New for 2025: Winchester Long Beard TSS

by
posted on January 23, 2025
Long Beard TSS Beauty Shot

My grandfather was the first turkey-hunting partner I had, back in the late 1980s when hunting anything in the spring was absolutely unheard of. In that era, the cutting-edge camo was Jim Crumley’s Treebark, the 12-gauge was the only sane option for gobblers, and the larger the shot size the better off you were. Oh, how things have changed!

TSS—short for Tungsten Super Shot—has surely changed the game of late. Grandpa and I would use No. 4 lead shot (or copper-plated shot if we were flush that spring), or my Dad and I would get fancy in the 1990s with the Remington Duplex 2x4 or 2x6 lead shot loads. Today, the tungsten stuff is taking over as it is much denser and can assuredly get the job done on the biggest of gobblers in a much smaller shot size.

Long Beard TSS on white

Winchester has announced their Long Beard TSS shotshell line for 2025, offering a performance level better than anything they’ve yet brought to market. Using the 18g/cc TSS shot (whereas lead comes in at 11g/cc), the Winchester Long Beard TSS loads use a buffered payload, which has proven to offer consistent shot patterns, irrespective of choke design. The dense material extends the potential effective range of your turkey gun, no matter the gauge. To think that I’d have to explain to my grandfather that we could—in all honesty—lay down the 12-gauge scatterguns in favor of a .410-bore still has me shaking my head, but it is the case.

Long Beard TSS lifestyle

Winchester offers the Long Beard TSS in 12-gauge with a 3 ½-inch load using 2 ¾-ounces of No. 8 TSS, or a 3-inch load using 2 ⅜-ounces of either No. 8 or No. 9 shot; in 20-gauge with a 1 9/16-ounce load of either No. 8 or No. 9 shot; in 28-gauge (love this!!) with a 2 ¾-inch load using 1 ¼-ounce load of No. 9 TSS shot, or a 3-inch load of 1 ½-ounces of the same shot; and in .410-bore, using 13/16-ounce of No. 9 shot. Those 28-gauge loads run at 1,050 fps; all others clock in a 1,100 fps. The Long Beard TSS comes in black-plastic hulls, with nickel-plated case heads. For more information, visit winchester.com.

Latest

LEDE Barnesharvest
LEDE Barnesharvest

First Look: Barnes Harvest Collection Ammunition

Barnes has debuted its Harvest Collection line of ammunition, targeted squarely at American whitetail hunters. Topped with the venerable Sierra Tipped GameKing (TGK) bullet, Barnes Harvest Collection is designed for maximal lethality on thin-skinned game, combining near match-grade accuracy with impressive terminal performance.

First Look: BANISH 30-V2

New from Banish Suppressors, the Banish 30-V2 is an upgraded version of the company’s popular Banish 30 suppressor that is shorter, lighter, quieter and more versatile than ever.

First Look: Hornady 3-in-1 High Speed Power Case Trimmer

The ideal tool for high-volume handloaders, the new Hornady 3-in-1 High Speed Power Case Trimmer brings three case preparation steps into one space-saving tool.

First Look: Kifaru New 44 Mag Pack

Kifaru has announced the highly anticipated relaunch of the 44 Mag pack. First introduced in 2019, the original pack was popular for its versatility and size. While it was still a traditional top-loading pack, the capacity and organization made it a great option for single- or multi-day trips. 

First Look: Trijicon New MRO SD

The next generation of Trijicon’s Miniature Rifle Optic is optimized for use with a magnifier.

Revolver Build: Fink's Custom Taurus Raging Hunter .44 Magnum

This big bore revolver is tricked out for handgun hunting, defense against dangerous game and personal protection. 

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.