 15,664 psi | 83% | 1376 fps | 98.1% |
| Maxam CSB 3 | <<locked>> | 80% | 15,998 psi | 85% | 1289 fps | 96.9% |
| Maxam CSB 4² | <<locked>> | 76% | 15,867 psi | 84% | 1275 fps | 98.8% |
| Maxam CSB 5² | <<locked>> | 72% | 16,244 psi | 86% | 1262 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 12 | <<locked>> | 80% | 16,143 psi | 86% | 1387 fps | 99.6% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 20* | <<locked>> | 92% | 16,491 psi | 87% | 1356 fps | 87.9% |
| Rottweil P 801² | <<locked>> | 72% | 16,085 psi | 85% | 1341 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan A1*² | <<locked>> | 76% | 16,723 psi | 89% | 1234 fps | 93.5% |
| SNPE Vectan BA 9*² | <<locked>> | 76% | 15,998 psi | 85% | 1204 fps | 88.1% |
| SNPE Vectan BA9 1/2* | <<locked>> | 80% | 16,273 psi | 86% | 1305 fps | 92.6% |
| Somchem MS200* | <<locked>> | 84% | 16,839 psi | 89% | 1317 fps | 87.5% |
| Vihtavuori N320 | <<locked>> | 80% | 16,621 psi | 88% | 1334 fps | 99.4% |
| Vihtavuori N32C Tin Starᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 13,126 psi | 70% | 1199 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N330* | <<locked>> | 84% | 15,925 psi | 84% | 1349 fps | 94.6% |
| Winchester 231*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 15,287 psi | 81% | 1263 fps | 93.5% |
| Winchester AutoComp * | <<locked>> | 88% | 16,520 psi | 88% | 1266 fps | 90% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
Start Load - Barrel Length: 5"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate Solo 1000*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,385 psi | 60% | 1088 fps | 94.5% |
| Accurate Solo 1250*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 11,182 psi | 59% | 1130 fps | 86.4% |
| ADI AP 70N*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,008 psi | 58% | 1151 fps | 87.6% |
| ADI APS 350² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,272 psi | 76% | 1100 fps | 100% |
| ADI APS 450² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,256 psi | 70% | 1066 fps | 100% |
| ADI AS 30² | <<locked>> | 60% | 10,312 psi | 55% | 1062 fps | 97.8% |
| ADI AS 50N*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 10,689 psi | 57% | 1093 fps | 92.9% |
| Alliant BE-86*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 8,601 psi | 46% | 1038 fps | 85.2% |
| Alliant Green Dot*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 9,819 psi | 52% | 1010 fps | 89.6% |
| Alliant RED DOT² | <<locked>> | 60% | 9,660 psi | 51% | 1057 fps | 96.5% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 100*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 9,340 psi | 50% | 1027 fps | 88.7% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol*² | 6.2 gr | 72% | 7,034 psi | 37% | 961 fps | 86% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 103 Pistol*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 8,746 psi | 46% | 1048 fps | 89.1% |
| Hodgdon Clays² | <<locked>> | 60% | 10,544 psi | 56% | 981 fps | 99.6% |
| Hodgdon Universal*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 9,979 psi | 53% | 1106 fps | 85.6% |
| Lovex S011*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,924 psi | 74% | 1183 fps | 92.1% |
| Lovex S020*² | <<locked>> | 76% | 14,315 psi | 76% | 1264 fps | 86.3% |
| Maxam CSB 1*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 10,646 psi | 56% | 1103 fps | 85.6% |
| Maxam CSB 2*² | 6.1 gr | 68% | 7,832 psi | 42% | 1059 fps | 86.8% |
| Maxam CSB 3*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 8,949 psi | 47% | 1028 fps | 87.8% |
| Maxam CSB 4*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 9,993 psi | 53% | 1070 fps | 93.2% |
| Maxam CSB 5² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,502 psi | 61% | 1123 fps | 99.9% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 12*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 8,064 psi | 43% | 1085 fps | 91.5% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 20* | <<locked>> | 88% | 15,243 psi | 81% | 1315 fps | 86.3% |
| Rottweil P 801² | <<locked>> | 60% | 10,747 psi | 57% | 1171 fps | 98.1% |
| SNPE Vectan A1*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 10,472 psi | 56% | 1024 fps | 85.1% |
| SNPE Vectan BA 9*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 14,344 psi | 76% | 1155 fps | 86% |
| SNPE Vectan BA9 1/2*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 11,342 psi | 60% | 1133 fps | 86.2% |
| Somchem MS200* | <<locked>> | 80% | 15,519 psi | 82% | 1276 fps | 86% |
| Vihtavuori N320*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 8,920 psi | 47% | 1062 fps | 91.9% |
| Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star*² | 4.4 gr | 60% | 4,554 psi | 24% | 803 fps | 88.3% |
| Vihtavuori N330*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 9,964 psi | 53% | 1119 fps | 85.6% |
| Winchester 231*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,561 psi | 72% | 1206 fps | 91.6% |
| Winchester AutoComp * | <<locked>> | 80% | 13,343 psi | 71% | 1168 fps | 86.1% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
* not dangerous but load has suboptimal powder burnt with possible characteristics such as extensive muzzle flash or inaccurate loads.
² fill rate low - you might want to consider using a filler to ensure proper ignition.
ᴾ possible press load - work up slowly to this load while watching for signs of excessive pressure.
This overview compares 34 powders for .45 ACP loaded with the .451 | 120gr | Lehigh Defense Xtreme Defense. ReloadSwiss RS 12 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 1,387 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,138 fps to 1,387 fps. Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 19 of the 34 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (130 MPa), the top charges use 70–89 %, leaving at least 11 % headroom. Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol, Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star reach 100 % fill or more at maximum charge, so these are compressed loads: they need a long drop tube to seat cleanly and react sensitively to the case capacity of your own brass lot. Maxam CSB 2, Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol, Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star rank at the top here: for .45 ACP with the .451 | 120gr | Lehigh Defense Xtreme Defense they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, Accurate Solo 1250, ADI AP 70N, Hodgdon Universal burn incompletely and react more sensitively to barrel length and temperature. Accurate Solo 1000, ADI APS 350, ADI APS 450 stay subsonic at start load. Always begin at the start load and work up in small increments while checking case and primer for pressure signs.