Triangle Tactical Podcast and Blog on Guns, Gear, and Competition Shooting
Iain Harrison from Recoil had a bit to say about the new “Win3Gun” ammo from Winchester, but I don’t think the ammo is as bad as Iain says it is. I think it’s just marketed poorly.
The new 9mm ammo is 140pf with a 147gr bullet. They mention that it’s made to burn clean so that it doesn’t clog ports in pistols. Guess what? People shooting open guns with ports shoot lightweight bullets, and people with non-ported guns generally shoot heavy bullets. Not really a big deal though, as 147gr factory ball ammo is a rare breed, and if we ignore what Winchester had to say about porting and whatnot, it does sound like decent ammo for the average 3-gunner who doesn’t reload yet.
The average 3-gunner doesn’t shoot a ported ‘open’ gun, so having a factory option for 147gr match ammo is a good thing. Furthermore, a cartridges power factor changes at different altitude and temperature. Ben loads his 9mm to 132pf for shooting here in the Carolinas, and I think it’s reasonable for a company as big as Winchester to go a little hotter than that since they don’t know where, and in what conditions their ammo will be used.
The rifle ammo is 55gr 5.56mm. What does the average 3-gunner shoot in a match? 55gr 5.56mm. Having a heavier option would be nice for the long shots, but it seems like more and more of the 3-gun competitions popping up don’t have access to ranges longer than 100y, and 55gr does just fine at that distance. I feel like the guy who’s a good enough shooter to notice the difference between a 55gr and a 70gr bullet probably loads his own ammo, so Winchester wouldn’t make much money marketing to them.
Now, I will say I think they are a little off base with the shotgun ammo. No. 7 1/2 birdshot, and… 00 buckshot? I dunno, I’ve shot exactly one 3-gun match that required 00 buck, and if I remember correctly the stage got thrown out. The 7 1/2 birdshot is a little light for my liking, but probably good enough for most shooters.
In the end, I think they missed the base with the 00 buck, but the rest of the ammo seems decent for the average 3-gunner. I think it’s even more awesome that Winchester is working on a 3-gun specific line of ammo, and we need to remember this is just the first announcement. I expect that they will refine their offerings soon.
