Innovations For Waterfowl Hunters From an Iconic American Brand

One has to look beyond the norm and completely break things down to their simplest form to sometimes find true innovation.

Once that is accomplished, each and every element must be reconsidered in order to find ways to improve it. Many would say, “It works fine so why change it?” Not the people who are working hard at Winchester. With 150 years of shot shell manufacturing knowledge, they have truly re-defined waterfowl hunting with the introduction of Blind Side.

First – let’s understand exactly what has changed. Instead of using regular pellets Winchester utilized cube shaped hex pellets. The reason why? This innovative design gives the shot multiple edges meaning more trauma, actually 250% more trauma to be exact. This design also allows for 15% more shot to be packed into the cartridge. Its pretty simple, the hex shot is much more packable when compared to standard round pellets creating the highest packing density available. Since it’s packable there’s also more room for powder giving you high muzzle velocities and added pellets in the same amount of space. For waterfowl hunters, that doesn’t mean much unless you can guarantee an effective pattern. You have more pellets going out faster, but can you hit anything with it?

To accomplish a better pattern Winchester created a diamond cut wad that was designed specifically for hex steel shot. The diamond pedals act as air breaks to deliver incredible patterns for waterfowl shots both short and long. It also responds amazingly to various choke tubes so you can dial in the best pattern density for various conditions. Between the diamond wad and unique shaped hex shot, Blind Side gives you a larger kill zone even if your target is not perfectly centered in the pattern – it’s still going down.

For years, the industry simply accepted the performance that was being delivered from regular shot shells. On the other hand Winchester was convinced technology could be improved and put forth the effort to create the most innovative designs in steel shot history.

The last area they looked to improve has to do with keeping shells functioning perfectly through even the toughest weather. Winchester’s patented water resistant DryLok Super Steal system keeps powder dry in even the wettest conditions. By keeping powder dry, this allows for consistent velocity. Instead of being satisfied with this, the engineers at Winchester decided to take it a step further with the Compressible Hinged Wad. This dampens peak pressure while further increasing velocity yet reducing perceived recoil. Now your powder stays dry and your shot is coming out even faster and the recoil feels less. All of these are great improvements and innovations for waterfowl hunters thanks to Winchester! 150 years of engineering excellence goes into every firearm, cartridge and shot shell that bears the Winchester name.