Winchester X-tended Range...
05-04-2005, 02:55 PM
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: SW Michigan
Posts: 1,906
Winchester X-tended Range...
are simply awesome.
I topped my Ithaca combo with a Bushnell trophy 30mm red-dot, and sighted-in yesterday afternoon before today's opener. Decided I would try the Remington Hevi-shot #5 and the new Winchester X-tended range #6, and compare against the older Winchester HV #6s I've shot for years.
Although the hevi-shot did outperform the HVs, the X-tended range patterned simply awesome. At 22 yards the gun was still throwing a slug-like pattern, and at 45 yards the count was 29 in the vitals, 78 in a 7.5 inch circle, and almost 140 hits total on an 8x11 paper. I'd list the stats at 33 yards, but I was shooting on a makeshift range in the State forest, and almost went on my arse on the shot. Enough of the pattern hit the target to kill a bird, but the majority of the shotload hit low as I squeezed off and fell off my stump at the same time
. I would highly suggest these shells to anyone currently using the Winchester HVs, as the sight-in was identical with a triple in payload (well, in my Ithaca at least).
As for today's opener, it was simply beautiful. I have 4 properties to hunt, with one being split into two 100+ acre parcels. I get to parcel A, only to find 4 other hunters getting ready for the 10 minute uphill hike. I ask if there's room for one more, and just get the expected uh's and nuh's.
I drive 5 minutes to parcel B, and after a short downhill 200 yard hike was greeted with 7 different toms working their vocal cords. Played two off the roost, which were led away by hens. Circled around, and played the game for 3 hours with 2 toms, before they hung up at the edge of a briar patch. And boy, what a briar patch---there must have been 50 raspberry/blackberry plants per square foot, about 20 feet wide all the way up the hill. After going above the birds, I saw them moving off and decided to work them in a few days.
Only heard 2 shots all day, first at 5:15---which surprised the hell outta me, as it was seconds after the first gobble---and the second at 9. I left for the house at 10:30, pretty drained.
Got ~4 weeks, looks like a promising season.
S&R
I topped my Ithaca combo with a Bushnell trophy 30mm red-dot, and sighted-in yesterday afternoon before today's opener. Decided I would try the Remington Hevi-shot #5 and the new Winchester X-tended range #6, and compare against the older Winchester HV #6s I've shot for years.
Although the hevi-shot did outperform the HVs, the X-tended range patterned simply awesome. At 22 yards the gun was still throwing a slug-like pattern, and at 45 yards the count was 29 in the vitals, 78 in a 7.5 inch circle, and almost 140 hits total on an 8x11 paper. I'd list the stats at 33 yards, but I was shooting on a makeshift range in the State forest, and almost went on my arse on the shot. Enough of the pattern hit the target to kill a bird, but the majority of the shotload hit low as I squeezed off and fell off my stump at the same time
. I would highly suggest these shells to anyone currently using the Winchester HVs, as the sight-in was identical with a triple in payload (well, in my Ithaca at least).As for today's opener, it was simply beautiful. I have 4 properties to hunt, with one being split into two 100+ acre parcels. I get to parcel A, only to find 4 other hunters getting ready for the 10 minute uphill hike. I ask if there's room for one more, and just get the expected uh's and nuh's.
I drive 5 minutes to parcel B, and after a short downhill 200 yard hike was greeted with 7 different toms working their vocal cords. Played two off the roost, which were led away by hens. Circled around, and played the game for 3 hours with 2 toms, before they hung up at the edge of a briar patch. And boy, what a briar patch---there must have been 50 raspberry/blackberry plants per square foot, about 20 feet wide all the way up the hill. After going above the birds, I saw them moving off and decided to work them in a few days.
Only heard 2 shots all day, first at 5:15---which surprised the hell outta me, as it was seconds after the first gobble---and the second at 9. I left for the house at 10:30, pretty drained.
Got ~4 weeks, looks like a promising season.
S&R
