Any shakeups?

[davisd9]

From the end of January to the start of the season it seems like time slows down a bit.  I have fighting the urge to buy items and make changes to slow the restlessness.  So far I am proud to say I have not given in to just impulses.  I did go to Unicoi this year and picked up a new box call and striker, which was stole from under me by USMC0331 before I even got it home.  I am also on Kenny Pedelahore's list for a trumpet, which I cannot wait to get.  Other than that same ole, same ole.  I do plan to hunt my 500 this year instead of the 11-87, but it is not new and has killed more birds than the 11-87.  May switch it up some between the two though.

How about you, have you changed anything for the upcoming season?  Shells, gun, vest, calls, etc? 

[trkehunr93]

Bought a couple of boxes of the Federal TSS 9's in 3" to try.  Looking for choke tube recommendations for it, I want to run them thru my 835 and 500 but not sure about choke constriction.  Any help is appreciated.  Other than that I need some new mouth calls and a new slate call, my slates an old HS Strut that the glass has separated from the slate and it rattles when walking thru the woods.  I took it apart a few years ago and reassembled it with epoxy but it didn't last.  It's been good but it makes way to much noise.

[davisd9]

Bought a couple of boxes of the Federal TSS 9's in 3" to try.  Looking for choke tube recommendations for it, I want to run them thru my 835 and 500 but not sure about choke constriction.  Any help is appreciated.  Other than that I need some new mouth calls and a new slate call, my slates an old HS Strut that the glass has separated from the slate and it rattles when walking thru the woods.  I took it apart a few years ago and reassembled it with epoxy but it didn't last.  It's been good but it makes way to much noise.

I will be honest, that wad they use in the feds makes TSS shoot a bit different imo.  If it was just a standard wad I would say try a flush full or something similar.  I saw one thread where a guy got a beautiful pattern of 250 using a Jellyhead maximum.  Saw another thread, with a 3.5" load, a guy got over 400 with a PG .670.  Saw on another forum, with 3.5" load, a guy got 264 with a Hevi 676. and 250 with a Jellyhead .690.  From the little I have seen the Fed wad likes a tighter choke, which goes against the handloading of TSS.  I think I would try the traditional choke range of .670 - .676 and see what she does.  I have a .695 mad max I will gladly send if you want but I think it will be more open than that shell wants.  I have a star dot .676 but I am pretty sure you do as well.   The Carlson Fed TSS specific choke is .675 so I am sure they put some testing in on it.

For a slate, midwest turkey supply has a few beautiful lights out slate/glass,  I had one in oak I gave to a friend and it was top notch.  There are also some nice ones from Lonzo and Halloran Cherry.  Have heard good things about that Hook's assassin slate as well.

[trkehunr93]

Donald,

Thanks for the insight.  I have the factory ulti full, .695 I think, still for my 835 and the star dot so I'll give both a whirl and see what happens.  I have a GT gobblin thunder in my 500, .655 I believe, so we'll see what it does.  Not looking for huge numbers just an even, killable pattern.  I'll check out Midwest and the other recommendations. 


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[dirt road ninja]

Going to skip the 12 gauge and go to 20, unless my kid wants the 20 when we are hunting together. Bought a new vest from Wal-Mart, but it has not arrived yet. If I don't like it, it will be returned and my ragged Ol'Tom will be used for another season. Picked-up a few mouth calls, but none made the starting line up. Will be getting a new range finder as my old one failed and is out of warranty. Leopold offered me 60% off msrp on any current rangefinder.

[Bowguy]

I am adding not changing anything. Regarding the chokes for TSS. I am no expert so it's only food for thought and I could be way wrong but isn't TSS hard? How hard? Hard like steel? Reason I ask is because if it was real hard and choke construction was overly tight, especially from a short barrel that doesn't allow shot to string, wouldn't it risk blowing a choke out? I'd think in that case I'd lean towards a more open choke. Remember most firearm manufacturers mark their full chokes which are not as restrictive as turkey chokes, lead only or no steel. TSS wasn't even around when most guns were built so choke'd not have markings for or against it.
What's the consensus here as I really don't know. A buddy of mine has recently made most purchases to load the shot (thank you Don) and he's asked me questions I can't answer clearly?

