I can't imagine why you're taking the jolt of a 1700 fps load when shooting TSS at a 40-yard pheasant. That extra velocity isn't doing anything positive for you except making you slower on the second shot and knocking your dental fillings loose.
Update:
Tripled up on geese (Ross’) with this load at, oh, 35 yards (before the flare).
Guide was leery of #7s, but the geese were mighty convinced.
Even at (claimed) 1700 fps, recoil was much less than the 3-inch #2 steel at 1500 fps I had been shooting.
My typical late-season pheasant load (for Mexico) is 1 5/8 nickel-plated 5 lead, and I know they outkick this 1 oz load as well.
Haven’t used the HW15 on pheasant yet since I haven’t hunted Mexico in a few years, but after breaking them in on geese …
These things are mean!
