Every once in a while, a company comes out with a product that is revolutionary, but at the same time makes you wonder "why the heck wasn't this product available sooner?" In this case, the concept is two separate types ammunition that function in a similar manner. See our September 2014 issue, on newsstands now, for a more in-depth look at this new ammunition system, or subscribe to have Shooting Illustrated delivered to your door.
Winchester's Train & Defend series is a positively brilliant step in the right direction. Affordable training ammunition and effective defensive ammunition that have similar profiles and velocities to insure closely related performance in the field. The more affordable training ammunition can be used for regular practice with the understanding that point of aim, recoil and other characteristics will have minimum deviation in the defensive loading.
While it may seem like science fiction, Winchester has developed these two lines, Train & Defend, with an eye towards streamlining how we train and practice. Both sets are very closely matched for velocity and point of aim so that the feel behind the trigger is as close as possible, with the goal of minimizing differences between the two. You can train with the training ammo and expect the defensive ammo to shoot in a similar manner.
MSRP: $17-$25 (Train, box of 50 rounds, dependent on caliber), $16-$23 (Defend, box of 20 rounds, dependent on caliber).
