Home Forums Reloading Shotshells - TSS and Unleaded Steel shot??

My wife decided to turkey hunt some this year and I was just going thru my ammo on hand to try with her this weekend. She has a 12 gauge Browning Gold 26" barrel with the stock shortened and factory choke tubes. Planning to keep shots to 40 yds max and plan to stick with 2 3/4" shells. Have some older Winchester 1 1/2 oz #6 turkey loads, Fed Flite Control 1 1/2 oz #4 and Fed high velocity 1 1/4oz #6 (pre Flite Control).

Then I noticed some 3" Remington high velocity 1 1/4 oz #4 steel rated 1375 fps. Recoil might be a little less than the ounce and a half turkey loads and I'm sure a bunch of #4 steel are inside. Should pattern pretty tight too. Anybody tried steel shot at 40 yds or less?

I've taken a lot of mallards and pintails over decoys in grain fields with those and similar loads. I'm not too fond of them much past 30 yards as penetration is lacking on body hits but it should be adequate on a turkey head out past that some.

Steel patterns tighter than lead but as one gets smaller with steel it begins to mimic lead for chokes. I would expect something tighter than modified to be the best choice and I certainly would not rule out full. I'm not sure about a turkey choke, some are meant to be used with lead shot only and the choke can be damaged if not so rated. I had that happen with a 10 ga choke in which the choke actually broke in the barrel. Getting the remainder of the tube out of there was a real hassle.

If rated for steel I would try it if I didn't find what I was looking for with the other chokes. I would probably try modified before a turkey choke but if it got to that point I would certainly try it. You don't have much to lose.

No turkey choke for sure. We'll be using the Invector Plus either full or modified whichever patterns best. The plan is to sit in a pop up with decoys at about 25 to 30 yds. Where we'll hunt it should be doable and I'll have a couple of blinds set. I want a fairly close shot with enough pellet spread to make up for a bobble. She's never seen a gobbler come in yodeling to a call and I imagine it'll get her heart going. And agree on the body hits. #4 copper plated lead breaks bones. Imagine steel 4s should break a turkey neck and bust a skull at 40 no problem. Really hoping to get one for her. We also decided to try a Mossberg Youth 500 in 20 gauge. Probably have as much recoil as her 12 ga Browning but a little more maneuverable and fits her well. Have some 3" #6 to try. If the recoil is manageable for her on that I'll just order some 20 gauge 3" #7 or #9 TSS and go that route.

as a duck hunter, i wouldn't trust a turkey hunt to steel shot. Im sure it would work close range though.

Spend the money and find some heavier than lead alternatives.

If you're going to sit in a blind and plan on using decoys, there's no need to set the decoys so far out. Set your decoys at 15 yards and the lady hunter can use a good lead 1.25 ounce field load of #6's or even #7.5 shot. Turkeys pay no, or little, attention to a blind. Setting the decoys at 15 yards, even if the gobbler hangs up at 25 yards a good lead field load from a modified choke kills him without ruffling the lady too much. Bowhunters use that set up all the time to get gobblers close for a very precise bow shot. I have a buddy that sets the decoys at 10 yards so his son using a 3" . 410 gets a close enough shot. I think the boy has killed three or four gobblers so far.
It works.

Narrowed down the opening day spot to 1. And will be able to do as you suggest, setting up closer to the decoys. Yesterday morning 10 AM or so we rode the 4 wheeler across a pasture ridge that drops off to a flat on one side maybe 50 yards across and 75 wide. Bordered by a timbered mountain side to the south and a stream bed that runs southwest to northeast from a flat in the wooded part of the branch into the low area of this pasture. We were about half way down the grassy slope when we saw turkeys headed up a finger ridge across the stream. Turned off the buggy to get a good look and just then one broke into a strut. Maybe 75 yards away and Big Daddy wasn't even worried enough about us to run. We let them get out of sight then headed on down across the stream and south on a little buggy trail slow and easy. Wanted to get another look if possible without flushing the flock. Watching uphill to the east as we inched along sure enough, there they were walking parallel to us uphill maybe 60 yds or so away.

First 4 or 5 were showing red wattles in the sunny spots they went thru, some with visible beard and some without. Killed the motor again and started counting. Gobblers and jakes were leading the way. Counted 17 total and 10 or so were gobblers and jakes. Must have been 7 or 8 sure nuff gobblers. Really cool sight. All that went by would stop, hop up on a big laydown pine then hop down. Just like clockwork. Still no sign of fear. So there they are, huddled up with the hens and maybe a few more hens already setting cause it was definitely a mixed group with fewer hens showing than boydog turkeys. Can't help but be excited. Only question is whether to set up shooting into the pasture which is a natural strutting zone, or just off in the flat creek bottom. But believing Rhonda Gale will make some feathers fly whichever we decide. Didn't get to pattern shotguns cause we were having too much fun being outside and enjoying God's creation. Ain't is great.

Looking forward to pictures of a successful hunt!

Me too. Reported our scouting trip over on the Mississippi Opener thread. And I think we have the turkey load determined. She shot some basic dove load #8 with no problem. Then we moved up to some high velocity #6. Problem. Didn't even try anything heavier. I shot the HV #6 as well to confirm the pattern in her factory full choke and I'm sure an ounce and an eighth of 6 shot will be sufficient. Looks like we'll go with standard low base 1 1/8 oz of #6 shot. Winchester runs around 1180 fps if I remember right. It'll kill inside of 35 yards I believe or at least give me time to stand on his neck. Only thing I wish for further is that I could find some copper plated lead in low base loads. Might even consider 7 1/2 shot in that case.

If things turn out as planned our top spot for fly down time should give us a reasonable chance at 30 yards or less. Number 2 spot if fly down doesn't work will be on a fallow field on a ridge. Has the look of both a nesting and strutting area. Plus the last gobblers I heard before we left were right there.....at 3:29PM. There we'll have to set the decoys close and hope to pull them in.

I would optimize the load and not bother with steel, although I have used it successfully #4 for head shots and BB's for back up. A lady friend grew up mouth calling and using a turkey bone call, she gets a gobbler or four most years with a 20gauge and #71/2 trap load. She is patient and knows the limitations of that combo. PAST also makes a wearable recoil pad specifically for Ladies called the Herulian Shield or something like that, it can but put on the strap of a hunting vest or worn under a shirt so it doesn't snag. Good luck.

I killed a couple gobblers years ago with Remington Express 2 3/4” 1 1/4oz 7 1/2s. They produced incredibly dense patterns out of my old Mossberg turkey gun. Both the gobblers’ heads were just a jellied mess, 20-25 yard shots. I like small shot for the dense patterns and I bet she has no trouble at all smoking one that comes into the decoys.