Listen, there is no doubt I am in the fan club of the 10MM. Frankly, I love the versatility of the cartridge, but please don’t tell 44Magnum that. As a seasoned reloader with 35 years of experience, with the right components, I can load this cartridge to meet any of my needs. If you came to read this article looking for the proverbial bear story, you have the wrong place, but stick around, and you might still get great and useful information. 

Even with my love for 10MM, there is another interesting cartridge that has caught my attention here lately, the 450SMC. Yes, I am very familiar with the 45 Super and have shot a lot of it and even reviewed it here on this blog before. I promise the 45Super and 450SMC, though similar, are not the same cartridge, and that fact is what we are here to cover today. While also comparing it to my favorite, the 10MM.

The Ballistician In Me – What Is 450SMC

No folks, I am not a certified ballistician. I like to play one in my reloading room, though. What I found while researching this 450SMC cartridge was that many simply said it is nothing but the 45Super with a new name. A name driven to prevent a dispute over royalties. Though if you dig deeper, you find some differences and improvements.

*As of late many manufacturers have started to load 45ACP with small pistol primers. The cartridge itself was developed with Large Pistol Primers. Most of the small pistol primer ammunition is advertised as lead free*.  

Visually and with a little testing, you see the 450SMC is loaded to a higher speed for greater velocity and to control primer flow loaded with a small rifle primer. As a reloader, with my first priority being safety, I had to dive deeper. 45Super and 450SMC both leverage brass produced by Starline. This brass is not your normal .45 ACP brass. The 45Super and 450SMC brass is thicker at the web of the case, validated by Starline. Which makes sense and follows the origins of taking a 308 rifle case and cutting it down to 45 ACP length. Now enter the great team over at Double Tap Ammunition. They teamed up with Starline to develop a case that could be used with a small rifle primer. This slight change increased strength at the rear of the case and prevents primer flow.

Can My Pistol Fire 450SMC

Simple answer: YES, but you are encouraged to read on. Any full steel frame 1911 or any pistol rated for 45 ACP +P is capable and ready for a limited amount of 450 SMC. If you plan to fire thousands of rounds of 450SMC per year, I would give a bit of caution and some advice. First, in the name of safety, just purchase from Double Tap Ammo, as they are the sole provider of this ammunition, and I know the brand holds safety as a guiding principle. For us reloaders who want to practice with what we carry to have confidence in our proficiency, I would say some mods are in order. For the Glock 21 and H&K USP aficionados, upgrade your recoil springs to a minimum of 22 lbs. The 1911 fan club requires a little more work but can be accomplished at home depending on your comfort and skill level. If not comfortable with the following steps, send it to a qualified gunsmith, who most likely will do this while you wait just to get it out of the way. Again, these are MY recommendations and what I have done and will do in the future.

1. Stronger recoil spring 20 to 24 lbs and stronger mainspring.

2. A flat firing pin stop like one from EGW. Provides additional lockup time to allow that additional pressure to bleed off.

3. A barrel with full chamber support—though not critical due to the thicker web of the 450SMC case, it is another safety precaution.

4. Wilson Shok Buffer, many say, is a solution looking for a problem. This is about further enhancements to protect your firearm investment.

5. Last but not least, change your recoil spring every 1500 rounds or so.

Double Tap 450SMC and 10MM On The Range

I have had this debate going on for some time in my head after discovering 450SMC. Can it dethrone my beloved 10MM from its pedestal? I mean, come on, at one time I was a if it doesn’t start with a 4, it is not a real caliber, but I would like to think I have grown a lot wiser since those days. Though the 450SMC does utilize 45 ACP freedom pills moving at a higher velocity. With the advancement in bullet technology, these higher velocities should make for some interesting tests on the range, and that’s what I set out to do. Chronograph and Clear Ballistics Gel test.

Testing Conditions. 10 Degrees Fahrenheit, 8MPH winds out of the Northwest. 7 Yards Back from the chronograph and target. 

The Mighty 10MM

Let’s see how the 10MM compares.

*Unfortunately gel penetration of the 10MM was decreased due to hitting the 450SMC round already in the block. This also caused the mighty 10MM to break apart. As this is controlled expansion meaning it opens slower therefor achieving greater penetration. I do believe this round would have gone into the second block. Stay tuned though because for the revolver fans we will be testing 450SMC and 10MM again out of 4in revolvers.*