[dirt road ninja]

TSS is much harder than steel. If you hit it with a hammer on a steel bench it embeds into the bench staying perfectly round. Yes most handloaded TSS does do better in a more open choke, the exception seems to be with The IC 555 in a 20 gauge. The wad used in the Feds seems to be getting different results from handloaded. That said, I personally have not tried the FeDs as I roll my own. If I did I'd start with an open choke and work my way down. In my 12 I was lucky, thru a factory flush .705 in her and got 400's off the bat. My 20 I started with a 585 and found my pattern working down to a 555.

[davisd9]

I am adding not changing anything. Regarding the chokes for TSS. I am no expert so it's only food for thought and I could be way wrong but isn't TSS hard? How hard? Hard like steel? Reason I ask is because if it was real hard and choke construction was overly tight, especially from a short barrel that doesn't allow shot to string, wouldn't it risk blowing a choke out? I'd think in that case I'd lean towards a more open choke. Remember most firearm manufacturers mark their full chokes which are not as restrictive as turkey chokes, lead only or no steel. TSS wasn't even around when most guns were built so choke'd not have markings for or against it.
What's the consensus here as I really don't know. A buddy of mine has recently made most purchases to load the shot (thank you Don) and he's asked me questions I can't answer clearly?

TSS loads have mylars and thick wads to protect barrels.  Can a barrel still get scratched?  Absolutely.  About every shell outside of lead is harder than the gun barrel, hevi, steel, Fed HW so TSS is not a different animal when it comes to that.  I know of a few chokes that has gotten scarred but not sure if the individuals could say for sure if it was TSS as they also shot Hevi before.  I am not sure I trust Hevi components anymore the way they continually changed things to save money while asking more for them, that is the main reason I started loading my own.  As Russell stated, generally with TSS you start with an open choke and work down.  The shorter the barrel the tighter the choke usually.  The Federal load is different because of the wad, from what I have seen, and it prefers a tight choke in general.

[Bowguy]

Thanks for the info guys. I was prob mote concerned w blowing out the choke in a tight constriction never even considered scarring barrel. Thank you

[troutfisher13111]

I am also on KP's list. That's always a great  text to get.

Other than that, I will be handloading some TSS soon for the first time ever. Will try a few new mouth calls as usual and who knows what else may strike my fancy. I want to get on the list for a Madhatter slate.

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[davisd9]

Well I broke down and bought a little Savage 410 for my boy to try.  He is a little young but pretty tough so we are going to try a couple field loads in her and go from there. I have ordered a full choke and some Browning TSS loads, plan to reload for it next season.  I am not going to push him so we will see how it all goes, but we will give it a whirl. I may tote it a time or two myself on some of the WMA ridges I like to hop. Russell will play with it a bit too when he comes in to hunt.






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[Bowguy]

Well a little bit of a change. A fellow club member bought a farm not huge under 200 acres but he bought it to hunt. His kids n he pound it deer season, I found out no one hunts turkey. I asked and he said have at it. It's got corn n bean with hardwoods all around it. He owns a decent amount of woods. I'll be the only guy on there springtime it seems. Be kinda nice not to kill my self climbing mountains to make distance from others

[davisd9]

Well a little bit of a change. A fellow club member bought a farm not huge under 200 acres but he bought it to hunt. His kids n he pound it deer season, I found out no one hunts turkey. I asked and he said have at it. It's got corn n bean with hardwoods all around it. He owns a decent amount of woods. I'll be the only guy on there springtime it seems. Be kinda nice not to kill my self climbing mountains to make distance from others

Great to hear about the new spot.  Hopefully it is covered in turkeys!

[Bowguy]

The fellow said it is but we will see

[dirt road ninja]

Cool on the additional farm, good luck there. It's still a novelty to me to get to hunt farm country, so much different then the pine jungles we roam down here. 

Does the 301 have sling swivels?