Winchester Webtool: Turkey Ammo Pattern Board
https://patternboard.winchester.com/#/
The folks at Winchester have a pretty cool new “app” for showing shot patterns for turkey loads. These are not computer modeled guesstimates of what the pattern should look like in an ideal world. Winchester took the time to shoot all of the different shells and shot weights through a variety of different chokes to give an idea of how they should perform. This is a Winchester app, so all of the shells are theirs. You can see 3 different shells in 3 shot weights, through chokes ranging from .655 to .710 constrictions. They shot the patterns from 10 all the way out to 70 yards.
Winchester Long Beard XR at SHOT Show Media Day.
One of the ones they used in the testing is their new Long Beard XR load. I was able to shoot a couple of these new loads at Media Day at SHOT Show this year. I was impressed with the number of shot in the kill zone of the turkey targets they had set up at 50 or so yards. I couldn’t do a full review’s worth of shooting, but my initial impression was a good one. Looking at the patterns on the Patternboard app, the Long Beards put a lot of shot on target at extended ranges. Check out a couple of screen shots I took using the app. We have a request into Winchester for some Long Beards to see how they will preform for us.
If you are in the market for a new load or choke this is worth checking out. Hell, it is simply fun to play with too. This shouldn’t replace taking the time to pattern your turkey gun to see what it really does, but it will give you a good idea for what you should see.
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Screen shot from the PatternBoard.
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Another screen shot. It will show you the other Winchester shells for comparison.
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The Winchester SX3 Long Beard used at SHOT Show range day.
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Long Beard XR. The shot is inclosed in a resin to help it hold together and not deform when fired.
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The range at SHOT Show.
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The pattern I shot with the Long Beard at 50 yards. Sorry for the bad picture, we had to take it through a spotting scope.
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This is the worst patterning test i have ever seen! It is absolutely confusing, incomplete, poorly arranged, and tells very little about Winchester XR Longbeard Ammunition. IF i had to rely on this test to determine whether or not to buy this ammunition, i would not buy it! Fortunately, i completely tested this ammunition using different shot sizes, shot loads, choke tubes, distances from 10 yards to 70 yards and repeated all of this with several different guns to determine the real merit of the Winchester XR Longbeard Ammunition. If Winchester sends you even one box of shells they should send me a case! If anyone uses your stupid information as a criteria for purchasing Winchester XR Longbeard Ammunition they will have no idea if it will perform for them. I do not know what your credentials are but i hope it is not [ GUN WRITER]! If your turkey hunting ability and calling is no better than your ammunition testing the turkey are safe! Head to Giant Eagle! penny rex