Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .45 ACP with .451 | 160gr | Barnes TAC-XP bullet and 34 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above.
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>> | 68% | 16,157 psi | 86% | 942 fps | 98.7% |
| Accurate Solo 1250* | <<locked>> | 80% | 16,737 psi | 89% | 997 fps | 93.6% |
| ADI AP 70N*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 15,693 psi | 83% | 988 fps | 93.8% |
| ADI APS 450² | <<locked>> | 64% | 16,375 psi | 87% | 896 fps | 100% |
| ADI AS 30² | <<locked>> | 68% | 15,940 psi | 85% | 928 fps | 100% |
| ADI AS 50N² | <<locked>> | 68% | 16,462 psi | 87% | 965 fps | 98.4% |
| Alliant BE-86 | <<locked>> | 80% | 16,824 psi | 89% | 1014 fps | 96.5% |
| Alliant Green Dot² | <<locked>> | 72% | 16,868 psi | 89% | 978 fps | 98.7% |
| Alliant RED DOT² | <<locked>> | 72% | 16,389 psi | 87% | 961 fps | 100% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 100² | <<locked>> | 72% | 15,737 psi | 83% | 945 fps | 96.9% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol | <<locked>> | 96% | 15,693 psi | 83% | 994 fps | 98.8% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 103 Pistol² | <<locked>> | 72% | 15,882 psi | 84% | 994 fps | 98% |
| Hodgdon CFE Pistol*² | <<locked>> | 76% | 16,404 psi | 87% | 1001 fps | 92.9% |
| Hodgdon Clays² | <<locked>> | 72% | 16,868 psi | 89% | 909 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss*ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 8,195 psi | 43% | 728 fps | 94.1% |
| Hodgdon Universal*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 16,230 psi | 86% | 1001 fps | 94.3% |
| Lovex S020*² | <<locked>> | 76% | 16,621 psi | 88% | 1014 fps | 89.3% |
| Maxam CSB 1* | <<locked>> | 80% | 15,490 psi | 82% | 965 fps | 92.6% |
| Maxam CSB 2 | <<locked>> | 84% | 15,461 psi | 82% | 1037 fps | 98.2% |
| Maxam CSB 3² | <<locked>> | 76% | 16,578 psi | 88% | 988 fps | 97.5% |
| Maxam CSB 4² | <<locked>> | 72% | 16,839 psi | 89% | 984 fps | 99.3% |
| Maxam CSB 5² | <<locked>> | 68% | 16,810 psi | 89% | 961 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 12² | <<locked>> | 72% | 15,766 psi | 84% | 1033 fps | 99.6% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14*ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 7,266 psi | 39% | 699 fps | 86.9% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 20* | <<locked>> | 84% | 15,766 psi | 84% | 1014 fps | 87.4% |
| Rottweil P 801² | <<locked>> | 64% | 15,577 psi | 83% | 994 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan A1*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 15,592 psi | 83% | 948 fps | 94.3% |
| SNPE Vectan BA 9*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 16,534 psi | 88% | 968 fps | 90.8% |
| SNPE Vectan BA9 1/2*² | <<locked>> | 76% | 17,056 psi | 90% | 1004 fps | 93.6% |
| Somchem MS200*² | <<locked>> | 76% | 16,592 psi | 88% | 991 fps | 87.6% |
| Vihtavuori N320² | <<locked>> | 72% | 15,780 psi | 84% | 988 fps | 99.2% |
| Vihtavuori N32C Tin Starᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 13,561 psi | 72% | 909 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N330*² | <<locked>> | 76% | 15,679 psi | 83% | 1017 fps | 94.7% |
| Winchester AutoComp * | <<locked>> | 80% | 15,867 psi | 84% | 988 fps | 91.5% |
Start Load - Barrel Length: 5"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate Solo 1000² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,184 psi | 70% | 863 fps | 96.7% |
| Accurate Solo 1250*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 11,095 psi | 59% | 840 fps | 86.6% |
| ADI AP 70N*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,170 psi | 75% | 945 fps | 92.2% |
| ADI APS 450² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,997 psi | 80% | 869 fps | 100% |
| ADI AS 30² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,474 psi | 71% | 869 fps | 99.7% |
| ADI AS 50N² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,561 psi | 72% | 889 fps | 96.4% |
| Alliant BE-86*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 9,747 psi | 52% | 810 fps | 87.9% |
| Alliant Green Dot² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,386 psi | 66% | 856 fps | 95.4% |
| Alliant RED DOT² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,154 psi | 64% | 850 fps | 98.9% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 100*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,487 psi | 61% | 830 fps | 92.5% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 7,034 psi | 37% | 699 fps | 86.4% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 103 Pistol*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,095 psi | 59% | 863 fps | 93.6% |
| Hodgdon CFE Pistol*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,081 psi | 59% | 843 fps | 85.9% |
| Hodgdon Clays² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,430 psi | 66% | 807 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 5,279 psi | 28% | 574 fps | 85.8% |
| Hodgdon Universal*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,835 psi | 63% | 873 fps | 89% |
| Lovex S020*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 13,431 psi | 71% | 928 fps | 85.4% |
| Maxam CSB 1*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 10,399 psi | 55% | 810 fps | 85.4% |
| Maxam CSB 2*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 8,615 psi | 46% | 807 fps | 89% |
| Maxam CSB 3*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,255 psi | 60% | 840 fps | 92.2% |
| Maxam CSB 4² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,198 psi | 65% | 863 fps | 96.3% |
| Maxam CSB 5² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,445 psi | 71% | 886 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 12² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,110 psi | 59% | 906 fps | 96.6% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14* | <<locked>> | 96% | 7,063 psi | 37% | 689 fps | 86.3% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 20* | <<locked>> | 80% | 14,315 psi | 76% | 971 fps | 85.2% |
| Rottweil P 801² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,953 psi | 74% | 955 fps | 99.8% |
| SNPE Vectan A1*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,763 psi | 68% | 869 fps | 91.1% |
| SNPE Vectan BA 9*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,212 psi | 65% | 850 fps | 85.3% |
| SNPE Vectan BA9 1/2*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,182 psi | 59% | 837 fps | 86.2% |
| Somchem MS200*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 15,011 psi | 80% | 948 fps | 85.7% |
| Vihtavuori N320² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,342 psi | 60% | 866 fps | 95.9% |
| Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star² | <<locked>> | 60% | 6,353 psi | 34% | 659 fps | 95.1% |
| Vihtavuori N330*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 10,225 psi | 54% | 843 fps | 86.5% |
| Winchester AutoComp *² | <<locked>> | 68% | 12,038 psi | 64% | 879 fps | 86.6% |
* 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 4 powders for .45 ACP loaded with the .451 | 160gr | Barnes TAC-XP. Maxam CSB 2 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 1,037 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 728 fps to 1,037 fps. Hodgdon TrailBoss gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 4 of the 4 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (130 MPa), the top charges use 43–83 %, leaving at least 17 % headroom. Hodgdon TrailBoss, 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. As outliers, Hodgdon TrailBoss burn incompletely and react more sensitively to barrel length and temperature. Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol, Hodgdon TrailBoss, Maxam CSB 2 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.