Winchester Long beard XR reviews?

[Model 1300]

I am going to be trying the long beard XR's this year and wanted to know if any of you have had any experience with them?

[jakesdad]

Lots of guys here have had experience with them,mostly good.Its gonna just take some time to see if your gun/choke combo likes them.I tried them last year,and for lead,they pattern very well.Too well for my liking.I had fantastic patterns at 40 yds out of my 870,but up close they shot very tight.Im not saying this is a bad thing,its a personal choice as there is no wrong answer.I like my pattern to be more open inside 25 yds than what I was getting with the Longbeards.The answer lies only in how your combo patterns em' and how it looks to you.

[Yoder409]

The 3 1/2" #6's are UNREAL in my SX3 setup.  Have not tried them in any of my other guns yet.

[wvlimbhanger]

My 870 loves 3in #5s. Great pattern at 40 yards. I was a hevishot fan but with the price and pattern of longbeards I made the switch. As mentioned above shoot them close, they will be tight.

[buck_hunter21]

 My 870 loves them.

[VA_Birdhunter]

My 935 really likes them with the SSX Truglo choke .670 I have in it...patterns are very consistent!  However as it has been said many times you just have to keep in mind the limitations of each type of shell and load you use so my suggestion don't follow what the box says on the 60 yrd shots!   Get them in close and have a great time doing it!

God bless


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[rusty4269]

I think I'm gonna try them this year myself.

[Gobble!]

When it comes to lead, they are the best factory load right now.

[silvestris]

I get a fantastic pattern at 30 yards in my Encore with a .660 Rhino with the 3" # 6.  I will have to be precise at 20 yards or closer.

[strutnva]

I have shot Hevi for years, shot my first LB's yesterday and will be making the switch.  Very good results at a much better price.  3" #5's out of an 870 with a .660 Jellyhead.  You will need to aim well inside 25 yards.

[J Brown]

Best shell on the market.   

[jordanz7935]

I made the switch to the longbeards last season out of my 935. Shooting 3.5 #5s out out of a kicks .680 im getting 170-180 in the 10" @ 40 yds. Best lead turkey loads ever. I previously used Mag Blends out of a IC .675 which shot great but i sold that choke after seeing what the long beards could do. I took the red dot off my gun and put williams fire sights on it to cut down on weight. I got into waterfowl hunting  this year and i have a 28" barrel that i put on so now i dont have to remove/resight in the red dot anymore when switching barrels. The longbeards with the kicks choke also put up a more forgiving pattern @ close to mid range than the mag blends did with the IC choke so it just worked out good for me going back to open sights with the longbeards.

[VA_Birdhunter]

I went back and checked my targets from last year.  Here was the results for me with my 935 and SSX .670 choke....I was also shooting off my knee and I'm pretty sure I would have had better results with a better rest....but I also like shooting off my knee for practice as well.

Long Beard XR 3" 5 shot (I have 3 1/2" 6 shot but haven't tried them yet)

30 yrds measured 230 in 10" circle.  90 in the head and neck. 


40 yrds measured 190 in 10" circle.  65 in the head and neck.

God Bless

[Snoodsniper]

They flatten turkeys period.

[zelmo1]

  I tried them all out of a Code Black Patternmaster, best hands down. I put a lot of time on the pattern board for all my shotgun hobbies, no contest. Now we just need them to make them in 20 ga. Try them, you will like them. Good luck, Al Baker