I would really like to know if it is worth the extra money to change to TSS? Lead has been getting the job done for me ever since I started throwing it at turkeys. Would there be any true advantage to TSS other than being able to shoot a further distance and having more pellets in your pattern. I personally have no intention to ever shoot past 45 yards even if I had the capability to do so. Turkey hunting to me is at its best when it is up close and personal. I'm not trying to start another TSS debate, I just struggle to see the advantage of a $8-$10 a shot vs my current $2 a shot (longbeard xr). I enjoy practice shooting and trying and comparing different loads and shot but if I was paying that much per shot i'd shoot 1-2 shots before the season and call it good. Is it worth it?
To me, yes. I do not shot long ranges and could kill birds with lead or Hevi just the same, but TSS thumps them good.
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I like to have the best chance to kill the bird at whatever I determine is an ethical shot. So at 40 yds I can have 130 chances or 250 chances to kill him. More pellets make me more confident. At the end of the day. The shell is probably the cheapest thing I have in my vest.
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Quote from: Premier Turkey Calls on January 14, 2019, 07:11:40 PM
I would really like to know if it is worth the extra money to change to TSS? Lead has been getting the job done for me ever since I started throwing it at turkeys. Would there be any true advantage to TSS other than being able to shoot a further distance and having more pellets in your pattern. I personally have no intention to ever shoot past 45 yards even if I had the capability to do so. Turkey hunting to me is at its best when it is up close and personal. I'm not trying to start another TSS debate, I just struggle to see the advantage of a $8-$10 a shot vs my current $2 a shot (longbeard xr). I enjoy practice shooting and trying and comparing different loads and shot but if I was paying that much per shot i'd shoot 1-2 shots before the season and call it good. Is it worth it?
If you are carrying a 12ga IMO its not necessary
Quote from: gaswamp on January 14, 2019, 07:29:20 PM
Quote from: Premier Turkey Calls on January 14, 2019, 07:11:40 PM
I would really like to know if it is worth the extra money to change to TSS? Lead has been getting the job done for me ever since I started throwing it at turkeys. Would there be any true advantage to TSS other than being able to shoot a further distance and having more pellets in your pattern. I personally have no intention to ever shoot past 45 yards even if I had the capability to do so. Turkey hunting to me is at its best when it is up close and personal. I'm not trying to start another TSS debate, I just struggle to see the advantage of a $8-$10 a shot vs my current $2 a shot (longbeard xr). I enjoy practice shooting and trying and comparing different loads and shot but if I was paying that much per shot i'd shoot 1-2 shots before the season and call it good. Is it worth it?
If you are carrying a 12ga IMO its not necessary
Agree
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I do shoot a 12 gauge. When I first started hunting turkeys I was using Remington Nitro Turkey's with a so so pattern and I never had an issue bringing down a bird. I understand why someone would use it for a 20 gauge or .410 which is kinda cool that a .410 is now considered a turkey gun.
Quote from: Premier Turkey Calls on January 14, 2019, 07:36:12 PM
I do shoot a 12 gauge. When I first started hunting turkeys I was using Remington Nitro Turkey's with a so so pattern and I never had an issue bringing down a bird. I understand why someone would use it for a 20 gauge or .410 which is kinda cool that a .410 is now considered a turkey gun.
That's the biggest reason most shoot it. Carry a lighter smaller gun that when equipped with TSS can out perform a larger heavier 12 gauge shooting lead.
I shoot it for quality control mostly. I know every shell I load will pattern nearly identical to the next. I've had issues with manufacturers shells not holding up and the crimp failing or manufacturers changing components in a shell from season to season that had a negative impact on the pattern. Other reason is I like to throw as much shot as I can to increase my odds. With TSS I can do that using #9s that have the same performance as lead #5s.
I also load it in my sons 20 gauge. He was 5 last year and shot his first turkey. I wanted a load with lots of shot that was not only forgiving on the shoulder but also at 20 yards while still having the pattern to kill birds at 35-40 yards. I found that with 1.125ozs of TSS #10s.
If you shoot a 12 it is definitely not necessary. I shoot it in my 12 because where I hunt it gets really thick. My logic is that the more pellets that I can send down range the less chance of interference with small brush and vines that I can't see.
