Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .45 ACP with .451 | 150gr | Rim Rock SWC Top Shelf bullet and 34 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are 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>> | 64% | 16,418 psi | 87% | 1060 fps | 99.6% |
| Accurate Solo 1250*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 15,229 psi | 81% | 1076 fps | 94.1% |
| ADI AS 30² | <<locked>> | 64% | 16,027 psi | 85% | 1040 fps | 100% |
| ADI AS 50N² | <<locked>> | 64% | 16,897 psi | 90% | 1093 fps | 99.5% |
| Alliant BE-86² | <<locked>> | 72% | 15,389 psi | 82% | 1089 fps | 96.9% |
| Alliant BULLSEYE*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 16,491 psi | 87% | 1122 fps | 89.4% |
| Alliant Green Dot² | <<locked>> | 68% | 16,694 psi | 89% | 1089 fps | 99.4% |
| Alliant Herco* | <<locked>> | 92% | 17,027 psi | 90% | 1155 fps | 89.3% |
| Alliant RED DOT² | <<locked>> | 68% | 16,447 psi | 87% | 1073 fps | 100% |
| Alliant UNIQUE*² | <<locked>> | 76% | 16,418 psi | 87% | 1138 fps | 88.6% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 100² | <<locked>> | 68% | 16,230 psi | 86% | 1070 fps | 98.4% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol | <<locked>> | 92% | 16,868 psi | 89% | 1129 fps | 99.8% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 103 Pistol² | <<locked>> | 68% | 16,607 psi | 88% | 1119 fps | 99.3% |
| Hodgdon Clays² | <<locked>> | 68% | 16,375 psi | 87% | 1001 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 8,659 psi | 46% | 840 fps | 96.4% |
| Hodgdon Universal² | <<locked>> | 68% | 16,215 psi | 86% | 1119 fps | 95.9% |
| Lovex S020*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 15,548 psi | 82% | 1102 fps | 90.4% |
| Maxam CSB 1*² | <<locked>> | 76% | 15,867 psi | 84% | 1086 fps | 94.8% |
| Maxam CSB 2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 16,955 psi | 90% | 1178 fps | 99.5% |
| Maxam CSB 3² | <<locked>> | 68% | 15,156 psi | 80% | 1060 fps | 97.8% |
| Maxam CSB 4² | <<locked>> | 68% | 16,737 psi | 89% | 1093 fps | 99.8% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 12² | <<locked>> | 68% | 16,592 psi | 88% | 1158 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14*ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 7,702 psi | 41% | 814 fps | 90% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 20* | <<locked>> | 80% | 16,230 psi | 86% | 1152 fps | 90.7% |
| SNPE Vectan A0*² | <<locked>> | 76% | 16,636 psi | 88% | 1093 fps | 88.2% |
| SNPE Vectan A1² | <<locked>> | 64% | 15,418 psi | 82% | 1056 fps | 95.9% |
| SNPE Vectan BA 9*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 16,868 psi | 89% | 1093 fps | 93.3% |
| SNPE Vectan BA9 1/2*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 15,867 psi | 84% | 1089 fps | 94.4% |
| Somchem MS200*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 16,491 psi | 87% | 1109 fps | 89.8% |
| Vihtavuori N320² | <<locked>> | 68% | 16,708 psi | 89% | 1119 fps | 99.9% |
| Vihtavuori N32C Tin Starᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 15,780 psi | 84% | 1056 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N330² | <<locked>> | 72% | 16,737 psi | 89% | 1161 fps | 97.2% |
| Vihtavuori N340*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 15,577 psi | 83% | 1093 fps | 87.9% |
| Winchester AutoComp *² | <<locked>> | 76% | 16,360 psi | 87% | 1115 fps | 94% |
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 1000² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,417 psi | 76% | 1007 fps | 98.8% |
| Accurate Solo 1250*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 10,791 psi | 57% | 932 fps | 88.3% |
| ADI AS 30² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,431 psi | 77% | 1001 fps | 100% |
| ADI AS 50N² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,939 psi | 79% | 1037 fps | 98.6% |
| Alliant BE-86*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 10,979 psi | 58% | 955 fps | 92.1% |
| Alliant BULLSEYE*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,634 psi | 78% | 1066 fps | 87.2% |
| Alliant Green Dot² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,837 psi | 73% | 1010 fps | 98% |
| Alliant Herco* | <<locked>> | 84% | 14,460 psi | 77% | 1079 fps | 86.3% |
| Alliant RED DOT² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,329 psi | 71% | 988 fps | 99.9% |
| Alliant UNIQUE*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 14,779 psi | 78% | 1093 fps | 86.6% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 100² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,604 psi | 67% | 968 fps | 95.7% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol*² | 5.3 gr | 60% | 7,368 psi | 39% | 810 fps | 89.8% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 103 Pistol² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,720 psi | 67% | 1014 fps | 97% |
| Hodgdon Clays² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,764 psi | 73% | 938 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 4,743 psi | 25% | 630 fps | 86% |
| Hodgdon Universal*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,879 psi | 68% | 1014 fps | 92.4% |
| Lovex S020*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,864 psi | 63% | 988 fps | 85.4% |
| Maxam CSB 1*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 10,457 psi | 55% | 912 fps | 87.8% |
| Maxam CSB 2*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 9,311 psi | 49% | 935 fps | 92.6% |
| Maxam CSB 3² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,111 psi | 64% | 971 fps | 95.1% |
| Maxam CSB 4² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,329 psi | 71% | 1001 fps | 98.5% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 12² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,952 psi | 69% | 1060 fps | 99% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14* | <<locked>> | 84% | 6,048 psi | 32% | 725 fps | 85.2% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 20*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 13,213 psi | 70% | 1056 fps | 86.4% |
| SNPE Vectan A0*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 14,982 psi | 79% | 1047 fps | 86.3% |
| SNPE Vectan A1*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,837 psi | 73% | 1010 fps | 94.4% |
| SNPE Vectan BA 9*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,213 psi | 70% | 991 fps | 89.3% |
| SNPE Vectan BA9 1/2*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,604 psi | 67% | 991 fps | 90.6% |
| Somchem MS200*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 13,271 psi | 70% | 1010 fps | 85.7% |
| Vihtavuori N320² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,792 psi | 68% | 1014 fps | 98.4% |
| Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star² | 4.2 gr | 60% | 6,498 psi | 34% | 758 fps | 97% |
| Vihtavuori N330*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,371 psi | 60% | 994 fps | 91.2% |
| Vihtavuori N340*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 13,503 psi | 72% | 1033 fps | 85.2% |
| Winchester AutoComp *² | <<locked>> | 60% | 10,573 psi | 56% | 932 fps | 86.3% |
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 | 150gr | Rim Rock SWC Top Shelf. Maxam CSB 2 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 1,178 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 814 fps to 1,178 fps. Hodgdon TrailBoss gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 7 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 41–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. Hodgdon TrailBoss, ReloadSwiss RS 14, 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. Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol, Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star rank at the top here: for .45 ACP with the .451 | 150gr | Rim Rock SWC Top Shelf they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, Accurate Solo 1250, Alliant BULLSEYE, Alliant Herco burn incompletely and react more sensitively to barrel length and temperature. Accurate Solo 1000, Accurate Solo 1250, ADI AS 30 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.