Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .45 ACP with .452 | 228gr | LEE Mold 452-228-1R 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, Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star and Hodgdon TrailBoss.
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 No. 2*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 15,490 psi | 82% | 820 fps | 89.9% |
| Accurate Solo 1250² | <<locked>> | 72% | 16,172 psi | 86% | 846 fps | 98.7% |
| ADI AS 30² | <<locked>> | 64% | 16,404 psi | 87% | 794 fps | 100% |
| ADI AS 50N² | <<locked>> | 64% | 16,969 psi | 90% | 837 fps | 100% |
| Alliant BE-86² | <<locked>> | 72% | 16,273 psi | 86% | 856 fps | 99.8% |
| Alliant Green Dot² | <<locked>> | 64% | 15,389 psi | 82% | 810 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Herco* | <<locked>> | 88% | 16,360 psi | 87% | 886 fps | 94.4% |
| Alliant RED DOT² | <<locked>> | 64% | 15,592 psi | 83% | 797 fps | 100% |
| Alliant UNIQUE*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 15,345 psi | 81% | 863 fps | 93.4% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 100² | <<locked>> | 68% | 16,694 psi | 89% | 823 fps | 100% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol | <<locked>> | 88% | 16,491 psi | 87% | 856 fps | 100% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 103 Pistol² | <<locked>> | 64% | 15,548 psi | 82% | 840 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 8,543 psi | 45% | 653 fps | 99.5% |
| Hodgdon Universal² | <<locked>> | 68% | 16,897 psi | 90% | 876 fps | 99.4% |
| Lovex S020² | <<locked>> | 68% | 16,128 psi | 86% | 866 fps | 96.3% |
| Maxam CSB 1² | <<locked>> | 72% | 15,345 psi | 81% | 827 fps | 98.4% |
| Maxam CSB 2² | <<locked>> | 76% | 16,157 psi | 86% | 883 fps | 100% |
| Maxam CSB 3² | <<locked>> | 68% | 16,491 psi | 87% | 837 fps | 100% |
| Maxam CSB 4² | <<locked>> | 64% | 16,012 psi | 85% | 817 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 12² | <<locked>> | 64% | 15,476 psi | 82% | 863 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 7,266 psi | 39% | 630 fps | 95% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 20² | <<locked>> | 76% | 15,809 psi | 84% | 889 fps | 96% |
| SNPE Vectan A0*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 15,751 psi | 84% | 827 fps | 93% |
| SNPE Vectan A1² | <<locked>> | 64% | 16,447 psi | 87% | 833 fps | 99.5% |
| SNPE Vectan BA 9² | <<locked>> | 64% | 15,722 psi | 83% | 820 fps | 96.9% |
| SNPE Vectan BA9 1/2² | <<locked>> | 68% | 16,244 psi | 86% | 850 fps | 98.6% |
| Somchem MP200*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 16,926 psi | 90% | 879 fps | 93.1% |
| Somchem MS200*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 15,577 psi | 83% | 840 fps | 94.4% |
| Vihtavuori N320² | <<locked>> | 64% | 15,287 psi | 81% | 823 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N32C Tin Starᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 16,505 psi | 88% | 807 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N330² | <<locked>> | 68% | 16,027 psi | 85% | 879 fps | 99.6% |
| Vihtavuori N340*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 16,389 psi | 87% | 866 fps | 94.5% |
| Vihtavuori N350* | <<locked>> | 84% | 17,027 psi | 90% | 902 fps | 87.5% |
| Winchester AutoComp ² | <<locked>> | 72% | 15,679 psi | 83% | 850 fps | 97.8% |
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 No. 2*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,082 psi | 69% | 764 fps | 86.9% |
| Accurate Solo 1250² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,516 psi | 61% | 745 fps | 95.1% |
| ADI AS 30² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,968 psi | 79% | 771 fps | 100% |
| ADI AS 50N² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,953 psi | 79% | 797 fps | 100% |
| Alliant BE-86² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,095 psi | 59% | 745 fps | 97.2% |
| Alliant Green Dot² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,112 psi | 75% | 784 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Herco*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 9,761 psi | 52% | 722 fps | 85.5% |
| Alliant RED DOT² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,474 psi | 71% | 758 fps | 100% |
| Alliant UNIQUE*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 10,820 psi | 57% | 751 fps | 87.3% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 100² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,489 psi | 72% | 764 fps | 99.5% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol² | 4.3 gr | 60% | 7,295 psi | 39% | 640 fps | 95.7% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 103 Pistol² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,140 psi | 70% | 794 fps | 99.8% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss*² | 2.5 gr | 60% | 3,640 psi | 19% | 456 fps | 87.5% |
| Hodgdon Universal² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,285 psi | 70% | 801 fps | 97.6% |
| Lovex S020*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,633 psi | 67% | 791 fps | 92.9% |
| Maxam CSB 1*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 10,559 psi | 56% | 715 fps | 93.9% |
| Maxam CSB 2² | <<locked>> | 60% | 9,485 psi | 50% | 735 fps | 97.9% |
| Maxam CSB 3² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,734 psi | 68% | 764 fps | 99.2% |
| Maxam CSB 4² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,996 psi | 74% | 781 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 12² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,605 psi | 72% | 827 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14*² | <<locked>> | 76% | 4,511 psi | 24% | 515 fps | 86.5% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 20*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 9,689 psi | 51% | 725 fps | 87.2% |
| SNPE Vectan A0*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,226 psi | 60% | 722 fps | 87.2% |
| SNPE Vectan A1² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,721 psi | 78% | 801 fps | 98.8% |
| SNPE Vectan BA 9² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,069 psi | 75% | 787 fps | 95.5% |
| SNPE Vectan BA9 1/2² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,821 psi | 68% | 774 fps | 96.2% |
| Somchem MP200*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,213 psi | 70% | 797 fps | 89% |
| Somchem MS200*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,401 psi | 66% | 768 fps | 90.8% |
| Vihtavuori N320² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,938 psi | 74% | 801 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star² | 3.3 gr | 60% | 5,831 psi | 31% | 571 fps | 99.3% |
| Vihtavuori N330² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,937 psi | 63% | 791 fps | 97.3% |
| Vihtavuori N340*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,066 psi | 59% | 741 fps | 88.1% |
| Vihtavuori N350* | <<locked>> | 80% | 15,403 psi | 82% | 866 fps | 85.7% |
| Winchester AutoComp *² | <<locked>> | 60% | 10,515 psi | 56% | 728 fps | 92.5% |
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 .452 | 228gr | LEE Mold 452-228-1R. Vihtavuori N350 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 902 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 630 fps to 902 fps. Hodgdon TrailBoss gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 6 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 39–90 %, 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, Hodgdon TrailBoss rank at the top here: for .45 ACP with the .452 | 228gr | LEE Mold 452-228-1R they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, Accurate No. 2, Alliant Herco, Alliant UNIQUE burn incompletely and react more sensitively to barrel length and temperature. Accurate No. 2, 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.