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Not at all for my game, don't need a special choke or shells when you kill them at the under 20 yard and closer to 15 yard range consistently. I'm all about putting them in your face and killing them close!!
MK M GOBL
It is easy to talk about up close and personal in a blind with decoys around you. Sitting against a tree with nothing but hoping your set up is good enough to not get picked out by him is where the rush and enjoyment comes from. I would rather kill one at 40 with nothing but air between us than one a 10 in a blind with any weapon.
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Quote from: davisd9 on January 14, 2019, 10:10:16 PM
It is easy to talk about up close and personal in a blind with decoys around you. Sitting against a tree with nothing but hoping your set up is good enough to not get picked out by him is where the rush and enjoyment comes from. I would rather kill one at 40 with nothing but air between us than one a 10 in a blind with any weapon.
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Have killed them in the timber, out in an open picked corn field (no cover) and in an open pasture (again no cover) and no decoys or blind just my mouth call and shotgun and still under 20, I pick my sets right. And yes I do use a blind and decoys for hunts with youth, newbies, bow hunters and video all depends on the hunt and who I am calling for, but when I'm solo it's a different game.
MK M GOBL
Quote from: MK M GOBL on January 15, 2019, 03:21:42 AM
Quote from: davisd9 on January 14, 2019, 10:10:16 PM
It is easy to talk about up close and personal in a blind with decoys around you. Sitting against a tree with nothing but hoping your set up is good enough to not get picked out by him is where the rush and enjoyment comes from. I would rather kill one at 40 with nothing but air between us than one a 10 in a blind with any weapon.
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Have killed them in the timber, out in an open picked corn field (no cover) and in an open pasture (again no cover) and no decoys or blind just my mouth call and shotgun and still under 20, I pick my sets right. And yes I do use a blind and decoys for hunts with youth, newbies, bow hunters and video all depends on the hunt and who I am calling for, but when I'm solo it's a different game.
MK M GOBL
I have killed them in the swamps, cutovers, timber, open pasture, ag fields, and about any other place you can. I have killed them with nothing but a call, I have ambushed, I have crawled, and I have killed over decoys. I have never killed one in a blind but I have sat in one with a buddy when he did. I have a way I prefer to hunt but if another guy decides to hunt another way that is fine, just never make it out to be more than it is.
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I will agree that for real tiny guns like a .410 it's a good thing. I still don't see shooting anything far and I def don't see justifying the price. If you don't need it such as you say you don't w a bigger gun. Imo even a 20 is way acceptable without em and in many places around here smaller sizes are illegal(under 7.5-8).
On the other hand it may seem expensive but once sighted in a couple of shots a year really aren't that pricey if this is what you want to do. Is it necessary, no. Can it help, apparently for some guys especially w sub gauges.
Think about what's best/necessary for you
I have 4 shotguns that all will ethically kill a bird out to 40 with lead. So I don't see a need for anything else. :z-twocents:
I made the switch 5 years ago and never looked back. I remember the last bird I was on while hunting with one of my 12ga's. He came around a downed tree top following a hen at my 0900 position. Had to swing the gun and hold it unsupported. The shot opportunity did not happen fast enough and I could no longer hold the gun, spooking both birds. The following year I started loading my own and hunting with a very light weight 20ga. I have found the older I get the more I enjoy that lil 20ga and its killer patterning ability with the TSS.
Willing to bet the shells I load are around 5-6$$ each. Knowing the quality control and having the satisfaction of loading shells we kill with is also rewarding. And trust me I have spend more money on dumber things.
I don't think it is something to try to talk someone in to. If you want to shoot the best performing shells, then you will want to shoot it. If you are a guy that kills all the turkeys you could ever want with lead, then you aren't going to be interested in paying more for the same results.
I shoot it because it is fun to load my own, I love knowing a manufacturer can't swap out components and change the performance, I can carry a super light 20 gauge that has light recoil, and the way TSS responds to chokes I can pretty much customize my pattern to my hunting style.
