Winchester Adds 20-Gauge Offering to Long Beard XR Lineup

Winchester Ammunition has announced that, at long last, it will be offering its popular Long Beard XR turkey loads in 20-gauge. Featuring the company's patented Shot-Lok technology, Long Beard XR delivers more power and tighter loads, and will now be readily available to hunters who favor smaller gauge shotguns.

The new 20-gauge Long Beard XR will come in a 3-inch shell loaded with either No. 5 or No. 6 shot. It will come 10 rounds to a box.

Not familiar with Shot-Lok? The gist is that it utilizes a proprietary resin, which eliminates air space between the lead pellets. As such, they don't smash into one another as the powder ignites, preserving integrity and largely eliminating fliers. It does wonder for preserving tight patterns at longer ranges.

“Long Beard XR has changed the game for turkey hunters across the United States, and now those hunters who use the smaller, lighter 20-gauge can enjoy the same extended range benefits,” said Matt Campbell, Winchester Ammunition vice president of marketing and sales.

Shot-Lok resin, which was award the 2016 American Hunter Golden Bullseye Award for Ammunition Product of the Year, first hit the market in Winchester's original 12-gauge Long Beard XR offering. It was later applied to upland loads and predator shells in the form of Rooster XR and Varmint X, respectively.

Long Beard XR-specific aftermarket choke tubes are already on the way, for the record, courtesy Carlson's Choke Tubes.

For more information, go to Winchester.com.