Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting Tss shells

I'd almost think, if, and I say if, attempting shots over 60 yards,

one should consider more than just a front bead for a sight,

thinking maybe a Red Dot sight?

[quote=Kenneth]

Yes sir, this one has a 2moa dot and 32moa ring. I dont think I’d take a 60 yard shot knowingly but I’ve been off on distance I. The woods more than once.

I have a Burris FastFire 3, with a 3 moa dot, on mine.

TSS is all I use but I only shoot 20 ga. I roll my own because when I started using it, that was the only way you could shoot it. Now everyone is selling shells.

Used Federal tss 20ga last week on my turkey. Was not a real test as the shot was 15 yards. Have one more tag and may or may not get out again. May is shaping up to be too busy.

I will warn anyone using TSS for the first time or even using it at all.
Look the meat over VERY GOOD, biting into a TSS shot will hurt like you broke a tooth, which it very well could. Don't ask me how I know

I used the old winchester supreme elite extended ranges until they stopped making them. They were almost 10 bucks a shell in 2005ish. Bad stuff..and then TSS comes along.

Last week of the season a few years ago, been dealing with this one bird a lot during the season and It had been a down year, he finally came out into a field with a hen and I'm up above them some. Looked about 60 yards to me but the terrain fooled me, a couple dips in the terrain between me and him but I felt confident in the shot. Using the 3 1/2in 7 or 7 1/2s...cant remember. He stuck his head way up and I sniped him. Stepped it off at 78 big steps. He disappeared in the grass. Stone dead, he didnt know what hit him. Would I do it again, no. I'm not a fan of those shots but I got lucky that time. It does make me feel better about my turkey gun setup though. And turkeys dont flop anymore.

I did see a guy patterning his 410 with 9 shot and it was shooting through 3/4 plywood.

I popped one in Missouri couple weeks ago using a 20ga , #9 tss, .570 Rob Roberts choke , guy with me stepped off 70 yards , he couldn’t believe it . Shotgun was a sx4 with 26in barrel.

Just Got the Stevens 301 20 ga with 26" barrel. Have not had the opportunity to turkey hunt with it, but next year looks promising. Guy on You Tube shooting this gun with a Indian Cree 555 using Federal TSS # 9, and at 75 yards you can see very little difference between his 40 and 75 yard target.....dead bird for sure. Also, another guy shooting the Stevens 301 in 20 ga using the stock choke that comes with the gun and TSS #9 Federals at 60 yards and his pattern at 40 and 60 looks same. Those shells are expensive but how many times have you had that big boy hang up outside 40 and how many times have you wondered if he 50 yards, or 60 yards, or even 70 yards....it nice to know that you could take him if you wanted and not have to be concerned with the shot. That is the beauty of TSS....it takes away that doubt of distance. Me, I limit my shot to 40 yards on that ole tom, but with TSS if you misjudge it by a few yards he will drop for sure.

Very little difference between 30-60 with TSS

Here are some 60 yard groups with TSS# 9 and various chokes, Carlsons, pattern master, Indian creek

Shooting a gobbler at 70 yds just doesn't feel like spring gobbler hunting to me. Maybe I'm getting old.

I agree. And we wonder why Turkey populations are declining throughout the south. I love my TSS but I’m also most interested in an even pattern with some room for error at 40 as opposed to wanting to shoot them way out there. Also nice to know there is some margin for error in range estimation too

Compare these 40 yard tss patterns to the 12ga “turkey” shells we shot in the 90s and it’ll make you wonder how we killed them with such weak patterns back them

I switched to a 20ga and TSS shot due to ease of carry. Benelli M2 20ga is nice to carry compared to my SBE II and my Browning Cynergy 3.5 inch.

My philosophy has also changed about turkey hunting. After having shot a bunch at extended ranges, and even using a rifle a few times. I no longer prefer to do that. If I can not call one into <30 yards, then I do not need to punch my tag.

I love the hunt, but detest cleaning the stinky birds and do not especially enjoy wild turkey meat.

They are declining here too. Too many 4 legged predators and raptors. A nesting pair of bald eagles on my cousins has us seeing and hearing fewer birds.
They catch the schitt out of the neighbors catfish.

Shooting tom turkeys will have a minimal if any impact on populations.


A regular full from a 12 will give plenty of killing pattern and still allow for estimation errors.

My dad still uses an old 1100 Mag with a fixed full. Have seen him kill several just short ot 50.

I didn't start using TSS to kill them at distance. I went that route to save 4lbs and 2/3 recoil. The TSS simply gave me the same performance at any distance I could expect to shoot a Turkey as my A400 did with #5:



If shooting Turkeys at XX yards is the reason Turkey are in decline, sounds like a game managment issue vs shotshell issue.

3 consecutive shots from a Franchi A3 20ga and a cheap $10 HSUT .582 choke. I shot 4 at 25, 28, 48, and 62 this season and all were pulverized on the spot just like the 50+ prior TSS birds I’ve killed. I shoot most up close, but when I’m out of state I’ll kill em when I know I can if the situation calls for it.

Great advice...I missed one last night, found out the hard way.

Nice patterns everyone! I love my 20 gauge with tss #9’s

I am like Reloader7RM in that I want them in close but if I have to close the deal, I know I can. I have killed them from 5 yards to a little over 50 yards with #9 TSS but in a perfect world, would like them to be around 20 yards.
TSS shoot really tight as you can see in the above patterns, mine look very similar and therefore I use a red dot type sight on my guns.

I have yet to harvest a bird with TSS to worry about the shot pellet consumption. I make turkey bratwurst & burger and assume a TSS pellet could hurt my grinder if it gets caught!

At one time, WV listed mistake shooting of hens as the major hunter threat to turkeys. I’ll bet that's still the case. I’d also bet that as many get wounded and lost with lead as with high-tech loads. We need to do our job, pattern our guns, and stay in the lines when we shoot. You can’t assume how any load will perform in any gun. I learned that the hard way myself.