Quote from: MK M GOBL on January 15, 2019, 03:21:42 AM
Quote from: davisd9 on January 14, 2019, 10:10:16 PM
It is easy to talk about up close and personal in a blind with decoys around you. Sitting against a tree with nothing but hoping your set up is good enough to not get picked out by him is where the rush and enjoyment comes from. I would rather kill one at 40 with nothing but air between us than one a 10 in a blind with any weapon.
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Have killed them in the timber, out in an open picked corn field (no cover) and in an open pasture (again no cover) and no decoys or blind just my mouth call and shotgun and still under 20, I pick my sets right. And yes I do use a blind and decoys for hunts with youth, newbies, bow hunters and video all depends on the hunt and who I am calling for, but when I'm solo it's a different game.
MK M GOBL
Let me get this straight ...your saying you called a gobbler to under 20 yards in an open pasture with no blind, or cover? Really
In the heavily pressured public woods of the South, I want the best shell I can get. I have full confidence at 40 yards with TSS but honestly have never even made a shot close to that far or greater. TSS allows me to use a sub gauge gun and have a better pattern then my heavy 12 ga.
Plus it helps me with the addiction some in the off season. I can load my own shells so I know exactly how they will perform. I am not held to what some factory ammo QC person is willing to pass along down the assembly line. I like to tinker with patterns, chokes and such so helps ease the pain during the cold months.
Quote from: Phillipshunt on January 15, 2019, 09:32:59 AM
Quote from: MK M GOBL on January 15, 2019, 03:21:42 AM
Quote from: davisd9 on January 14, 2019, 10:10:16 PM
It is easy to talk about up close and personal in a blind with decoys around you. Sitting against a tree with nothing but hoping your set up is good enough to not get picked out by him is where the rush and enjoyment comes from. I would rather kill one at 40 with nothing but air between us than one a 10 in a blind with any weapon.
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Have killed them in the timber, out in an open picked corn field (no cover) and in an open pasture (again no cover) and no decoys or blind just my mouth call and shotgun and still under 20, I pick my sets right. And yes I do use a blind and decoys for hunts with youth, newbies, bow hunters and video all depends on the hunt and who I am calling for, but when I'm solo it's a different game.
MK M GOBL
Let me get this straight ...your saying you called a gobbler to under 20 yards in an open pasture with no blind, or cover? Really
To personally answer this question sometimes birds do maybe what we consider strange things. Sometimes we give em way too much credit and maybe sometimes not enough. We don't know the situation or if the birds were pressured. That'd make a big difference.
One year my daughters n I were hunting the local refuge. Lots of gobbling but no shots. On the way out I guess just force of habit I cutt on a mouth call. Birds gobbled. We froze, looked to the side and realized it was solid stickers.
We were caught in an open field. The birds entered about 80-100 yards from us. I noticed my kids did not drop their face masks and my older daughter had her hood showing.
I worked those birds w an Atomic 13 behind my daughters back as well as the mouth call. The birds came to about 25yds in an open field w no decoys. All 7 gobblers.
At that distance I told the kids to just stay still. Finally my older daughter shot one. Her younger sis didn't as she was frozen looking left of where they came from. The birds gobbler yelped as they approached.
Now this was the youth opener. I bet the next week might have been harder to do same. But i can relay more than once where sitting stock still paid off when all seemed like odds were against us.
I can also tell you of longbeards watching my younger daughter wiggle so bad the sapling she sat up on was moving all over. The bird was believe it or not missed but at 15 yards in wide open woods that bird should have avoided a wiggly sapling with a kid shuffling below it. That was also youth opener.
For me $1.60 shell=dead turkey.
$10.00 shell= waste of money.
I am an overkill within reason but #5's kill them plenty dead at the ranges I deem shootable.
I can remember the day's we all thought we needed a 10 gauge ... i had to have one of those and carrying it in the woods was like dragging a ball and chain ... Now i will just keep and carry my 20 gauge and federal HW 7 .... 0 - 40 is my range ... but i sure do like those kills at 20 or less....
So it sounds like the consensus is that there is little advantage to switching to TSS in 12 gauge unless one intends to shoot long range, shoot in thick cover, or obliterate the turkeys head with more pellets. The last one could be a huge disadvantage. Miss low... More pellets to pick out... Smaller pellets to pick out... Tougher on the teeth when you miss picking out the small, harder than lead pellets...
