I loaded a bit with my dad when younger and 'kept the skillset' through my 20s with some put-together parts from here and there, but only in the last year or two did I begin to really do much loading in any kind of earnest.

With reloading supplies scarce as they are I'd been lucky to scrounge the odd half-pound of various powders here and there from friends and fellow gunners over time, but decided to work up some good 'standard' range rounds, primarily for my plethora of wheelguns. I used the last of the useful 'dregs' and invested in a few 1-lb. cans of standards like Win 231, Bullseye (more for some very old recipes), Universal, HP38, and literally on whim, seeing it on sale and remembering one of my books showed loadings in almost all my usual calibers of one strength or another, a canister of Accurate No. 2

I've gone through a multitude of other powders (again, thanks to any who see this I've borrowed, begged, or bought from!) and to my surprise the most thoroughly consistent is the Acc. No. 2, which works well under a hard cast for any of my .357/.38s (so far - knock on wood) and sends a beautifully light and flat (out to about 75-80 feet) load for a soft lead .45 LRN in 255 grn.

What I can't figure out is that, around me at least, this powder is consistently available and often even on sale locally, so no hazmat charges. For my use it burns clean as anything else, leaves less visible residue on my stainless guns than some factory ammo, and groupings are consistently tight when using a .358 LRN from Oregon Trail (soft lead wadcutters have been pickier, but also a solid performer in the fifty or so I loaded with A-2), the .45 ball ammo as accurate as off-the-shelf-Winchester X 250 grn loads.

What are others' experiences? Under-appreciated overall, oddly suited to my purposes somehow, or have I just been getting lucky?

FWIW AA#2 works quite well in 9mm too.
Another big advantage is that for me it flows well and very consistently through most powder measures.

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I don't hate my yard-sale Lee 'perfect-powder' manual pour the way some do but I do double-check it about every third-fourth throw with the actual balance scale - the AA-2 actually made me double-check the scale it was so consistent

I don't feel.AA#2 is under appreciated. That is a very good fast pistol powder. My only problem with it is Accurate powders are not easily available where I live.

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SWCA #3437

It is pretty much in the same category as Bullseye, 700-X, and Clays, I never saw much difference. Back in my CAS days I used AA2 for loading .44 Special and .44 Mag. My standard loads used 240 grain lead SWCs, 6 grains in .44 Special cases (rifle) and 7 grains in .44 Mag cases (revolver). I could just as well have used any of the other three, but AA2 is what I started with and stayed with for consistency. I don’t remember using it for any other loads.

According to.the powder burn rate charts yes, it is similar but slightly slower. It zeems.to be in the range of W231 and Zip instead although I have found AA#2 to load faster.

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SWCA #3437

AA#2 is (was?) the second-fastest powder in the AA line, with Nitro-100 being the fastest burning rate. I have used both in 9X19, .38 Special, and .45ACP cast bullet target loads with very good results. I consider both to be comparable to Bullseye (not identical, but generally comparable performance).

I also liked AA#5, slightly slower and useful in many handgun calibers.

About the time I was playing with these (1990s) I came across a great deal on Unique and purchased several pounds. Subsequently worked up very reliable loads in several of the handgun cartridges I regularly used so I never felt the need to go back to the AA line-up. Before the most recent market scarcities, and after the earlier dry spell (2008 to 2015 or so) I made a point of stocking up on Unique and primers, usually a pound and a thousand each month, so I'm still using those up and haven't had to deal with the extremes of recent years.

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I used Nitro 100 in my 12 Ga. trap loads and rate it like Red Dot.
Never used #5 but would think is is close to Green Dot or w231 in burn rate & pressures.

I have wanted to try AA2 but my local stores don't stock it, despite having a bunch of AA powders. Same with Ramshot Zip.

Not sure if it's "underappreciated" in general terms but it was largely unknown to me until not long ago. It happened to be available, and at a good price, at a LGS in Abilene a year or so ago, during what was a general shortage of many powders. I thought I could make it work, in something within the inventory, and turns out that was correct.

It has been a pleasant surprise in .38 Special providing consistent velocities and excellent accuracy with wad cutters. Been reloading for 50 years and it's fun to "discover" a "new" powder.

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SWHF #789

Accurate No. 2 powder is ground (?) very fine and will find a way to leak out of the powder throw. A very minor inconvenience though.
I bought it for powder puff 148 gr .38 Special wadcutter loads. Clean and accurate in that application.

Funny; same thing here for Zip, but AA is everywhere - not a complaint, mind you!

I also prefer AA #5. I like it for use in my 32 Magnum and 32-20.

I like AA#2 and have had no leakage out of my Lyman 55.

My shooting buddy likes Accurate #2 and #5 for loading pistol cartridges. I loaded up some .45 ACP ammo for him on my Dillon 650. The Dillon powder measure threw very consistent charges. It has seemed readily available during throughout these uncertain times for reloaders. If I ever run out of my Alliant powders (which haven't been readily available for years) I will consider switching to Accurate #2 and #5.

