Clearly TrAAcker ammo can eliminate some of the coaching guesswork and will be welcomed. “You’ve given the world something that’s taken me 30 years and 2 million rounds to develop,” wrote Richard Rhode, father of five-time Olympic medalist Kim Rhode, in a letter to Winchester. Even so, certain instructors will shun the new load for fear of distraction or over-complication. And it’s true that revealing where the shooter is missing does not, in itself, correct problems with mount, footwork, cheek weld, swing and flinching. And so as a coaching tool, it will serve as a useful part of the puzzle, though certainly not a cure-all.

Another camp will contend they can always see shot strings just fine without any aid, so why bother? But not all of us have that ability, as is plainly demonstrated by the century-long demand for a product like this. Beyond the obvious benefit for teaching new recruits, old hands may also get on board. Shooters struggling with a nemesis station can now see and work on correcting their inaccuracies. I’m hoping that using TrAAcker in conjunction with a willing partner can help to banish those frustrating Jekyll-and-Hyde days when I’m cleaning some stations but just can’t figure out others.

For the present, TrAAckers come only in 12-gauge, 2.75-dram equivalent loadings with 11⁄8-ounce charges of No. 71/2s or 8s. While there are no definite plans for a 20 gauge or other line extensions just yet, Winchester folks say that possibility certainly exists.

Apart from its insightful performance, this system is darn ingenious because it required nothing more than a new wad. And we can all appreciate that at the ammo counter, paying about $1.25 more per box than standard AA shells. For the prospect of learning how to break more clays and put more birds in the game bag, we expect that’s a price many new and veteran shotgunners will be willing to pay.