TSS and brush

[LaLongbeard]

I don't use TSS but have been wondering. I hunt woods Gobblers there are no crop fields and very few openings. A lot of times I shoot Gobblers that are not 100% in the open like the tv turkeys. Most times I'm shooting at a Gobbler with small limbs and leafy brush between us. Now I pass up a lot of shots at Gobblers that I don't feel I can get enough shot into. I shoot #5s hvy shot and sometimes the only part of the gobbler visible is from top of head to maybe 8-10" down. No chance of a lot of pellets hitting the body or breaking wings etc, so each pellet has to count.
This is not a TSS bashing thread I understand it is the best pellet material short of Kryptonite, but with such small shot like #9s how reliable is it in thick cover. I here a lot of talk about the shear volume of pellets on target with TSS 9s what if only 1 or 2 hit the bird.
A friend handloads TSS and I'm thinking of getting a couple and shoot a turkey target with the 9s and 5s in a typical hunting situation just too see what the results might be.   

[fallhnt]

Good idea. Check the weight per pellet? May give you peice of mind.

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[dirt road ninja]

More pellets = more avoid deflection when shooting thru brush. There is no such thing as a brush buster.  If half your 5's get deflected that leaves you pretty week. 1/2 the  nines go away you still have a pile of  pellets down range.

[Happy]

Never messed with tss but my understanding is it is denser than lead. Not necessarily heavier. I would think a #5 pellet would deflect less than a #9 however you would have more pellets with 9's which would up the odds of getting some through the openings. I typically just wait for a clear shot, however a year or two ago I had a tom at #15 yards and he had a few small branches abstructing his head. I didn't hesitate and did a little tree trimming and gobbler trimming. The branches were close to his head and at that range I wasn't worried about making a clean kill.

[Ranger]

Never messed with tss but my understanding is it is denser than lead. Not necessarily heavier. I would think a #5 pellet would deflect less than a #9 however you would have more pellets with 9's which would up the odds of getting some through the openings.

Your first two sentences are contradicting, if you put more volume in the same mass you will definitely have more weight. Lead =11gram/CC. TSS =18gram/CC. Same CC, more weight.  Without the science I know we all have shot a lead load while patterning and saw clean gaps where a turkey's head and neck would have survived and thought the obvious.

[owlhoot]

Never messed with tss but my understanding is it is denser than lead. Not necessarily heavier. I would think a #5 pellet would deflect less than a #9 however you would have more pellets with 9's which would up the odds of getting some through the openings.

Your first two sentences are contradicting, if you put more volume in the same mass you will definitely have more weight. Lead =11gram/CC. TSS =18gram/CC. Same CC, more weight.  Without the science I know we all have shot a lead load while patterning and saw clean gaps where a turkey's head and neck would have survived and thought the obvious.

.

Lead 5 weigh more than TSS 9 I believe that was being said?

[Kylongspur88]

I'd stick with the 5s if that's what's working you.

[LaLongbeard]

I'd stick with the 5s if that's what's working you.

Yea ...not looking to change anything, just curious. One of the Gobblers I shot last year came walking up into a recent burn that was thick with Yopon stems. It must have rained during the burning because only the leaves were burned off leaving bunches of small stems on what was left of the bush. At about 30 yards I killed him. I was surprised by how few #5s hit the gobbler. I was wondering how well the TSS 9s would have faired in the same situation. While there is no load that will bust brush I'd think a 4 or 5 would have a better chance of continuing on to  the the target than would a 9 hence the question, if anyone has experimented to see what would happen.

[Gooserbat]

I've killed 20 or so birds with tss 9s.  Everything from fields to brush.  They work in every situation I've tried.  If you are in question try 8s.  I killed a coyote last year at 40+ with a head shot of tss no 9 out of a 20 ga.  In short I have full confidence it it's performance.

[owlhoot]

I've killed 20 or so birds with tss 9s.  Everything from fields to brush.  They work in every situation I've tried.  If you are in question try 8s.  I killed a coyote last year at 40+ with a head shot of tss no 9 out of a 20 ga.  In short I have full confidence it it's performance.

Great shot on the yote!
Any of those killed that you believe wouldn't have been with a good 100+ In the 10 at 40 load of 5's?

[Gooserbat]

I've killed 20 or so birds with tss 9s.  Everything from fields to brush.  They work in every situation I've tried.  If you are in question try 8s.  I killed a coyote last year at 40+ with a head shot of tss no 9 out of a 20 ga.  In short I have full confidence it it's performance.

Great shot on the yote!
Any of those killed that you believe wouldn't have been with a good 100+ In the 10 at 40 load of 5's?

Yes.  I miss judged one that was across a ditch, and through the fork of a tree. I thought he was about 55.  Was 73 steps.  Had about 15-20 hits I'm the head and neck.  I'm not promoting anything just relaying what happened.  I patterned my gun, adusted my sights, and knew what my gun could do. 

[Happy]

Guess what I should have said is a #9 tss may not be heavier than a #5 lead. It may not deflect as badly but you have less pellets and the odds of many smaller pellets may be more of an advantage. Personally I think it's splitting hairs and as long as you use goid judgement you are fie with either

[fmf]

More pellets = more avoid deflection when shooting thru brush. There is no such thing as a brush buster.  If half your 5's get deflected that leaves you pretty week. 1/2 the  nines go away you still have a pile of  pellets down range.

thats how i feel about it too

[Tail Feathers]

Without being all scientific about it, if you have more pellets heading to the target, more will hit the obstacles but more will also miss the obstacles as well and hit the target.  I would expect the lead and the TSS to pass thru leaves with little disruption but branches and limbs will stop or disrupt both types of shot.
The nines are smaller, so the heavier weight helps them penetrate well as they don't have a lot of surface area to slow the push into a target.

[RUN-N-GUN]

More pellets = more avoid deflection when shooting thru brush. There is no such thing as a brush buster.  If half your 5's get deflected that leaves you pretty week. 1/2 the  nines go away you still have a pile of  pellets down range.

This is the reason I started shooting tss. It's not necessary but it give me a little peace of mind.


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