Try Vihtavuori N320 in your .45 ACP Pistol
Man does not live by long-guns alone. We know that many of our readers own .45 ACP handguns and load for this extremely accurate “classic” cartridge. When selecting a powder for the .45 ACP, there are many good options. All the major powder manufacturers make propellants with appropriate density and burn rate characteristics for the .45 ACP. Popular choices include: AA #5 (Accurate Powder); Bullseye (Alliant); Clays, HP-38, and Titegroup (Hodgdon); VV N310 and N320 (Vihtavuori); and WW 231 and WST (Winchester). We’ve tried all those powders in a variety of .45 ACP handguns. When we consider all the factors that make for a good pistol powder, we think N320 is one of the best available propellants for the .45 ACP. Vihtavuori N320 is very accurate, it meters well, and it burns clean, with minimal smoke and flash. If you haven’t tried VV N320 yet, you should.
Pros and Cons of Different Powders for the .45 ACP
This Editor has personally tried out eight or more different powders for the .45 ACP. Bullseye works but it is very dirty (both smoke out the barrel and sooty powder fouling on case). Though it otherwise burns clean, Titegroup leaves a singular (and nasty) high-temp flame streak on your brass that is hard to remove. AA #5 is a good choice for progressive press newbies as you use more powder so a double charge will (usually) be obvious. I like AA #5 but N320 was more accurate. Clays burns clean but some powder measures struggle with flake powders like this. WW 231 offered excellent accuracy and metered well, but it kicked out sparks with little pieces of debris that would hit me in the face. Who wants that?
I personally tried all the powders listed above with lead, plated, and jacketed bullets. After testing for accuracy, consistency, and ease of metering, I selected VV N320 as the best overall performer.
Vihtavuori N320
- No powder tested was more accurate (WW 231 was equally accurate).
- Meters very well in all kinds of powder measures.
- Produces very little smoke from muzzle.
- Does not put nasty burn streak on brass like Tite-Group does.
- Low Flash — you don’t get particles and sparks flying out like WW 231.
- Cases come out from gun very clean — so you can tumble less often.
Forum member and gunsmith Michael Ezell agrees that N320 is a good choice for the .45 ACP. Mike has also found that WW 231, while accurate, produces sparks and a large flash. Mike writes: “I first started using N320 after my first night shoot, while shooting IDPA/IPSC matches. It was astonishing how much of a fireball the WW 231 created. I was literally blinded by the flash while trying to shoot a match. As you can imagine, that didn’t work out very well. I went from WW 231 to N320 and never looked back…and the flash from it was a fraction of what a kid’s sparkler would give off. I have nothing but good things to say about [N320] after using both. Night shoots are a real eye-opener! When it comes to a personal protection… there is, statistically, a very high chance that if you ever have to use a gun to protect yourself or your family, it’ll be in the darkness[.] Being blinded by muzzle flash (and deafened by the noise) are things that should be considered, IMO.”
This Editor owns a full-size, all-stainless S&W 1911. After trying numerous powders, I found VV N320 delivered the best combination of accuracy, easy metering, consistency, clean burning qualities, and low muzzle flash. My gun has proven exceptionally accurate using N320 with bullets from 180 grains to 230 grains — it will shoot as accurately as some expensive customs I’ve tried. At right is 5-round group I shot offhand at 10 yards with my 5″ S&W 1911. The bullet hole edges are sharp because I was using semi-wad-cutters. Rounds were loaded with Vihtavuori N320 and 200-grain SWCs from Precision Bullets in Texas.
Similar Posts:
- For the .45 ACP — Try Vihtavuori N320 Pistol Powder
- Finnish Magic for .45 ACP Pistols — Vihtavuori N320
- .45 ACP Reloading — Vihtavuori N320 and Other Good Powders
- Loading for the .45 ACP — VV N320 and Other Good Powders
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Tags: .45 acp, 1911, 45acp, m1911, N320, Powder, Reloading, Vihtavuori, VV N320
Sorry, but as a person who tests handgun accuracy with 10 shot groups from a ransom rest at 25 meters I can only completely disregard accuracy claims based on off-hand groups at 10 yards. At least shoot from a sandbag and double both range and number of shots.
