I’ve never hunted turkeys. My daughter passed her hunter safety course and hunted deer with me last year. Now she wants to hunt turkeys this spring.

If she is shooting a 20ga, what kind of loads should I be trying to find for her?

While it's not inexpensive, a TSS load would be my suggestion. If recoil isn't a concern, there are several loads commercially available in the 1.5oz range and I'd recommend straight #9s. That said, some smaller manufacturers are making TSS loads with a lighter payload, which are designed primarily for waterfowl and generally loaded with #9s. I'd go that route for kids just getting started. That's what I did with my son several years ago with a 28ga and 1.125oz of TSS. That type of load will still be fully capable of clean harvests well past 40yds and comparatively pleasant to shoot.

She just turned 15 last week. She’s 5’7 probably 120lbs. Doesn’t love recoil. Her deer rifle is a Savage Axis .243. She shoots that well.

$10 a box rebate right now on Hevi-Shot. We use the 20ga 3” Blend. Gets the job done.

Where are these available?

This through a standard full choke will probably just reach 40 yards.
https://foxtrotammo.com/products/copy-of-h20fowler-12-ga-2-3-4-1-oz?variant=31753065234491

A .410 weighing five pounds or more will be low recoil with TSS loads. You may need a turkey choke. The pattern with a matched choke may reach fifty yards. There are several manufacturers. If you're hunting shorter ranges, a hot pattern of high velocity lead 7 1/2s will do to thirty yards.

I used a Fiocchi Golden Pheasant 3in, 1 1/4oz, #6 on this tom. Shot was about 30 yards, full(ish) choke. DRT. That said, I'd love to see how the Fed high brass 7's pattern. The TSS loads would be good insurance if you can find them. Get them close and it won't make a difference what you use as long as the pattern is good.

I’ve had good luck with the Winchester Long Beards and bought some for my daughter to use in her 20 this spring.

20 gauge, a good load of 7 1/2s out of a decent turkey choke or a good sbooting full will kill more turkeys than most realize.

I have shot about half of my turkeys with a 10 gauge and over half of those were under 30 yards.

I can count on one hand the birds I have killed over 40 with both a 10 or 12.

I am starting to see all of this "turkey" ammo really isn't needed.

Get a bird within 40 yards and smoke him with about anything out there.

I used TSS 9s out of a 20ga for my son last year. I ended up
Shooting a Tom at 35-40 yards with the gun as I left mine behind one day.Other stuff would’ve worked but that pattern would kill a Turkey at 60 yards. It was equal to my 3.5” 12 with a 5,6,7 blend. Pheasant shells will kill em fine. Most of my Turkeys have been called in and shot at 20 yards or less. I was thinking about buying a .410 for him to use with TSS. The bad part is that TSS is expensive. $35-40 for five shells.

It may be what you can find!
Winchester long beards (lead) or TSS (non-lead)

I hunt federal land where I'm required to use non-lead shells so I have been heavy shot or others.

This is where my search would begin and probably end. They pattern great and are half the price of the TSS loads

The point of TSS in this application is the recoil is much less. Men tend to overlook that a light 20ga turkey load kicks like a 30/06, because they're comparing it to getting stomped by elephant gun level recoil from a 12ga.

I used these last fall, had impressive results at 35 yards. Standard full choke in my 20 gauge. Recoil wasn’t to bad.

Exactly! It's also pretty clear who has and who hasn't spent meaningful time at the patterning board.

The Winchester Long Beard's are certainly best-in-class lead shells. For the 20ga, to get reasonable pattern density, the #6s are best option given the 1.25oz payload. I pattered a box of them and they were solid 40yd shells.

Now, TSS is obviously way more expensive. However, it'll easily give 10yd more range with a 1-3/8oz load and the heavier loadings will take you to 55yd+. Just by extending the range to 50yd, that's 60% improvement in reach based on square yards covered. Whether that performance improvement is worth it is obviously debatable.

Plain old 2 3/4" #6 high brass have been killing turkeys for a long time.

I can't believe there are people dumb enough to pay 7 - 8.00 per shell for turkey loads. I've probably killed at least 2 dozen of those feathered rats with ordinary 3" 1 1/4 oz. lead magnums. Either Win. XX, Remington Nitro Mags or Federal Mag Shok. Several of them at 40 yds.+. If they weighed 200 lbs., tasted good and had antlers I might consider more expensive ammo.

I agree...

I have a franchi affinity 12 and 20 both set up for turkey. I bought the 20 because I had a bum shoulder that spring and I could have bought lighter loads for the 12 gauge instead.

It was a convenient excuse to get a lightweight 20 gauge auto... lol.

