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TSS

Gad Father said:
You should make the switch. Federals will do it but Apex, foxtrot, and Rogue pattern much better. The Flex control wad does not pattern as tight in my experience. Fed #9 40 yards 10" circle 186, Apex #9 317.
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All depends on your choke / gun combo. Go watch the blue collar outdoor boys shoot Federal 7/9 versus apex 7/9 side by side target same gun 50 yards. He couldn't even judge a winner they patterned so close. I have two of the same gun he is buying, Federal #9, 7/9, 8/10 and a Carlson 575 Is deadly as it gets. Yes you can kill em with lead no problems, My first several with a 20.gauge were the old Federal shell that had the flight control wad #6 shot. I then went to Federal HVW #7 which was an amazing shell. Then on to TSS which is absolutely amazing. Some would say get you a 555 or 562 and you will get more in a 10 inch circle. No thanks I want a more open pattern for hunting as I am not trying count numbers but kill Turkeys. That is all a matter of preference just the same as the shell company. My parting advice would be if you can get your hands on it Federal or whatever and you want to shoot TSS , you better go ahead and get it!
 
One thing I "like" about TSS is it allows me to use a more open choke (FOR A LARGER PATTERN), and, the TSS pellets tend to be more uniformly spaced on the target. Say what you want about dead being dead, but having a larger diameter pattern with fewer holes between pellets, reduces the chances of both wounding or missing, whether we're talking 20 yards or 40 yards.

Another benefit is at least a slight increase in effective range.
Some hunters are going to push the range envelope, no matter what they're shooting, but the fact remains that TSS gives an ethical hunter a greater margin for range error.
This is true whether you're shooting a 12 ga or a 20 ga.

Considering how few rounds need be fired annually, the cost per shell becomes less an issue, at least with turkey hunting.

I guess TSS would also make a lot of sense for sandhill crane hunting, or any kind of hunting when only 2 to 4 rounds might be needed annually?
 
scn said:
I started turkey hunting in 1971 or 72. I didn't kill (or shoot at) a bird until 1988. They were few and far between in the mountains of ETN during those years, and I made a BUNCH of rookie mistakes.

Since '88, I have killed a bird or two. During that time period, I "missed" two gobblers that I badly misjudged the range of. They may have been wounded, but showed no signs. I am certainly not proud of taking those shots as they were not in ethical ranges.

Absent of that, every bird (except one) I pulled the trigger on with my 12 ga and lead #5 dropped in their tracks and were DRT. Most didn't even flop. The bird that I had to shoot at a second time dropped his head at 18 yds as I was pulling the trigger. I grazed him and he went straight up and flew. I shot again, and he glided another 20 yds where I found him dead. Hard to have much more ethical results than that with a pretty darn large sample size.

TSS is great. I have partaken of the koolaid and own a bunch. I have used it to kill several birds. I'm convinced in my results that it is NO BETTER than my favorite lead loads in my 12 ga. Dead Right There is dead with either one. There is no doubt in my 20 ga that TSS is the load of choice.

The prices I am seeing right now for TSS, when you can even find it, are $10/12/shell. That is a load for some folks budget. IMO, it is a stretch to imply that TSS is some magic bullet and a hunter is not ethical if they aren't using it. Turkeys were killed for decades with lead, and, it will kill them just as dead right now. Ethical shots are determined by knowing what your gun will do, and limiting actual shots to where you have sufficient pattern to kill the bird in its tracks.

And, it can be done just as well with lead at least in the larger bores.
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I have pretty much always used lead 5's and have yet to not kill in one shot…not as many as a lot of folks to be sure though. Personally I cannot justify the expense to switch to TSS, although I'm not against it at all, and think it would perform better than lead pattern wise. Will it kill them deader? No, but to be more sure is just fine IMO. To use it to extend your range is a different discussion, and I'm totally against using TSS for that purpose.
 
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I've shot a bunch with 2-3/4" magnum 6s in a remington 1100 bird gun with a fixed improved cylinder. All I had, and never even gave it a thought to upgrade in my early turkey hunting days.

TSS is incredible though. I use it some. I just wish people wouldn't shoot them at 70-80 yards with it.
 
Rockhound said:
I got alot of hate several years ago (I won't call any names) when I first started posting about handloaded tss here. Now look at all the experts 😂😂
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🙋🏻‍♂️ Guilty.

You posted a 20 gauge pattern that looked great. But it just seemed unthinkable to shoot 9 shot at a turkey. My immediate thought was "I wouldn't even shoot 9s at doves." And I think I made a comment to that effect. Then I did my research as you suggested. That same year (2013) I scrounged and begged and borrowed enough components and equipment to make eight 12 gauge loads with 8 shot (I still wasn't quite comfortable with the idea of 9s). I became a true believer pretty quick.

I'm not sure exactly how much money you've cost me since then, but I've got 28 lbs of 9 shot on a freight shipment from China right now. If she knew the origin of my hand loading hobby, my wife would hate you.
 
Southern Sportsman said:
🙋🏻‍♂️ Guilty.

You posted a 20 gauge pattern that looked great. But it just seemed unthinkable to shoot 9 shot at a turkey. My immediate thought was "I wouldn't even shoot 9s at doves." And I think I made a comment to that effect. Then I did my research as you suggested. That same year (2013) I scrounged and begged and borrowed enough components and equipment to make eight 12 gauge loads with 8 shot (I still wasn't quite comfortable with the idea of 9s). I became a true believer pretty quick.

I'm not sure exactly how much money you've cost me since then, but I've got 28 lbs of 9 shot on a freight shipment from China right now. If she knew the origin of my hand loading hobby, my wife would hate you.
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😂😂 there's one particular member on here, that if I could find his post, I'd put em up, but I don't care enough to look for em. He was awful loud about how much money he spent on custom gun work, so his gun would shoot magnum blends, and there was no way a 20 gauge could out perform. I giggle every time I see him post about tss now.
 
It's been quite a few years ago but I too recall the debates over ethics shooting "pixie dust." Incredible how technology in any given domain can completely turn conventional wisdom on its head. Turkeys with a .410!?!?

TSS says, YES!
 

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