Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .45 ACP with .452 | 230gr | H&N RN F bullet and 33 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 No. 2*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 15,331 psi | 81% | 781 fps | 88.6% |
| Accurate Solo 1250² | <<locked>> | 72% | 16,708 psi | 89% | 823 fps | 98.5% |
| Alliant BE-86² | <<locked>> | 72% | 16,665 psi | 88% | 830 fps | 99.7% |
| Alliant Green Dot² | <<locked>> | 64% | 16,607 psi | 88% | 794 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Herco* | <<locked>> | 88% | 16,839 psi | 89% | 856 fps | 93.9% |
| Alliant RED DOT² | <<locked>> | 64% | 15,795 psi | 84% | 768 fps | 100% |
| Alliant UNIQUE*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 16,389 psi | 87% | 850 fps | 93.4% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 100² | <<locked>> | 64% | 15,780 psi | 84% | 778 fps | 99.9% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol | <<locked>> | 88% | 17,013 psi | 90% | 833 fps | 100% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 103 Pistol² | <<locked>> | 64% | 15,766 psi | 84% | 814 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon CFE Pistol² | <<locked>> | 68% | 16,737 psi | 89% | 833 fps | 98.2% |
| Hodgdon Clays² | <<locked>> | 64% | 15,867 psi | 84% | 715 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 9,674 psi | 51% | 646 fps | 99.7% |
| Hodgdon Universal² | <<locked>> | 64% | 16,056 psi | 85% | 823 fps | 98.7% |
| Lovex S020*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 15,156 psi | 80% | 810 fps | 94.7% |
| Maxam CSB 1² | <<locked>> | 72% | 15,345 psi | 81% | 794 fps | 97.8% |
| Maxam CSB 2² | <<locked>> | 72% | 15,156 psi | 80% | 833 fps | 100% |
| Maxam CSB 3² | <<locked>> | 68% | 16,839 psi | 89% | 814 fps | 100% |
| Maxam CSB 4² | <<locked>> | 64% | 16,128 psi | 86% | 787 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 12² | <<locked>> | 64% | 16,505 psi | 88% | 846 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 8,369 psi | 44% | 627 fps | 96% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 20² | <<locked>> | 76% | 16,157 psi | 86% | 860 fps | 95.5% |
| SNPE Vectan A0*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 15,867 psi | 84% | 797 fps | 92.2% |
| SNPE Vectan A1² | <<locked>> | 64% | 16,433 psi | 87% | 801 fps | 99.2% |
| SNPE Vectan BA 9² | <<locked>> | 64% | 15,693 psi | 83% | 787 fps | 96.2% |
| SNPE Vectan BA9 1/2² | <<locked>> | 68% | 16,955 psi | 90% | 830 fps | 98.4% |
| Somchem MP200*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 15,171 psi | 80% | 807 fps | 90.4% |
| Somchem MS200*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 15,838 psi | 84% | 810 fps | 93.8% |
| Vihtavuori N320² | <<locked>> | 64% | 16,331 psi | 87% | 810 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star | <<locked>> | 96% | 16,157 psi | 86% | 771 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N330² | <<locked>> | 68% | 16,085 psi | 85% | 846 fps | 99.4% |
| Vihtavuori N340*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 16,679 psi | 88% | 837 fps | 93.9% |
| Winchester AutoComp ² | <<locked>> | 72% | 15,795 psi | 84% | 817 fps | 97.2% |
Start Load - Barrel Length: 5"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate No. 2*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,460 psi | 71% | 741 fps | 86.3% |
| Accurate Solo 1250*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,879 psi | 63% | 722 fps | 94.7% |
| Alliant BE-86² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,850 psi | 63% | 728 fps | 97.3% |
| Alliant Green Dot² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,591 psi | 77% | 758 fps | 99.9% |
| Alliant Herco*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 10,501 psi | 56% | 702 fps | 85.6% |
| Alliant RED DOT² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,359 psi | 76% | 741 fps | 100% |
| Alliant UNIQUE*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,690 psi | 62% | 735 fps | 87.6% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 100² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,837 psi | 73% | 738 fps | 99.3% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol² | <<locked>> | 60% | 8,035 psi | 43% | 627 fps | 96.2% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 103 Pistol² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,837 psi | 73% | 774 fps | 99.8% |
| Hodgdon CFE Pistol² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,879 psi | 68% | 751 fps | 95.3% |
| Hodgdon Clays² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,388 psi | 76% | 692 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 4,801 psi | 25% | 469 fps | 91.6% |
| Hodgdon Universal² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,228 psi | 75% | 784 fps | 97.6% |
| Lovex S020*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,865 psi | 68% | 761 fps | 92.2% |
| Maxam CSB 1*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,502 psi | 61% | 705 fps | 94.3% |
| Maxam CSB 2² | <<locked>> | 60% | 10,675 psi | 57% | 735 fps | 98.5% |
| Maxam CSB 3² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,981 psi | 69% | 735 fps | 98.9% |
| Maxam CSB 4² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,750 psi | 78% | 761 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 12² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,533 psi | 77% | 810 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 4,641 psi | 25% | 463 fps | 85.5% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 20*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 10,356 psi | 55% | 712 fps | 87.3% |
| SNPE Vectan A0*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,734 psi | 62% | 702 fps | 86.8% |
| SNPE Vectan A1² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,692 psi | 78% | 768 fps | 98.3% |
| SNPE Vectan BA 9*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,025 psi | 74% | 751 fps | 94.7% |
| SNPE Vectan BA9 1/2² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,402 psi | 71% | 755 fps | 95.9% |
| Somchem MP200*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,619 psi | 72% | 771 fps | 88.4% |
| Somchem MS200*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,097 psi | 69% | 748 fps | 90.7% |
| Vihtavuori N320² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,257 psi | 76% | 774 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star² | <<locked>> | 60% | 6,831 psi | 36% | 568 fps | 99.8% |
| Vihtavuori N330² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,531 psi | 66% | 771 fps | 97.2% |
| Vihtavuori N340*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,748 psi | 62% | 725 fps | 88% |
| Winchester AutoComp *² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,458 psi | 61% | 719 fps | 92.9% |
* 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 5 powders for .45 ACP loaded with the .452 | 230gr | H&N RN F. Alliant Herco delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 856 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 627 fps to 856 fps. Hodgdon TrailBoss gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 5 of the 5 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (130 MPa), the top charges use 44–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. Hodgdon TrailBoss, ReloadSwiss RS 14 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, Alliant Herco burn incompletely and react more sensitively to barrel length and temperature. Alliant Herco, Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol, Hodgdon TrailBoss 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.