Winfield Galleries is on location in Las Vegas for the 2012 Shot Show. Check back all this week as we will be sharing Winchester exclusive updates with you!
Winchester’s participation at yesterday’s SHOT Show Media Day at the Range – attended by more than 1,000 media personnel -- continues to generate positive exposure in the outdoor media, with this video feature on our new-for-2012 Razorback XT ammunition published in today’s on-line column from Outdoor Life, “The Gun Shots.”
An interview with Winchester president Tom O’Keefe was featured in today’s edition of SHOT Daily, the SHOT Show’s daily publication.
As reflected in the attached, the article allowed Tom O’Keefe to communicate key information to the tens of thousands of attendees at today’s SHOT Show, on topics which included reinforcing Winchester’s position as a new product leader, providing an update on the Winchester centerfire relocation, and explaining the strategy behind our new packaging.
As the industry’s 34th annual SHOT Show prepares to open for its third day, the momentum of positive exposure already being generated by Winchester’s new products and packaging continues, as reflected in the following media sampling :
North American Hunter TV host Melissa Bachman visited Winchester’s SHOT Show booth and interviewed Winchester product managers Mike Stock and Brad Criner, who provided details on Winchester’s new Razorback XT and Blind Side ammunition, respectively, in videos disseminated to members of the North American Hunting Club.
Winchester - Razorback XT - 2012 SHOT Show
"North American Hunter's" Melissa Bachman talks hogs at Winchester Ammunition's booth at the 2012 SHOT Show. Mike Stock breaks down Winchester's new Razorback XT.
Winchester - Blind Side - 2012 SHOT Show
"North American Hunter's" Melissa Bachman heads to Winchester Ammunition's booth at the 2012 SHOT Show. Brad Criner breaks down the key components to Winchester's newest shotshell -- Blind Side!
Game & Fish Sportsman is additionally featuring a video of Mike Stock’s overview of Razorback XT in its “New Product Spotlight.”
Winchester’s demonstrations of PDX1 Defender ammunition at Monday’s SHOT Show Media Day have continued to result in media coverage, as reflected in a video posted to Field & Stream’s online column, “The Gun Nut.”
Winchester Gets a New Look
Bolder packaging builds consistency in look across product lines, better
shelf appeal for consumers and retailers
By Doug Howlett
Despite Winchester
Ammunition’s iconic status as
one of the most recognized
brands in all of shooting, executives
there last year began the process of
examining how they could improve
upon their already recognizable packaging
to drive increased sales at the
retail level. That meant going beyond
the anecdotal theories of executives and
reviewing past sales reports and actually
seeking out and meeting with consumers
to see what they had to say. The
experience was eye-opening, says Brad
Criner, senior product manager and
marketing manager for Winchester’s
shotshell and rimfire product lines.
“This was an 18-month process to
learn precisely how the consumer
views our product and what factors
go into their decision to buy
Winchester ammunition,” says
Criner. As part of the effort,
Winchester contracted with a market-
research firm to conduct consumer
surveys, secret-shopper buys,
focus groups, and more. The result
was a wealth of information on how
consumers view and make the decision
to buy or not buy Winchester
products. Winchester also learned
how it could better aid the consumer
in making the proper selection, a
move that is expected to translate
into more sales for retailers as well.
Winchester has traditionally had
three recognized packaging schemes:
black box ammo is seen as the highest
of the high-end, employing multiple
cutting-edge technologies; gray box
ammo is the Super-X brand, viewed
by consumers as delivering a great
“go-to” blend of value and performance;
and white box ammo is seen
as Winchester’s opening price point—
the best value ammunition for plinking,
small game, and target shooting.
Despite consumer perceptions,
Criner says that as the company
developed ever-extensive offerings
over the years, it unintentionally
strayed from that strict packaging
perception scheme. “We had lost
some consistency,” he admits.
Winchester also learned that consumer
opinion split on what information
was critical to include on the box.
Some prefer written information,
such as what game or shooting activity
the ammo is good for, while others
prefer images, such as the game icon
that appears on most boxes.
Placement of load specs on the boxes
also varied, depending on the load.
The result of all this research is
that Winchester has come out with
packaging that delivers a bold new
look while retaining the recognizable
horse and rider logo. The new packaging
also builds consistency along
the product lines and provides the
information consumers need and
want in the way they want to see it.
