Just curious, is one of these two brands of factory loaded TSS significantly better than the other? Wondering if Apex is worth the extra money. Thanks.
From what little i have shot them , i think the Apex are better ..
Federal
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My 20 gauge liked the Federal better.
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My 20 gauge loves my hand loads but in my Tristar 410 the Apex is the better choice.
Apex has more shot in their shells than Federal. Example 20ga Apex has 1 5/8oz of shot vs Federal's 1.5oz, which is why they cost more.
I've gotten better, more consistent patterns with Apex, but Federal's are no slouch and also pattern great out of my 12's and 20's.
I'm currently sticking with Federal's because they're sold locally and easy to get, and cheaper.
Take money out of the equation and I'd be shooting Apex.
This will be my first year with TSS. So I'm trying to figure it out as well. Regardless I'll have to order it. None of the stores really carry it here on the coast in MS.
So I've used Nitro custom shells for years. I'm thinking about their TSS 410.
I'm really happy with Nitro HeavyShot in my 12 and 20....
Around here Federal is easy to get and plenty sufficient in my guns. Apex and Nitro are better, more pellets and seemingly better regulated for consistency, but more expensive and have to be ordered, so add shipping too.
Check out the pattern pictures shown on this forum to get a good idea of what certain gun/choke/shell combos look like
Federal— you will kill a gobbler dead as he needs to be!
My gun patterns better with federal surprisingly
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Have not shot Apex but Federal patterns well in my TC 20g. Kills are solid. Will be using hand loads this year. My question is why is everyone so concerned about price. Other than a test shot I only shoot 2 or three shots per season unless I am traveling out of state. So that's one box of 5 shells for 38 bucks.
Main reason I am hand loading is because larger shot sizes in TSS appear to be currently unavailable.
Don't just compare those 2, now Remington and Hevi have a TSS load coming out in 2020. Saw them in the newest Natchez Shooters Supply catalog.
Hard to go wrong with either
Quote from: deadbuck on January 13, 2020, 09:39:52 PM
Don't just compare those 2, now Remington and Hevi have a TSS load coming out in 2020. Saw them in the newest Natchez Shooters Supply catalog.
I noticed that as well. Remington specs seem to mirror Federal from a 20g perspective.
https://www.remington.com/ammunition/shotshell/turkey-loads/premier-tss
I haven't shot the Apex, but my hand loads for my 12 are basically the same as what Apex runs...they are phenomenal. I have shot the Federal in my 12, and the patterns are almost as good, so if I were buying TSS shells, I'd probably buy the Federal. Federal in my 20 have been great, as well, but again I haven't run any Apex down the barrel.
I have both a box of federal TSS #9s and Apex #9s sitting in my ammo bag... gonna put them to the paper here soon.
Does tss affect barrels and chokes as far as wear goes or is it similar wear compared to lead.
I will say that with 20 gauge it is a toss up, they are both awesome. I did,however, have a hard time with the 12 gauge federal. I patterned it through multiple gun/choke setups and while it was good, I never could get exactly what I was looking for in a pattern. Apex 12 is good to go
Quote from: Big Pine on January 15, 2020, 08:46:37 AM
I will say that with 20 gauge it is a toss up, they are both awesome. I did,however, have a hard time with the 12 gauge federal. I patterned it through multiple gun/choke setups and while it was good, I never could get exactly what I was looking for in a pattern. Apex 12 is good to go
Tighter constrictions seem to work best with the Federal loads...I would be willing to bet if you went to a tighter setup, the pattern would improve.