Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Hardness of tss shot? In classic shotguns?

I have recently gotten hold of a couple of Driilings made in the 1950s. They are 16 gauge with 2 3/4 inch chambers.

I've been advised not to shoot steel shot in them. Does anyone know the Rockwell Hardness of TSS shot and how it compares to steel shot?

Apex ammo says their TSS shells are safe in vintage barrels including pre war doubles.

I really want to Turkey hunt with TSS 9 loads. I have loads from Nitro Ammo and the Federal Custom shop,and I have shot one or two loads in both barrels of both drillings and see no visible scoring. I also plan to mic all four barrels and check them frequently for signs of choke damage or expansion.

Any advice or experience here from people who have used TSS in vintage guns is appreciated.

It's tungsten. The only thing harder than tungsten is diamond.

It's your gun, but I wouldn't do it. I've seen a couple of late '60's guns bulge at the muzzle due to steel shot. When I shoot turkeys with my 16 gauge guns I use the same 1 1/8 oz of copper plated 5's I shoot pheasants with. I am not that enamored with shotgun shells that cost $5.00 each. If I can't call them into traditional shotgun range I'll go to the .25-20.

Tungsten shows a 7.5 on a scale of 10........Diamond being a 10.....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tungsten

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohs_scale

Not sure about that, you may be thinking about tungsten carbide alloy which is very hard. I found one source that gave a rockwell hardness of 34-35 for Tungsten Super Shot. Tungsten carbide is twice that hard.

Would like to know if this is correct and also rockwell hardness of steel shot alloy.

I don't think it's a matter of the hardness of the shot, per se, it's more a matter of the fluidity of the mass of shot as it moves through choke constriction. That may or may not be a function of the hardness of the shot, maybe more relative to shot size and uniformity of geometric shape. How is knowing the hardness of the shot going to effect your decision as to whether or not to use it in your gun? As far as scoring goes, I would assume they have pretty well-engineered shot cups that would preclude scoring in any shotgun barrel.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but bismuth shot is what the OP is looking for.

Bismuth if you have to be lead free

I don't think he's looking to be lead free, especially, I think he's looking for the supposedly unbelievable range and performance of dust-sized tungsten shot on turkey heads.

I want to use the TSS 9s because their pattern at 50 yards has about the same number of hits in a 10 inch circle as the 16 gauge lead losds have at 25 yards.

I have been told the TSS loads are fine by George Inge the owner of T and G imports as well as his partner and german gunsmith Toby.

Have also been told the are OK by Apex ammo,the TSS load specialist and manufacturer.

I was hoping somebody here had used TSS in some older guns or had evidence of damage from their use.

I have killed at least 75 gobblers with lead shot and around 15 with TSS. I am impressed with TSS and plan on using it for all my turkey hunting moving forward.

I wanted be able to turkey hunt with a driliing because you have a rifle barrel to kill the wild hogs that I see while hunting but I dont want to be limited to the short effective range of 16 gauge lead loads in my guns of 25-30 yards.

While TSS shot is pretty dang hard, the smaller shot sizes used flow more easily through a choke than the larger pellets of steel. TTS is also very slick, which helps in the same way.

But should mention I have never used it in any of my drillings or side-by-side shotguns, including 20-gauges--which have taken turkeys cleanly out to 40+ yards with good-patterning lead loads.

Thanks for that information. I have really been bitten by the drilling bug and now want to turkeys with them. If I could find a load that gives me decent 40 yard patterns,I would just use lead shot. So far the three lead loads that I've tested are pretty much 30 yard patterns.

Have you measured the chokes?

Most TSS hand loads include a mylar wrap around the shot inside the wad. The purpose of the mylar is to keep the shot from getting between the petals of the wad, or from penetrating the wad. That shot will scratch the hell out of ANY barrel, new or old. I've shot quite a bit of it through a couple of Benellis, and with the mylar wrap it hasn't damaged the barrel. When the shot and wad hit the choke, the wad slows and the shot is in the choke without any barrier. It has scratched the chokes quite noticeably. Chokes are cheap, barrels are not.

Bob Brister and some slo-mo videos will disagree....

Then by all means, go ahead and shoot it in the fine old gun and find out what happens.

As J.B. mentioned shot size makes a difference....Choke constriction is another factor to consider. And there have been numerous studies done in the U.K. where lead is on the short leash. How fast you push it, is another factor to consider. Excessive high speed is not to be used. Keeping the speed down, they will be shooting steel and other no-tox alternatives in classic old "Best" guns.

Then there is the volume of shooting that should be considered.

My apologies. Evidently I missed Apex's assurance that their ammo is safe in vintage barrels. I mean, surely they have tested it and will compensate for any damage to the gun........right?

No, they won’t. However, the times are changing and with it old givens may be proven wrong, along with innovations to keep the old guns in the field.