Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting 20 gauge with lead

Any of you all had any consistent killing patterns @ 40 yards with lead loads? I do have a couple of Trulock .565 & .575 tubes that do excellent @ 30 yards with #6 Winchester Longbeard XR, but I won't take a shot at 40. Pattern too thin.

Or should I just accept reality that a 20 bore with lead is strictly a 30 yard MAX Tom whacker?

Just can't see spending $15 per shot, but my 62 year old bones love carrying a 5 3/4 lb 20 gauge Benelli vs an almost 8 pound, 12 bore while trekking the Appalachian Mountains.

If you reload, you can do much, much better than $15/shot for TSS.

Talk about smacking stuff with a 20 gauge ...

I've only tested lead in a 20 gauge at 40 yards through a Carlsons TSS choke .565. I have shot Double X #5, but not Longbeard XR. I have some Longbeard XR but have yet to pattern it. I was not pleased at all with Double X at 40 yards. This is an 8"x8" target.





30 yards is a little better, but still lots of holes in the pattern:





In contrast, here's #7 and # 9 TSS at 30 yards thru the same gun and choke:





And at 40 yards:

That TSS will make a believer out of you for sure. It's just hard to swallow the price. But, in the grand scheme of things, the 1 shell fired to harvest a bird is not going to make me broke.

buy Boss ammo, 2 oz of #9 TSS order 2 boxes of 5, they ship free and its 11 bucks a round, you shoot what? 3 rounds a year, thats 33 bucks, how much ya pay for lisence, camo, gas etc to get through the season? ammo is on average the smallest expense of the season.

555 Jebs with #6 long beards was good at 40yds for me.

We’ve tried lead from 6-7 different 20’s and none will consistently give a pattern I’m confident in at 40yds. We’ve tried Federal stuff, Longbeard XR and a few more through chokes that are .555, .562, .565, and .570.



I shoot the old Federal Heavyweight #7’s but if I didn’t have a pile of those I’d be using TSS #9’s.


I think $99 gets free shipping: https://rogerssportinggoods.com/remington-20gauge-3inch-112oz-1100fps-tss-turkey-loads/

Carlson Longbeard choke and Winchester Longbeard #5 shot works well in a 20 for me at 40, and even beyond.

I shoot BossTom 2 oz. of #9 TSS, the smaller gauges are alot more efficient with TSS vs. lead. Jeb's ..555 choke in the front. The 1 in the middle, the 1 on the left is a 3.5" 12, recoil is brutal.

This was at 41 yards as I walked it off before I put the rangefinder to it. Carlsons long beard choke and #5 long beard xr. I adjusted my dot as the pattern was a little to the right but I think it’ll kill one at 40. Going to try #6 longbeard this week

Since I already have a good bit of 20ga Apex TSS, acquired before the worst of the price hikes, I’ll stick with them. They throw truly murderous patterns. OTOH, so do the Apex .410, definitely killers to 40.

Still waiting for the surgery date for my new knee, so turkey hunting remains a maybe.

Just got my new knee on 2/12 about 2hrs out of recovery I had to get out of the hospital bed to use the bathroom. Using the walker I could put more weight on the new one than.in the last year of my own wore out knee. Went the lower spinal block for anesthesia it worked well count on needing help for atleast 2-4 weeks after you go home. Still have achy pain but extra strength Tylenol and tramadol taking care of that. Can walk on my own last 2-3 days but following Dr orders not to.mb

You guys are more gun geeks than me. I just use my old Remington 870 that uses 2 3/4" shells. I've been using old lead 1 1/2 oz # 4's & 5's duck loads.

Thanks, Bob. Most of those I know who had it done are 20 years or more into it, and the consensus is it’s definitely worth the trip. I’m ready for certain as the old one is getting to really be a nuisance. I’ve got stuff to do, and it’s cramping my style, as they say. The house is two story, so I suppose I’ll have to plan around that, maybe camp upstairs for a time.

A lady I know messed up after surgery and ended up spending several months in a wheelchair, so I’ll be a good boy.

Continued good luck with yours…..

Thanks I need to point out a couple other things.1 make sure who ever your surgeon is that he is using the latest in robotic equipment and techniques( you just heal and recover much faster because of the precision in the merhod.)2 Next you have to do your pt to get the results you want. Mb

More turkeys have probably been killed with that load than anything else.

I consider the 20 gauge with lead a 35 yard gun. You run across some that are better but it’s the exception not the rule.

I use Win XX 1 5/16 ounce or Longbeard in 5’s or 6’s if I’m shooting lead in a 20.

I’ve killed several turkeys 40 yards with these loads. They are more effective than the paper patterns would indicate.

I'm 62. I carry a 12 gauge no complaint. People are shockingly soft and lazy nowdays.

Federal premium #6 with flight control was always worked good out to 40 yards for me if I didn't have TSS.

Meant to me these also, haven't shot the 20s, but they work great in 12 gauge.
FED 3RD DG 20 3IN 17/16 5/50 TKY | PTDX258567 - Buds Gun Shop
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