Winchester has been a household name for more than a century and the company puts a premium on keeping itself at the top of the shotshell marketplace. Recently, “American Rifleman Television” sat down with the folks from Winchester to learn more about how it develops and produces some of the best shotgun ammunition in the world. (Watch the video above or at YouTube.)
“One of the incredible things about Winchester is that, every day, we’re pushing the limits, trying to innovate and find new and better ways to do things,” Winchester Ammunition Marketing Manager Nathan Robinson said. “Winchester’s been such an integral part of the culture of America, and we’re doing our part as stewards of that brand to try to continue that.”
One of Winchester Ammunition’s best-known products is the AA shotshell. Since its introduction, the AA target load has been a fan-favorite for clay target shooters.
“Winchester AAs came out back in the 1960s and were really a revolutionary shell at the time,” Jimmy Wilson, product manager at Winchester Ammunition said. “They used a one-piece plastic wad. They had a plastic hull that was extremely strong. It was made of polymers that were high-strength polymers and could take many, many reloads. The secret to the AAs that really made them a performer was the hard shot.”
Six-time Olympic medalist Kim Rhode is a huge fan of the Winchester AA shotshell, having used it for many years.
Rhode’s journey with Winchester Ammunition began when she was 10 years old. A Winchester employee named Sandy Wood met her at a shooting event in California. By age 13, Rhode had won her first world championship in American skeet. The rest is history—six Olympic medals—including three golds while competing in double trap, bunker trap and international skeet—plus a slew of International Shooting Sport Federation gold medals and Pan American Games gold medals.
“Winchester actually developed the international [AA] shell for me, before they even had an international shell on the market,” Rhode said. “It was designed for me to be able to practice with. It started off as a reload for me and my father, and from there it just progressed. [Winchester] took that load and developed into what it is today. They literally listened to the shooters—what do they need, what are they looking for, etc. That’s really how this all got started.”
To watch complete segments of past episodes of “American Rifleman Television,” go to americanrifleman.org/artv. For all-new episodes of “American Rifleman Television,” tune in Wednesday nights to Outdoor Channel 8:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Go to winchester.com to learn more about Winchester Ammunition.
