[Nick_C_S]

231 is awesome; one of my favorite powders ever. But during the madness, I was introduced to AA2 - because it was all I could get. It's great powder. Its metering is second to none. Right now, I'm in the process of creating a whole bunch of AA2 recipes - essentially to replace; or at least in conjunction with, my whole bunch of 231 recipes.

Not that AA2 is better than 231 or anything. It's just that it seems more plentiful. Since the beginning of the madness, I have been unable to get ahold of any 231 (I actually missed one golden opportunity, not realizing how crappy things were quickly becoming). Now, I'm down to about 1.75Lbs and I've decided to dedicate it to 45ACP only.

AA2 is seemingly a tad slower than 231, so it's actually a little more friendly; especially with revolver calibers (my observation). Definitely with 357 Mag. I've hit pressure spikes a few times with 357Mag/231 - at load manual minimums. I just don't do it any more.

However, I have a great 357Mag/AA2 round: 8.0g/125g JHP. 1195fps/3" bbl; & 1212fps/4"bbl - and because it's a fast powder; it's naturally low flash and well suited for shorter barrels. (I suspect there's some remaining headroom in this recipe, but I'm leaving it as is.)

So to untangle my ramble: I really like 231, but I'm reserving it for my 45; meanwhile, in the course of the shortages, I've learned that AA2 makes many great rounds - especially revolver rounds.