Packaging now includes load specs
on the front panel and end flap, making
it visible no matter how a retailer
displays it on their shelves. The helpful
game icon and word description
of the ammunition’s ideal use also
appears on the top and front panels.
On the rear of every box, consumers
will have a description of the specific
load and brand along with a cut-away
of the shell or cartridge and four or
five technical points about the load. A nod to retailers was also made with
the new design, as company execs
believe the improved look will create
a cleaner display on shelves, make it
easier to restock, and with consistent
placement of UPC and product
codes on every box, easier to ring up.
By March 2012 all the old packaging
across the entire Winchester line
is expected to be phased out.
Ammunition makers have a wealth of new and
useful loads in the chamber this year
By Chris Christian
Whether your ammunition needs are high-velocity varmint
loads, personal defense, waterfowl, clay targets,
big-game, law enforcement, plinking, pest control, or if
you just want to be prepared for a sudden zombie attack, you’ll
afind a plethora of new loads—and component bullets for handloaders—
this year.
Winchester Ammunition
Winchester’s centerfire products line expands this
year with the introduction of a game-animal-specific
rifle load and two new PDX1 Defender rifle loads.
In addition, calibers are being added to existing
lines. The Razorback XT was engineered for maximum
performance on tough wild hogs and for peak
performance in MSRs as well as more traditional
rifles. Available in 64-grain .223 Rem. and 150-grain
.308 Win. (20-round box), it uses a lead-free gildingmetal
bullet. Designed for delayed expansion, it
incorporates a beveled profile on the bullet to compress
the hollowpoint cavity and strengthen expended
segments. The same “flash-suppressed” powders
used in FBI loads make it low-light and night-vision
equipment friendly. The cases on this line of ammo are nickel-plated.
The PDX1 Defender line expands with a 77-grain .223 Rem. and a 120-grain .308 Win. Designed for personal defense in MSR platforms, it utilizes a split-core bullet technology. A nonbonded front core provides rapid expansion while a bonded rear core provides optimum penetration to assure a massive energy deposit while limiting the possibility of overpenetration.
The Power-Core 95/5 line expands with the addition of a 90-grain .243 Win., 150-grain .308 Win. and 300 WSM, 130-grain 270 WSM, and a 140-grain load in 7mm WSM and 7mm-08 Rem. A new addition to the Ballistic Silvertip Lead Free line is a 32-grain load in .204 Ruger. The Power Max Bonded line expands to include 150-grain .270 Win. and 170-grain .30/30 loads. The Super-X Cowboy lineup will now include a .45-70 Gov’t. 405-grain lead flatnose. The lead bullet is manufactured by Winchester and loaded to reduced recoil levels that Winchester states are safe for use in older rifles.
The Super-X line will see the addition of a .348 Win. 200-grain Power-Point. The Winchester USA handgun line will now offer a 50-round box of 95-grain .380 ACP jacketed hollowpoints. Fans of the .17 HMR will want to check out Winchester’s new offering. It features an improved case shoulder, stronger rim, and a new powder blend that produces lower pressures and more consistent velocities. It will be available in the Varmint HV (17-grain Poly Tip V-Max/2,550 fps) Varmint LF Lead Free (15.5-grain NTX/2,550 fps) and Super-X (20-grain JHP/2,375 fps).
Many view a shotgun as the perfect homedefense tool, and the new Winchester Defender 12-gauge slug is designed for that role. The 23/4-inch shell launches a 1-ounce slug at 1,600 fps. The slug is designed to segment into three equal parts upon impact to increase knockdown power while greatly reducing the possibility of overpenetration.
New for waterfowlers is a line extension of the popular Blind Side hexagonal nontoxic steel shot load. It will now be available in a 1-ounce, 20-gauge, 3-inch loading and a 11/4-ounce, 12-gauge, 23/4-inch load. The entire line will also see the addition of shot sizes No.1, No. 3, and No. 5.
A new 23/4-inch 20-gauge load appears in the Featherlite target line. It carries 7/8-ounces of No. 8 shot at a velocity of 890 fps, and should be an ideal clay target load for recoil-sensitive shooters. Lastly, the PDX1 Defender line sees the addition of a 45-grain JHP .22 WMR designed to reach 1,200 fps from a 2-inch barrel and produce muzzle energy equivalent to a .380 ACP
Winchester Presents Awards During SHOT Show
Winchester Ammunition presented its 2011 Dealer of the Year and 2011 Distributor of the Year awards during the 2012 SHOT show this week, honoring Mack's Prairie Wings and W.L. Baumler Company, respectively, as reflected in the press releases below.
