Metal detector to find TSS shot?

[paboxcall]

Cut your breast into thin strips cross grain. Roll them into a nugget and pin them with a tooth pic. Feel free to roll a banana pepper or mushroom or both inside or whatever tickles your fancy. Cutting into thin strips makes it much easier to find them little buggers.

I cut mine in thin strips as above and then hold up to a strong light like "candling'' an egg, you will see a pellet if there.

I have found #9 tss in breast meat

this is the way

[Turkeyman]

I'll be shooting TSS this spring for the first time. After reading/hearing reports of broken/cracked teeth I'm a bit dubious. Also after reading previous posts it appears Xrays are the only truly verified method of finding the pellets.

[g8rvet]

If you are cutting out the breast, just follow the pellet tracks.  It is usually pretty obvious where the penetration is located.  Blood ruins the taste anyway so when there is a penetrating wound I follow it with blunt dissection with my finger and rinse it well.

[GobbleGitr]

Using my Dad's old Double X shells a couple years ago I didn't have a great pattern-broke a crown off a pillar off of a molar with that old shot...I have to remind myself, but less aggressive chewing on turkeys is my new norm

[Full_Fan]

Revisiting this old post to see if anyone has any updates.  I recently ground up some turkey breast meat after very carefully inspecting it for pellets beforehand and still some #9 TSS made it through.  My molar found one and luckily, I didn't break my tooth.  A buddy of mine broke a tooth last fall by chomping down on a #9 TSS pellet in breast meat.  Never really had an issue with the old lead loads for years, even when a pellet was bitten down on, but TSS sure ain't like lead and a #9 sure is a lot smaller than a #4.  I often host and cook for others and would feel terrible if someone broke a tooth on a pellet I served them.  A hand held metal detector that worked to find buried #9 TSS shot would be something I'd be very interested in.

[Dtrkyman]

I've heard of guys using mini detectors for steel  in waterfowl, surely it would work for TSS.


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[PalmettoRon]

I bought one of the hand held metal detectors which was worthless for picking up TSS. I did this after breaking a tooth which was an expensive deal to fix.

As others have said, cut the meat into small pieces and probe anything that looks like a wound tract or blood tract and chew very carefully.

I shoot a tight choke as well, but when you're slinging as much shot as you are with #9's, #9.5's, #10's or even bigger TSS shot such as #8's or #7.5's it's not uncommon to have some pellets get into the upper breast.

TSS will not yield like lead and it is much more likely to break a tooth. Since breaking a tooth and being more careful, I've lightly bitten down on some #9's without any damage, but only because I chew much more lightly and slowly.

I'm staying with TSS despite the dental risk as I love carrying around a subgauge shotgun.

[Gooserbat]

I've personally never had any issues but I cut all my turkey into small pieces prior to cooking.

[bwhana]

I was just talking to @mountainhunter1 about this topic this evening.  My experience has been zero tss #9 pellets found in the breasts, but an occasional pass through blood trail can been seen. The only tss pellets I've ever found left in birds were likely fliers that only stopped after destroying a wing or leg bone. One side benefit is they do not pull the pin feathers into the meat like lead does.

While a magnet or other detector is a good idea, preventing shot from staying in the bird is the best solution.  Curious to hear if there is a common cause to be found for the tss not getting full pass throughs for those that have the issue. Potential candidates are folks shooting more open patterns (I love hotter cores) and chokes, lower velocity from different brands or hand loads, and mistaken (or on purpose) super long range shots come to mind as the top 3. I  only rule out gauge because I have seen zero difference in going from 12 to 20, except less breast hits in the 20 vs the 12 due to the payload reduction. Will find out if my experience holds true with the 410 this season.

[Number17]

I  only rule out gauge because I have seen zero difference in going from 12 to 20, except less breast hits in the 20 vs the 12 due to the payload reduction. Will find out if my experience holds true with the 410 this season.

Gauge won't make a difference. Pellet for Pellet they have identical energy and characteristics whether shot from a 67 gauge or a 10 gauge.

[Full_Fan]

Good info.  Thanks all.  I think I'm just going to rule on the side of caution and no longer offer turkey dishes when friends and family are visiting and just avoid the risk all together unless I have a bow killed or non-TSS killed bird.  If anyone has ever broke a tooth due to a pellet, it's not fun for the person or the wallet, I would feel terrible knowing I served it to them.  As for me, I'll just have to inspect as best I can and chew as slow as I can.  I have learned that a food grade commercial metal detector would work, but they are priced in the $1000's which wouldn't work unless someone had access to one they could use...??

[Zobo]

Good info.  Thanks all.  I think I'm just going to rule on the side of caution and no longer offer turkey dishes when friends and family are visiting and just avoid the risk all together unless I have a bow killed or non-TSS killed bird.  If anyone has ever broke a tooth due to a pellet, it's not fun for the person or the wallet, I would feel terrible knowing I served it to them.  As for me, I'll just have to inspect as best I can and chew as slow as I can.  I have learned that a food grade commercial metal detector would work, but they are priced in the $1000's which wouldn't work unless someone had access to one they could use...??

I feed wild turkey to lots of people regularly including my wife and kids. You have to do what crow and paboxcall said. Slice the breasts cross grain roughly 1/2 inch thick. Hold each slice up to a light source and you will easily see any dark spots that could be pellets. Then you can simply pare those areas off.
It's the same technique I use for fish fillets to look for parasites.

[deerhunt1988]

The Garrett Pro-Pointer handheld will work, but you still have to cut the meat up and wave it THOROUGHLY. I've been using one for the past several years and its found dozens of #8.5 shot that otherwise would have likely slipped by. Before I started using the Pro-Pointer, we had a few close calls with a dentist. I haven't used it for #9 shot, I imagine it'd be slightly more difficult to detect.

Link to the Pro-Pointer:
https://www.amazon.com/Garrett-1140900-Pro-Pointer-Waterproof-Pinpointing/dp/B00TADH9HA


Now you won't be able to wave an entire hole breast and catch a pellet dead in the middle of it. But if you cut it up some and take your time, you can find almost all of them.

Another word of advice, you don't need 300 pellets in a 10" circle to kill a turkey. If you are worried about shot in meat, consider dropping to a larger pellet and doing some testing. You are getting more energy (for pass throughs) and a lot of folks end up getting less extreme "fliers".

[zelmo1]

Tighter choke and head shoot them, lol.    

[Old Timer]

Never had a problem with my #5&6 lead shot. But in my 20 I'm using #8 tss. I'm kind of spooked . Broke a tooth couple weeks ago eating special k. I cut mine into stripes and look for the shot. If you want to roast a bird it might be difficult. Seems as we take this hunting birds to a higher level it isn't  without problems. Good day.