Winchester Ammunition has announced its latest selection of 3-inch, 28-gauge shotshells for upland and waterfowl hunting. These offerings will begin shipping in fall of 2023, just in the nick of time for hunting seasons.
With the growing interest in sub gauge for hunting, a modern look at the 28-gauge shotshell was an exciting prospect. Newly upgraded material technologies, such as bismuth, have made sub-gauges particularly intriguing and effective, even at ranges previously relegated to its larger cousins. The conmpany's new shotshells, with increased payloads, will initially be offered in Winchester Xpert Steel, Bismuth and Super Pheasant lines.
Xpert Steel Waterfowl & Upland
Winchester Xpert Steel packs a high-velocity, steel-shot payload designed to bring down birds hard and fast. With a load spec tailored to both upland and waterfowl hunting, Xpert Steel packs 3/4-ounce of 4 shot in its three-inch shell, for a good balance between pellet size and count. Velocity sits around 1300 fps.
Bismuth Waterfowl & Upland
With admirable range, excellent downrange energy and tight patterns, Winchester Bismuth offers everything the serious hunter seeks when going afield. With its denser material—9.6 g/cc compared to steel's 7.8 g/cc—shot size can be raised to 5, for a larger pellet count with similar terminal energy. The three-inch shell's payload is one ounce, while velocity maintains roughly 1300 fps, similar to Xpert steel.
Super Pheasant
Winchester Super Pheasant is an efficient upland offering. Copper-plated lead shot takes the density crown at 11.1 g/cc (provided tungsten loads aren't in the picture), and when paired with a tight patterning wad, ensues hard-hitting long-range performance. Five shot is used in a 1 1/8-ounce payload, while velocity out of the three-inch shell is 1200 fps.
All the above offerings come in boxes of 25. For more information on any of these new loads, visit winchester.com.
