Accurate
Accurate No. 2
A high-volume, low-charge-weight handgun powder that spans a wide range of common pistol and revolver cartridges.
Very fast, very small charge volume - the powder for light target and Cowboy loads across .380 Auto through .45 Colt. It is clean, soft-shooting and cheap to shoot precisely because so little goes in each case, and that same fact is the hazard: in a .45 Colt or .38 Special case the charge occupies almost nothing and a double will not look wrong under a bench light. Run a powder-check or lockout die if it is going on a progressive.
- light 38 Special target loads
- 45 ACP bullseye
- Cowboy Action loads
- 380 Auto
Who has Accurate No. 2 today
Checked October 10In stock at 1 store — lowest in hand $46.04/lb (5 lb at Lohman Arms)
| Store | Size | Shelf | In hand /lb | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lohman ArmsHazmat charged, amount not published | 5 lb | $198.78 | $46.04 est. | In stock ↗ |
| Lohman ArmsHazmat charged, amount not published | 1 lb | $43.60 | $75.04 est. | In stock ↗ |
“In hand” is the shelf price plus that store’s hazmat fee and shipping, spread over one container. Stock is checked once a day — confirm on the store’s page before ordering. Compare all powders →
Specifications
| Manufacturer | Accurate |
|---|---|
| Product family | Accurate |
| Status | Currently produced |
| Application | pistol |
| Grain form | spherical |
| Lee VMD (bulk density) | 0.1023 cc per grain · 0.63 g/cc |
| Composition | double-base |
| Temperature stable | Not marketed as temperature-stable |
| Burn-rate position | 29 of 198 (fastest = 1) — what this means |
| Typical cartridges | 380 Auto, 9mm Luger, 38 Special, 40 S&W, 45 ACP, 45 Colt |
Grain shape
Spherical and steeply degressive - the burning surface collapses quickly, so the gas arrives right at the start of bullet travel, which is what makes it soft in a light target load and intolerant above the top of the range. It meters superbly, which is a mixed blessing at this charge volume.
Why geometry decides burn rate more than chemistry does: Shape Is the Product.
Manufacturer describes it as low recoil and low flash, which it recommends for short-barrel concealed-carry loads, and describes it as non-position-sensitive in the case. Spherical grain meters well in progressive presses.
Burn rate
One of the faster handgun powders, charted just past Vihtavuori N320 and immediately ahead of Ramshot Zip.
Chart agreement: consistent across charts - listed in the same relative neighbourhood by every publisher that carries it Ranked by: Hodgdon, Vihtavuori, Shooters World, Wolfe/LoadData.
Powders charted near it — neighbours on the chart are not substitutes, and adjacency tells you nothing about what charge either one takes:
- Shooters World Clean Shot (position 26)
- Hodgdon International (position 27)
- Vihtavuori N320 (position 28)
- Ramshot Zip (position 30)
- Hodgdon HP-38 (position 31)
- Winchester 231 (position 32)
Sources
The specifications above come from Accurate's own published documentation, linked below. The two “RCM's read” sections are ours, not theirs — our assessment of what this powder is like to load, drawn from its published characteristics and from what handloaders consistently report. No manufacturer endorses them and no source below backs them. If you think we have one wrong, tell us — we would rather fix it.