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

LEDE
LEDE

Trust Your Gut: Deer Hunting Tips from the Stand

Field Editor Bryce Towsley gets a little help in “his” Mississippi stand.

Remembering Former NRA President Robert Corbin

Robert Corbin, a former NRA president and Arizona attorney general, died of natural causes on Sept. 9, 2025, at 97 years old.

Hardware Review: Stealth Vision Tactical SVT 3-18x44mm

Jeff Johnston dives into the Stealth Vision Tactical SVT 3-18x44mm. Check out his thorough review below.

Top 10 New Hunting Rifles for 2025

As the year draws to its inevitable close, we asked Philip Massaro to select his top 10 favorite rifles that debuted in 2025. Without any further adieu, let’s dive into the list.

The 4 Classic Hunting Platforms

Andi Bogard takes a look at the classic actions and platforms that laid the foundation for today’s hunting rifles.

Conservation Partners Launch Novel Turkey Nesting Research

Predator populations—nest raiders and full-feathered turkey killers alike—are growing across the United States. To determine if their increasing numbers are a leading cause of wild turkey population declines, Turkeys For Tomorrow (TFT) has announced a groundbreaking study on predator impacts on nesting and poult-rearing success.

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.