Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting 20ga turkey loads

If that surprises you brace yourself... I know guys that spend 70-80 K on pick up trucks .

Took a good thread for people interested in 20 gauge loads and turned it into a bickering match.

Awww, did we hurt your tender feelers ? You goddam pansies can take your sandy little vaginas and GFY. I'll post what I want, where I want and not be silenced by pussies like you and Remdork.

like listening to someones else's kids run up and down the aisles in Walmart.

Well if your candy ass can't handle it, stay the fugg out of Wal-Mart.

I just ordered some from Cabelas about two weeks ago.

Never mind. Just checked and they are sold out.

Midway has Blends, 6’s and 7’s in stock.



The 7’s are hard to beat. I’ve never shot the Blends. My 20 shoots the 6’s really good and the 7’s even better.

Didn't hurt my feelings at all.

You can post upstairs if all you want to do is argue.

Expensive, but I still shoot the TSSs.

Tried out some TSS in my CZ today. With the Briley tube, the Apex 2 3/4” 1 3/8oz 9s are definitely a 50-yard load. The 3” Hevi shot didn’t do as well, even with a bit more shot. I’ll bet the 12ga loads with 2oz would pretty much vaporize one with a body shot.

Lots of folks toss out distances like 40 yards - few have ever patterned their loads. It takes a pretty good choke to make the typical 20ga 1 3/8 oz payload hold together for 40yds.

Here in California we have to use non lead for everything so I tried out the Federal TSS 20's the last two years and was very impressed with them.

Not only pattern, but POI as well.

My daughter killed a nice gobbler opening day with a 410 nitro tss 9.5

I have been loading 1 5/8oz hand loads in my 20s for several years now.
I’m not going to getting into a big debate but will simply state my opinion, the ammo for me is the cheapest part of the hunt when you consider time, gas and camp and guns. Why would one not use the absolute best one use. Even if it means costing 7-10$ per shell how many do you really shoot over the course of a year.

I hunt on a small WMA. The turkeys come and go as it’s an easy flight across the river to private land, including cropfields. Last year I heard zero turkey noise in two days, so it’s feast or famine. I want to make the most of my opportunities so use the best I can find. Like you said, ammo is the cheapest part. Plus, my only 12ga is pretty long and heavy. The .410 and 20 are lighter and shorter. No doubt someone will come along and make a crack about getting in shape blah blah blah, but exercise doesn’t make up for creaky old joints. Lighter guns make it possible to hunt longer and go farther. Lower recoil doesn’t mean much in the woods, but s nice when patterning. Lastly, as I said somewhere else, there’s a big difference between shooting hens or poults in the Fall and trying to head-shoot Spring gobblers.

Mule Deer’s article on hard shot stated that TSS for handloads costs about $3 a shell, so the price for factory isn’t surprising.

I scooped up the 20ga. TSS shells that were offered here in the classifieds. I agree that ammo is the cheapest part of any hunt, and have said it many times. I mainly hunt central WI where there's ridges and valleys. And they seem to have gotten higher, lower and longer over the years! A 410, or a 28ga, aren't an option unless the regs have changed, so I put together a nice 20ga 870 specifically for turkey hunting appreciating the smaller, lighter shotgun as arthritis becomes more and more a part of life. Looking forward to using the TSS after reading all the hoopla about it and, of course, hoping to have a Turkey in front of me to use it on this spring in any one of the 4 seasons and 2 states that I have tags for.

It really depends on the range she can shoot and what the gun likes. I shot one with a pheasant load, federal #5’s copper plated at 30 yds. It wasn’t ideal, but I was pheasant hunting and the opportunity arose.

My 20ga 870 LOVES Hevi-shot #6, 3”. It’s much more forgiving than nearly any 12ga Turkey load.

I have t Hunter with those, but they pattern well in my turkey swatter.

I see blackheart is getting slapped around by the old lady again.