Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .450 Bushmaster with .451 | 325gr | Barnes Buster FN FB bullet and 11 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Lovex S053, Vihtavuori N120 and SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2.
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 ≥ 80% and propellant combustion ≥ 95%. 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: 24"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate No. 11 FS | <<locked>> | 82% | 34,534 psi | 88% | 1867 fps | 97.9% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 84% | 35,375 psi | 90% | 1814 fps | 99.3% |
| ADI AR 2207ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 33,054 psi | 84% | 1936 fps | 97.5% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 25,657 psi | 66% | 1188 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 92% | 35,273 psi | 90% | 1873 fps | 96.5% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 94% | 35,215 psi | 90% | 1893 fps | 99.3% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 24,714 psi | 63% | 1214 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 94% | 35,230 psi | 90% | 1919 fps | 96.4% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 96% | 34,809 psi | 89% | 1801 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 88% | 35,070 psi | 90% | 1857 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 33,721 psi | 86% | 1916 fps | 98.6% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
Start Load - Barrel Length: 24"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate No. 11 FS | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,401 psi | 83% | 1831 fps | 97.3% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,154 psi | 80% | 1745 fps | 98.5% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 94% | 27,528 psi | 70% | 1831 fps | 95.6% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 18,275 psi | 47% | 1056 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 88% | 31,212 psi | 80% | 1808 fps | 95.2% |
| Lovex S053 | 29.6 gr | 80% | 22,989 psi | 59% | 1663 fps | 95.8% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 17,477 psi | 45% | 1079 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 90% | 31,053 psi | 79% | 1847 fps | 95% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | 27.1 gr | 80% | 22,191 psi | 57% | 1591 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 80% | 27,441 psi | 70% | 1736 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | 34.7 gr | 90% | 24,874 psi | 64% | 1745 fps | 95.6% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
ᴾ possible press load - work up slowly to this load while watching for signs of excessive pressure.
This overview compares 19 powders for .450 Bushmaster loaded with the .451 | 325gr | Barnes Buster FN FB. ADI AR 2207 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 1,936 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,188 fps to 1,936 fps. ADI AR 2207 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 19 of the 19 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (270 MPa), the top charges use 63–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. ADI AR 2207, Alliant Reloder-7, Hodgdon TrailBoss 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. Lovex S053, Vihtavuori N120, SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 rank at the top here: for .450 Bushmaster with the .451 | 325gr | Barnes Buster FN FB they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, Accurate 1680, Alliant Reloder-7, IMR 4198 burn incompletely and react more sensitively to barrel length and temperature. Hodgdon TrailBoss, ReloadSwiss RS 14 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.