As reflected in the photographs above, Winchester also presented Winchester art prints to Ducks Unlimited, for its 75th anniversary, and to the USA Shooting Shotgun Team, congratulating them for their past successes and wishing them luck as the 2012 Summer Olympics approach. Winchester Ammunition has been the official ammo of the USA Shooting Shotgun Team since 1999
SHOT Show Media Day 2012: Winchester Razorback XT & Blind Side ammunition!
Cork’s Outdoors -– a leading multimedia wildlife conservation magazine -- featured shooting demonstrations at the SHOT Show Media Day with Winchester’s new Razorback XT and Blind Side waterfowl loads on its latest TV episode, which included an interview with Winchester new product engineer Steve Meyer.
SHOT Show Media day 2012 WInchester PDX1 Shotgun
Shot Show 2012 Media day. Test firing the new Winchester PDX1 Shotgun ammunition with Rob Pincus.
SHOT Show Media day 2012 Winchester PDX1 Rifle Self Defense Ammo
More from Shot Show 2012 Media day. Test firing the new Winchester PDX1 Rifle ammunition with Rob Pincus.
Rob Pincus discussing Winchester PDX1 at SHOT Show 2012
Rob Pincus discussing the consistency of Winchester's PDX1 Line of Defensive Ammunition. Including ballistic gelatin test with .40, 12 gauge and .308 Win.... all stopping in between 12 and 14" of gelatin.
ZOMBIE'S AT THE SHOT SHOW???
The fact that the recent zombie pop-culture phenomenon has found its way into the shooting sports was evident at last week’s SHOT Show, at which a plethora of zombie-themed products were displayed by a wide variety of manufactuers.
One industry theory regarding the sudden popularity of shooting at zombies is that they are human-shaped targets, without being “human,” and they bring a level of video game-style fantasy and the excitement of scenario shooting to the firing range.
As you know, Hornady Ammunition was the first major industry manufacturer to attempt to capitalize on the zombie phenomenon when it introduced its Zombie Max ammunition line – amidst much fanfare – last October. As reflected in the article below, Hornady revealed during a SHOT Show interview, conducted by Outdoor Channel, that its sales of Zombie Max ammunition have “exceeded all expectations,” and that it sold out of its initial production run – inventory it had expected to last for a year – in just two days.
SHOT SHOW: Draw of the Dead
Shooting-scenario games are growing fast,
but in recent years zombie action has been
spreading like a pandemic
After 20 years, Shooting Industry magazine has decided to retire its annual Academy of Excellence awards, which included “Ammunition of the Year” as well as 13 other award categories.
With the end of the Academy of Excellence awards, Winchester will hold the title for most "Ammunition of the Year" awards, receiving the honor in a record nine out of 20 years, as reflected below.
Shooting Industry Ammunition of the Year Awards
1992 Winchester Black Talon handgun ammunition
1993 Winchester Black Talon rifle ammunition
1994 Winchester Supreme Fail Safe bullets
1995 Remington LeadLess handgun ammunition
1996 Federal Premium High Energy rifle ammunition
1997 Federal Premium Personal Defense ammunition 1998 Winchester Supreme Partition Gold centerfire rifle ammunition
1999 Winchester Supreme Power Point Plus
2000 Winchester Supreme Partition Gold shotgun slug
2001 Winchester 300 Winchester Short Magnum (WSM)
2002 Winchester .270 Winchester Short Magnum (WSM) centerfire
2003 Winchester .223 Winchester Super Short Magnum (WSSM) ammo
2004 Hornady .204 Ruger Ammunition
2005 Hornady TAP For Personal Defense
2006 Hornady LEVERevolution spire-pointed, Flex-Tip cartridges
2007 Hornady .375 Ruger centerfire rifle ammunition
2008 Hornady Ruger Compact Magnum centerfire rifle ammunition
2009 Hornady Critical Defense Ammunition
2010 Hornady Superformance centerfire rifle ammunition
2011 Hornady Superformance Varmint centerfire rifle ammunition