Quote from: Phillipshunt on January 15, 2019, 09:32:59 AM
Quote from: MK M GOBL on January 15, 2019, 03:21:42 AM
Quote from: davisd9 on January 14, 2019, 10:10:16 PM
It is easy to talk about up close and personal in a blind with decoys around you. Sitting against a tree with nothing but hoping your set up is good enough to not get picked out by him is where the rush and enjoyment comes from. I would rather kill one at 40 with nothing but air between us than one a 10 in a blind with any weapon.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Have killed them in the timber, out in an open picked corn field (no cover) and in an open pasture (again no cover) and no decoys or blind just my mouth call and shotgun and still under 20, I pick my sets right. And yes I do use a blind and decoys for hunts with youth, newbies, bow hunters and video all depends on the hunt and who I am calling for, but when I'm solo it's a different game.
MK M GOBL
Let me get this straight ...your saying you called a gobbler to under 20 yards in an open pasture with no blind, or cover? Really
Yes I have.
I'm not trying to say that this happens every day, far from it but I live in the "ridges and valleys" of Mississippi River bluff country and use the land contours to move, may drop into the timber to get close. I have some very memorable hunts doing this, I have been beat and busted way more times than I have had success.
MK M GOBL
Quote from: Premier Turkey Calls on January 15, 2019, 05:33:41 PM
So it sounds like the consensus is that there is little advantage to switching to TSS in 12 gauge unless one intends to shoot long range, shoot in thick cover, or obliterate the turkeys head with more pellets. The last one could be a huge disadvantage. Miss low... More pellets to pick out... Smaller pellets to pick out... Tougher on the teeth when you miss picking out the small, harder than lead pellets...
Never found TSS in the breast meat, seems it all makes it to the breast bone or deeper.
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Quote from: davisd9 on January 15, 2019, 07:14:17 PM
Never found TSS in the breast meat, seems it all makes it to the breast bone or deeper.
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Even shooting the 2.5oz load I've never had this problem.
Quote from: Gobble! on January 15, 2019, 07:33:06 PM
Quote from: davisd9 on January 15, 2019, 07:14:17 PM
Never found TSS in the breast meat, seems it all makes it to the breast bone or deeper.
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Even shooting the 2.5oz load I've never had this problem.
NOW GUY'S ... You all know that depends on how close or how far your shooting that bird... :TooFunny: :TooFunny:
Lead is highly illegal in my home state!!!
Danger!!!
Danger!!!
TSS really snockers 'em!!
Also, I don't hunt turkeys to save money, so fancy shells that happen to be very effective are just fine with me!!!
Quote from: Greg Massey on January 16, 2019, 05:30:22 PM
Quote from: Gobble! on January 15, 2019, 07:33:06 PM
Quote from: davisd9 on January 15, 2019, 07:14:17 PM
Never found TSS in the breast meat, seems it all makes it to the breast bone or deeper.
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Even shooting the 2.5oz load I've never had this problem.
NOW GUY'S ... You all know that depends on how close or how far your shooting that bird... :TooFunny: :TooFunny:
True. My point just because your shooting 2.5oz of TSS doesn't mean you going to pepper the bird, 0-40 yards. Now if you like to shoot birds in the chest then your better off giving that meat to a uncle you don't like so you save on the dentist bill.
Depends
As far as with the 20 qauges the Federal Tss 9's gave good 40 yard patterns with no fuss.
Didn't have to spend to a bunch on different loads, choke tubes , multiple range trips or extra cleaning regiments.
Of course sometimes all that extra stuff can be fun too.
Quote from: Premier Turkey Calls on January 14, 2019, 07:11:40 PM
I would really like to know if it is worth the extra money to change to TSS? Lead has been getting the job done for me ever since I started throwing it at turkeys. Would there be any true advantage to TSS other than being able to shoot a further distance and having more pellets in your pattern. I personally have no intention to ever shoot past 45 yards even if I had the capability to do so. Turkey hunting to me is at its best when it is up close and personal. I'm not trying to start another TSS debate, I just struggle to see the advantage of a $8-$10 a shot vs my current $2 a shot (longbeard xr). I enjoy practice shooting and trying and comparing different loads and shot but if I was paying that much per shot i'd shoot 1-2 shots before the season and call it good. Is it worth it?
