By Glen Wunderlich
At the end of a day’s session at the firing range, a friend plopped down a 12 x 18-inch turkey target thoroughly covered with shot from Winchester’s new Long Beard XR 12-gauge load. “60 yards!” he exclaimed.
12-Gauge Winchester Long Beard XR, No. 5 Shot, 60 Yards
I knew right then that further review was necessary.
Winchester obliged by supplying some of its Long Beard XR copper plated, 3-inch loads of 4s and 6s and some test targets. It was time for the testing to begin.
With a “scant” 1 ¾-ounce load of shot, it’s almost incomprehensible how science could make it more effective than much heavier loads. A proprietary Shot-Lok compound insures the plated pellets’ roundness under impact in the barrel. The result: more pellets on target.
Since it doesn’t need as much costly shot to get the job done, the price of $23 for a box of 10 rounds is significantly less than other high-end shotshells. Plus, the felt recoil seemed to be a bit less punishing – even with the added weight of an additional ¼ ounce of shot buffer material. Winchester claims the load offers 10 percent greater penetration over standard loads beyond 50 yards and twice the number of pellets in a 10-inch circle out to 60 yards.
Here’s what I learned. At 40 yards, a charge of #4 shot put 39 pellets on target in the head and neck. 
I backed up to 50 yards and 16 pellets resulted in the kill zone.
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Antlers…they have fascinated man since the beginning. Going back thousands of years one can see mans’ love for “animals with antlers” etched and painted on the walls of caves. Antlers were a trophy in a different way before they were used to decorate the walls of our hunting camps and game rooms. Before modern civilization, antlers were used to make tools, ceremonial wear, and weapons just to name a few of the uses. So how do these intriguing bones grow? What are they made out of? How do they go from this soft looking, furry velvet to a durable set of rock-hard fighting gear? Read more
Overland Park, Kan – 
Overland Park, Kan – 