I bought a jug of AA2 and have burned through most of it. I did a test and found that in my model 14 and 15 guns Bullseye was noticeably more accurate than #2 with 148-162 gr wadcutters. No difference with heavier bullets or the 125 gr Lee. A long time caster, I don't remember when the last jacketed bullet I shot down a 35 caliber revolver was.

I love it in the 9mm, 32's and it does OK with the larger calibers.

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Too fast for my taste, but not a thing wrong with it.

I keep A#5 and #7 as mainstays. A#5 is an excellent all around powder and A#7 works to deliver great higher velocity rounds in 9MM and .38 Super.

Don't overlook their rifle powders either. A 2520 has help me produce a lot of match quality .308 Win rounds.

With prices getting to be ridiculous on most any powder with 4350 in its name I recently went back to an old friend A 2700. I tried it when it was first released and was very pleased with it in many 4350 type applications.

It suffered from poor availability in my area and hardly any load data early on, so it fell by the wayside for many years.

Accurate markets some great performing powders that used to be value priced. I guess the RamShot brand has taken much of that place in the market today.

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I was looking for Unique during one of the powder "shortages" and local dealer had a just gotten in a big shipment of Accurate Powders and was having a sale on them .
Heard A#5 was similar to Unique , it is slightly slower , and good in heavier loads so I grabbed a bottle .
After some shooting I liked it and the way it measured ...
more reading indicated A#2 might work when Bullseye was un-findable . I shoot a lot of target cast lead ammo with Bullseye .
I hot footed it back to dealer , the Sale was still on , and got another bottle of A#5 and two bottles of A#2 .
So far I'm liking both A#2 and A#5 powders and realy like them when on sale !
Gary

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I've used Accurate #2 along with #5, #7, and #9, but I've used none recently. I would suspect #2 would do as well as Bullseye in many applications. I only tried #2 and the others because of curiosity and the fact that I enjoy load development.

I stick with the old standbys because they work well, but with availability as it is these days, I certainly wouldn't be adverse to trying something else if necessary.

I've never bought into the alleged "clean burning" or "cleaner burning" fads that are popular these days. After handloading since 1965, I've found all gunpowders are dirty; after all, they are gunpowders. Guns and hands that are a little dirty are no harder to clean than guns and hands that are very dirty. I'd rather work toward accuracy and overlook the lesser and insignificant aspects of shooting.

I did the same thing when Bullseye and Unique disappeared. My LGS had a large qty of AA#5 and #2 as well as W231 and W244. Still have’nt seen Bullseye or Unique but the alternatives have been working out well.

AA#5 has worked out very well in my 32-20 M&P 5” and in .38 S&W for my S&W BSR and Colt PP.

I have’nt tried the AA#2 yet, but there is some data in the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook for 148 gr and 150 gr WC for .38 Special that I will be trying soon.

The W231 is being used for .32 S&W Long , .32 ACP and .38 S&W with 145 gr Missouri Bullet Co cast.

I have’nt decided on a use for the W244 yet.

Powder supply is now set for a long time. Primers are still an issue unfortunately.

I used AA7 and AA5 during my USPSA years in 10 mm always clean burning and accurate. Have since lowered my power level pistols to non-magnum, age and strength issues to 38 special. Thought I wanted B.E for powder puff loads but found it seems to leave lots of residue. Found that AA2 is comparable to B.E but way cleaner. AA products are my choice.

Ha! I just loaded 200 44Spl's with the same thing! Great load in my 696, 6gr of A2, 245gr 429421 from Stateline bullets in ☆- brass and a Rem 2 1/2.
I actually had drafted a post looking for wisdom about A2 and where experienced loaders felt that it fell in a "real-world" burn rate chart. Didnt post it.

OP, I load alot of cartridges with A2, 9mm among them along with 38spl and 357mag as well as the aforementioned 44Spl. I do have labled A2 but also 10lbs of a mil-surp, or rather a de mil'd powder called SMP-154 and in comparing it to A2 in some 9mm , grain for grain it gave pretty much identical numbers across the board, velocity, standard deviation and extreme spreads. $175 for 10lbs of powder? You bet Ill use it, alot.
I like Accurate powders, both their rifle and pistol powders. A2200 is THE 6.8SPC powder, 2520 works wonders in 5.56 loads with 77gr bullets. Ive only been reloading for about 7 years and almost all of my purchases are online because this place is the Sahara for reloading supplies and Accurate and Ramshot powders are always available, Alliant powders are and have been unobtanium for a number of years now.

The biggest difference I have seen is that AA #2 measures very well and consistently - more so than the others you are comparing it to. At least in my experience.
As always that is just based on my experience, with my powder measures, and YMMV...

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