Tss turkey loads

[eastbank]

tss # 9 federal factory 1-3/4 0z in a TC encore with a .640 choke at a honest 40 yards, the same target with better lighting to see the pattern. 132 hits on the 5 " center circle on a 8x11 target. it knocks them dead.

 

[Clay Target Guy]

Here is what my Wby 20 ga will do with an Indian Creek .555 with my hand loads at 40 yards

 

[eastbank]

are you shooting #9,s, how big is the circle? with factory federal 1-1/2 ozl tss #7 and a regular factory full choke my rem 870 in 20 ga at 35 yards is a dead bird, with #9,s and a tighter choke I,m sure it would be a 40 yard killer. 40 yards is about as long a shot that I feel comfortable taking under normal conditions.

 

[Clay Target Guy]

I'm shooting #9 and the target was shot at 40 yards and the circle is 10".
I know it will kill to 60 yards but I really don't want to shoot past 40 either. I really feel like 30-35 is about perfect for my set up.

 

[Wolf76]

#9 handloads put 345-360 hits in a 10" circle @40 yards. This is with a 12 ga with 2oz loads.
Cost is a non factor. I shoot 2 shells per year because I have a dedicated Turkey gun with a scope.
Going down to 1.75 oz loads next year because 2 is complete over kill.
Like others have said, getting close is the challenge and I often do, but there are times 50-55 yards is all I'm going to get because they're henned up. Nice to have the on/ off switch in your hand

 

[Clay Target Guy]

The load I am shooting in my 20 is a 1 5/8 oz.. I also have a 1 7/16 oz load but the 1 5/8 oz load patterns better.
One place that I hunt is all woods and a 40 yard shot is almost impossible so I carry the 1 7/16 load there. When I get the few I have left shot up, I will load 1 5/8 just for the simplicity of it.

 

[Clay Target Guy]

Oh and both my turkey guns, (Wby 459, and 870, both 20 ga) have a red dot sight on them.

 

[ProfessorM]

I started loading TSS with #8 for both 12 and 20 ga. I couldn't get the 9 shot at the time but the 8 was great for the 12 and 20. I had just bought an 11-87 in 20 guage for my daughter. I now only load the 9's for the 20 ga and no longer use the 12. No need for it. Also, I use a Carlson .575 when I carry it and I put the modified choke in for my 11 yo daughter. I wouldn't hesitate to shoot one at 50 yards with the modified choke. I once read that a bad TSS turkey load is better than any other turkey load on the market and after using TSS, I agree...no comparison. The picture is a 10"/20" circle at 40 yards, 2 oz. of #8 out of 12. The 20 does better than that with 9's.

 

[ProfessorM]

As a side note, the choke used in the picture above for my 12 ga was just the factory full. It would do much better with a tighter choke such as an Indian Creek or Carlsons but I didn't see a need for it.

 

[chickm1]

I am as guilty as the rest, about chokes and loads, but in reality, I will not shoot a Tom past 20 yards. So, basically, any load will work for me.

 

[DartonJager]

With this level of performance what do you gain in terms of maximum effective range from using 12 gauge 3.5" 2oz of #7 shot VS 12 ga 3" 1.75oz of #7 shot. If a 12 ga 1.75oz load of TSS #7's will perform and kill just as well at all ranges as a 12ga 3.5" 2oz load of #7's then I would be willing to try out the 3" as they are $10 cheaper per box.

 

[DartonJager]

For the sake of comparison here is a picture of my typical performance with Winchester Long Beard XR 2oz of #5 shot at 40 yards out of my 24" 12ga 3.5" 870 Super Mag. Choke is a Remington A/M with a muzzle ID of .675"

Counted 227 pellets of 340 or 66.7% in a admittedly poorly drawn 10" circle with 27 pellets hitting the 2" orange target dot I was aiming at that I use to represent a turkey's head which is what I aim and sight in for. I think this is very good performance but would appreciate if anyone is knowledgeable enough to evaluate it and feel if I used a different choke constriction I could improve the performance.

Thanks,
Art.

 

[Wedgy]

With this level of performance what do you gain in terms of maximum effective range from using 12 gauge 3.5" 2oz of #7 shot VS 12 ga 3" 1.75oz of #7 shot. If a 12 ga 1.75oz load of TSS #7's will perform and kill just as well at all ranges as a 12ga 3.5" 2oz load of #7's then I would be willing to try out the 3" as they are $10 cheaper per box.

There are 185 #7's per oz so 370 pellets in the 2oz vs 324 pellets for the 1.75 oz so you have ~13% more pellets but generally a little less velocity in the 2oz load.
Another this to consider is that some guns don't feed 3.5" shells very well. For $10 more it's probably not worth worth it, how dead does the turkey need to be ?
But then again I only shot one turkey this year so I don't care if the shells were $20 I spent way more on gas

Edit; added info

18g/cc Shot Tungsten Super Shot (TSS)

TSS #2: 54/oz
TSS #4: 83/oz
TSS #5: 106/oz
TSS #6: 139/oz
TSS #7: 185/oz
TSS #8: 254/oz
TSS #9: 362/oz
Lead Shot

Lead #2: 89/oz
Lead #4: 136/oz
Lead #5: 173/oz
Lead #6: 222/oz
Lead #7: 295/oz


Shot Count Per Shell
#9 SHOT
2.5 oz - 905 pellets
2.25 oz- 814 pellets
2 oz- 724 pellets
1 5/8 oz- 590 pellets
1 3/8 oz- 498 pellets


Shot Count per Shell
#8.5 Shot

2.5 oz - 770 pellets
2.25 oz- 693 pellets
2 oz- 616 pellets
1 5/8 oz- 500 pellets
1 3/8 oz- 423 pellets

Shot Count Per Shell
#8 SHOT
2.5 oz - 635 pellets
2.25 oz - 570 pellets
2 oz - 510 pellets
1 5/8 oz - 410 pellets
1 3/8 oz - 350 pellets

Shot Count per Shell
#7.5 Shot
2.5 oz - 550 pellets
2.25 oz- 495 pellets
2 oz- 440 pellets
1 5/8 oz- 358 pellets
1 3/8 oz- 302pellets

Shot Count Per Shell
#4 SHOT
2.5 oz - 208 pellets
2.25 oz - 186 pellets
2 oz - 166 pellets
1 5/8 oz - 135 pellets
1 3/8 oz - 114 pellets

 

[Clay Target Guy]

That is really hard to answer, every gun/shell/choke is different. If you are putting up good numbers in the 10, you will have energy enough to make clean kills at 70 yards and beyond