Here are my honest two cents...the answer to your question is it depends. TSS is great because you can use much smaller shot size which allows many more pellets. What does this gain...well it gains you more hits. So when would TSS be a positive? If you have a gun that just wont pattern well with multiple chokes and multiple loads tested, I can say with a certainty that you WILL get well over 100 pellets in the 10 at 40 yards with basically any shotgun loaded with TSS 9s. If your max distance is 40 yards and your pattern is already hitting these numbers...then no, you really wont see much of a benefit. The other thing that is good about TSS is let's say your current setup allows 100+ hits at 40 yards but at 20 or even 30 yards it is very tight, well with TSS you could use a less tight choke allowing a larger pattern at those close distances but still 100+ hits at 40. For me, the reason I like TSS is 2 fold. I can now use a 20 gauge shotgun with TSS 9s and get better patterns than I ever did with 3 or even 3.5inch shells in a 12 gauge using non-TSS loads. 20 gauge shotguns tend to be less expensive, are lighter and handier in the woods and reloading my own TSS in 20 gauge is cheap. I also use a 12 gauge when I'm hunting in a field. The reason for this is at 50 yards I am still getting insane hit counts. I do not advocate such far shots but we all know stuff can happen in excitement and it did with me a couple years back. I shot at a turkey which I swore was 40 yards. Turned out to be 54 yards! I wounded the bird. Luckily it didn't go far and I finished it off quickly. I would have bet someone 1000$ I was so confident that bird was around 40 yards but in a flat open field it can be difficult. I did use my range finder earlier to range several objects in the field around me to get an idea but that obviously did not work. Now with TSS I know I can flat out knock a bird down at those distances. I would never do that on purpose and honestly, it almost takes the fun out of it. I like to get them around 30 yards but should something happen, I know I wont wound a bird at those distances.
52 years, lead #5's in a 2 3/4" 1 5/8 load, back in the old days we called them a 2 3/4" Magnum, still work out to 40...........and don't kill on my end.
:angel2:
Quote from: NYshotgunner on January 25, 2019, 05:38:24 PM
52 years, lead #5's in a 2 3/4" 1 5/8 load, back in the old days we called them a 2 3/4" Magnum, still work out to 40...........and don't kill on my end.
Yep...used to use the same shot I'd use for ducks. Note: non-toxic shots wasn't always required. And, I don't remember missing as often as I do now with all the modern contraptions. Now it's HTL, short barrels, super full turkey chokes, and sights that were once reserved for rifles. I've succumbed and am no different than most others, always looking for an edge or advantage. What happened???
Quote from: Spurs Up on January 25, 2019, 07:47:03 PM
:angel2:Quote from: NYshotgunner on January 25, 2019, 05:38:24 PM
52 years, lead #5's in a 2 3/4" 1 5/8 load, back in the old days we called them a 2 3/4" Magnum, still work out to 40...........and don't kill on my end.
Yep...used to use the same shot I'd use for ducks. Note: non-toxic shots wasn't always required. And, I don't remember missing as often as I do now with all the modern contraptions. Now it's HTL, short barrels, super full turkey chokes, and sights that were once reserved for rifles. I've succumbed and am no different than most others, always looking for an edge or advantage. What happened???
The same thing that happened to roll up windows, phone booths and carburetors on cars. Things change. 52 years from now lead might be obsolete.
Nothing wrong with rollup windows...
I just hope there are still turkeys and turkey hunting in another 52 years. Neither is guaranteed.
Quote from: Spurs Up on January 25, 2019, 08:13:50 PM
Nothing wrong with rollup windows...
Sure there is . Lots of young drivers don't know how to use them!
Without Power door locks they can't get out either.
:help:
Lots of young drivers don't know how to change a tire either, or how to use a hammer for that matter...lol
Quote from: owlhoot on January 26, 2019, 06:14:48 AM
Quote from: Spurs Up on January 25, 2019, 08:13:50 PM
Nothing wrong with rollup windows...
Sure there is . Lots of young drivers don't know how to use them!
Without Power door locks they can't get out either.
:help: