Rick I'll go out on an limb and say that a handloader or another Ammo manufacturer can not load a 12 gauge 3" shotgun shell with 1&3/4 ozs of #6 TSS shot that can out pattern a 12 gauge 3" Winchester Long Beard shell with 1 &3/4 oz. of #6 copper plated lead shot...velocity or pattern wise.
I shoot 12 ga. 3.5" shell with 2 oz of #4 because I like the higher velosity and all the testing I've done has shown me the #4s shoot the best for me. I've killed a lot of Turkeys in the fall and several in the spring with the 3" 1&3/4 oz shells...#4 and #5s...myself I've shot #6s and I don't care for #6s for turkey.
You'll get a few more pellets in your target with 5s and 6s and they also offer a lower velocity 12 gauge 2oz, 3" shell and 2&1/4oz. 3.5" 12 gauge load for the guy that needs to see more pellets on paper..
I'm guessing about now you're thinking I'm wrong, I'm crazy or and don't know what I'm talking about...just bare with me.
Get your hands on a Winchester Long Beard shell take your knife and cut the very end of the shell off.
The shot will not come out....
You can bang it on your work bench or throw it on the floor or against the wall the shot ain't coming out ...2 or 3 pellets might fall out but you will have to pick the rest of the shot out of the shell a pellet or two at a time with a pick.
Winchester calls this "Shot Lock Technology".
Here's my take on it....
It appears to me to be some kind of epoxy that has to be put in the shell along with the shot in a liquid form and then it hardens around the shot. ..the pellets are literally "locked in the wad". This is the biggest improvement in Turkey loads since the plastic shot cup/wad
When Winchester came out with "Shot Lock Tecnology" is when Federal went to scrambling and started loading the little TSS pellets....along with their advertising plan.
Why because they couldn't make a shotgun shell that could hold a candle to the new Winchester shell with standard sized shot.
