“shot lok technology”

There's no doubt about it, Winchester's Shot-Lok technology has been a full-fledged revolution. Though originally designed with turkeys in mind, the concept has expanded to upland loads and, for 2016, will enter a not-so-feathered market. Coyotes, hogs and varmints the world over will be testing their luck against Varmint X shotshells going forward.

When American Hunter announced its 2016 Golden Bullseye honorees late last year, it did indeed name products in 10 categories that met or exceeded those standards. One of the standouts—and a seasonably relevant one, too—was the 2016 Ammo of the Year: Winchester’s Shot-Lok.

Meet our 2016 Ammunition Product of the Year, Winchester's Shot-Lok technology.

Winchester Ammunition has announced that, at long last, it will be offering its popular Long Beard XR turkey loads in 20-gauge.

Winchester has introduced their new Xtended Range Bismuth shotshells in 3-inch 12-gauge, loaded with 1 5/8 ounces of No. 5 Bismuth shot, at a muzzle velocity of 1,200 fps.

When Winchester first released its popular Varmint X line of ammunition, the engineers were going for something fast and flat with minimal recoil. What wasn't offered in the original Varmint X line, though, was ammunition for those who prefer to deploy their favorite scattergun against feral hogs, coyotes and other predators. That's changing in 2016, as Winchester has officially announced a new 12-gauge shotshell addition to the Varmint X line.