Editor: Marc, the photo was intended to show overlapping bullet hole accuracy in a mode that most people shoot — hand-held, standing, at relatively short range. During other load testing we shot rested from sandbag at 25 and 50 yards. In three 1911s we tried (my S&W, a Les Baer, and a Colt), nothing shot better than the N320, but the WW 231 was pretty equivalent. But this story was not intended to be a definitive write-up of accuracy, merely a “heads-up” that Vihtavuori produces a powder that excels in all categories by which a handgun powder can be judged, accuracy being one. I think if you check with bullseye .45 ACP shooters you’ll find that many know about N320 and N310 already, and they are using it in competition.
N320 is a great powder for 45ACP, I shot a few pounds of it up. Tightgroup is 1/2 the price and available eveywhere. It would take a helva Bullseye shooter to find an accuracy diffrence.
Mike, you raised a good point about price and I agree that Titegroup is a good choice too (if you don’t mind the scorch marks). But given the fact that you need just five grains or so of N320 per .45acp cartridge, one pound of N320 will load 1400 rounds, giving a powder cost of TWO CENTs ($.02) per round. Most guys can afford that… unless they are shooting 10,000+ rounds a year.
Isn’t N320 a bit on the fast site for a 45? The European IPSC shooters use it in their .40SW but even than it is ill advised by the most reputable gunsmiths.
N340 would be the best suited powder for the 200 grain bullets and perhaps even N350 for the 230 roundball.
Editor: Frank, As you know, the .45ACP is a pretty low pressure cartridge unlike the .40sw. I think N320 is “just right” for the .45 ACP with 180 to 200gr bullets. You are correct that N340 (or even N350) might be better for the 230s if someone is seeking the max velocity. One note about the 200gr SWC bullets I use. These are made by Precision Bullets in Texas. They use a proprietary moly/polymer coating that reduces friction very effectively. Consequently they generate less pressure than naked lead (given the same powder charge weight).
FWIW, on my burn rate chart, N320 is right next to Winchester WST which is another popular powder used by bullseye shooters with bullets in the 180-200gr range.
Mr. Editor, you should try the N340 also. I load thousands of rounds with the N340 using Berry clad 200 RS or SWC. I also use Space Coast Bullets hard cast 200 HG68 SWC. N340 is the most accurate I ever used. Yes the N320 is very good too. There was a shortage of N320 a couple years ago because it was so popular so I tried the N340 and I never stopped.
EDITOR: Eric, thanks for the tip. Not sure how it could improve on the N320, which loads out more accurate than I can hold. But it’s good to know N340 works great too. Eric, you should try the Precision bullets. I found them even better than the Oregon Trail LaserCast “hard cast” type, which are pretty darn good. The Precisions foul the barrel less too. But I know that shipping from Texas would add considerably to cost. Makes sense to buy local from Space Coast in Florida.
Interesting article, When I burn through the last of my Bullseye I will give N320 a try. For what it’s worth; I have been using precision Bullets for the past eight or so years, flat rate shipping is included in the price. I typically order 2250 bullets and they arrive in a usps flat rate box ($8 size) weighing around 70 lbs. Precisions molly coating makes for clean loading, no messy lube to wipe off.
I am now interested in comparing n320 to my favorite so far, Hodgdon hp38. The hp38 is the cleanest and most accurate I’ve used. Red Dot was a staple for a long time, and Clays is pretty nice, too. I tried Bullseye on recommendation, and it’s FILTHY! Thanks for the info on n320, if I can ever find some, I’ll try it, price aside. P.s., 6.5 gr. Hp38 scoots a 185 gr jhp along at 1143fps while being very shootable for user and firearm.I gave some to my gunsmith and he just took a buck with it. Whatever… Thanks again!
Only got 785 fps with 6gr N320 which is only 157 pf below IPSC . These are 200 gr flat nose coper plated bullet .