Winchester Unveils Long Beard XR Turkey Load

by
posted on September 19, 2013
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **

Winchester Ammunition has announced the arrival of a potentially revolutionary new turkey load, with the unveiling of Long Beard XR.

Designed to provide increased lethality at longer ranges than other turkey loads, Long Beard XR is driven by the company's new Shot-Lok Technology. An innovative new design, Shot-Lok produces twice the pellets in a 10" circle out to 60 yards compared to traditional lead loads—giving Long Beard XR the knockdown power of popular heavier-than-lead loads at a fraction of the cost.

A hardened resin that completely encapsulates the lead pellets, Shot-Lok eliminates air space around the pellet load, preventing movement and nearly eliminating pellet deformation. As the shot is charged, the resin fractures, forming a micro-buffer as the shot pattern leaves the gun barrel. The end result is pellets that remain round and fly straighter and tighter, providing for a more consistent payload and plenty of knockdown power—at longer ranges than most turkey hunters will be used to.

"Long Beard XR is the most innovative turkey load ever developed in the history of Winchester and our engineers continue to raise the bar every year with new products across many categories,” said Brett Flaugher, vice president of sales, marketing and strategy for Winchester Ammunition. “We are very excited to get this product in the hands of the millions of turkey hunters across North America … they will immediately recognize a difference in performance.”

Advantages of New Shot-Lok Technology:
• Protects shot during in-bore acceleration
• Shot launches from barrel near perfectly round for extremely tight long-range patterns
• Twice the number of pellets in a 10” circle out to 60 yards
• 10 percent greater penetration over standard lead loads beyond 50 yards
• Devastating terminal on-target performances

Long Beard XR will be available in the following specifications:

For more information Long Beard XR, or any other Winchester product, go to Winchester.com.

Latest

W H2026 08 Saysme Gettyimages 502523815
W H2026 08 Saysme Gettyimages 502523815

Says Me: Life is Short. Buy the Gun.

Fifty years from now the nostalgic scenes our heirs will conjure will be photos of us carrying guns supremely upgraded from the likes of Murray and his lot. Call it hunting, evolved.

37 States Now Approve FireStick for Muzzleloading Seasons

Connecticut and Indiana have joined the growing number of states recognizing Federal Premium FireStick technology for use during their 2026 muzzleloader seasons. Two others —Arizona and California—recently approved the product in their hunting regulations.

Ammo Trends: Things are Getting Smaller … Again

Is bigger always better? Or does precision triumph over all? The ammo world will likely never agree. Nonetheless, Philip Massaro takes a look at the latest downsizing trend. 

Bagging Birds: How to Hit More Doves

No one wants to be the butt of jokes from friends on the dove field. Read our tips to be the hot shooter on the field this season.

Good News for Migratory Game Bird Hunters

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is finalizing a streamlined process for authorizing seasonal migratory game bird hunting that will allow seasons to be authorized earlier, providing sportsmen, states and tribes greater certainty for planning. The changes will also reduce unnecessary federal rulemaking.

Upcoming Upland Season to be One for the Books

In Nebraska and Texas, timely rains have laid the groundwork for an excellent upland season.

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.