Nonsense. Off-topic.

Off topic my ass city slicker. Any of those loads will kill turkeys just as dead as they'll ever get. I've killed a pile of the stupid things with regular high base sixes.

You live in New York and you're calling someone else a city slickers?

That's really, really f u c k ' n funny, Buckfart.

You might want to learn something about New York before you post more stupid shyt dummy. Here's a clue. All of NY is not NYC.

Whooooooo, a new york flatlander trying to scare people. Whooooo, that's even funnier, Buckfart.

There's more flat land in Montana than there is in NY.

Dummy.

And mountains too, there einstein.

You must be real short. Like what, about
5'2"? You sure sound short and stupid.

You sound like a ghey retard as always. Doubtful you've ever killed a turkey with a shotgun yet here your dumb ass is.

Never used a shotgun on turkey, but a .22 lr hollow point just stopped the ole turkey trot.

Worst tasting bird ever.

Oh, buy the way, how short are you? I know you're tall on stupid however.
Good boy,.

Figured as much. Never shot a turkey with a shotgun in your life yet here your retarded ass is, useless and stupid as ever.

But, but , Buckfart you're still short. Are you related to big Stinky? Twins? Anal twins?

If you consider 6' short then I reckon I am. Beats having an IQ that matches your shoe size. That must really suck huh dummy ?

You couldn't make a six foot shadow at sunset!

Tell me more about the mountains of new york. What are they 2,000'. Must be short like you. We have ranches in Montana larger than new york.

Umm, no you don't. Tell us what it's like having the IQ of a root vegetable. Can you feed yourself ? Wipe your own ass ? Or is useless blathering while momma wipes the drool off your chin the best you can hope for ?

Seriously, is that the best you can do?

Tell us all what your best is. In fact, enlighten us with your great experience and knowledge of killing turkeys with a 20 gauge. Looks like you're just here being a blithering idiot with zilch of any value or substance to contribute as usual. Prove me wrong or shut the fuuck up you brainless old useless dipshyt.

My granddaughters have been killing turkeys with loads like that for a number of years. Remington 11-87 Youth, with Indian Creek choke

I used a twenty two long rifle to shoot a turkey at about fifty yards. Hit it in the side of it's head.

There, Buckfart, I typed it sloooow for you so you can keep up

Wow we're all impressed. One turkey at a whole 50 yards with a .22. Now tell us of your vast and valuable experience with the 20 gauge and turkeys. That's what this discussion is about dumb ass. Obviously somebody needs to tell you so you can try to keep up. It may help you to look at the title "20 ga turkey loads" for a clue.

What the hell is wrong with you 2 dumb asses. Go somewhere else and bicker

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.

Headed to the patterning board today with the little 20ga 870 and TSS 3" #9's @ 1100fps. Also have a couple boxes of Federal blend shells. The blend is #7 TSS, #5 lead and #6 lead. Never got too excited about blended shells, but Gander had them in the clearance bin and they were certainly cheap enough!

What chokes are you using coyote??

To tell the truth i have forgot which one it is (at 84 this seems to be happening a lot lately) but the maker was recommended on this forum. I pulled it and there are not manufacture names or size on it. Sorry

Thanks anyway coyote, I'm trying to find a better choke for my son's 20 guage.

Truth.

It's only been since the advent of HTL shot in smaller sizes and the Longbeard XR that any 20 gauge carried sufficient pattern density past 30-couple yards.

We're running the old skool Federal Heavy 7's in our tricked-out 20's and they are the SCHIZZ to a good piece past 40 yards.

Dont waste ur time...spend the cash for tss and know u have the best shells available.....as many have said the shells are the cheapest part of the hunt...

Just picked up some B&P 3” 6s, which should be pretty good too. 1100 fps, 1 1/4oz. Hopefully, the lower velocity should help the patterning. 3” 20’s have a bad rep for crappy patterns. Thinking these will be good for my second barrel, as well as a good all-purpose heavy load.

Very impressed yesterday with the pattern the 3" TSS #9's gave me yesterday and the small shot size allowed for great density, like a swarm, and seemed to have no problem going through the paper target! Lol! #9's are still a skeet load in my head...

Those 9's will put a hole thru a pig if it walks by...

If a pig walks by where I hunt in Wisconsin and Illinois, I'm in the wrong field and probably going to have issues with the farmer! Ha! Reading about TSS experiences here is what prompted me to get, and use, them and looking forward to it.

Hey Dean, what choke did you use?

A Tru-Glo extended, forget at the moment the exact one. But at 30 yards, farthest I could go when patterned, kept the entire #9 payload inside a 20" circle.

I just bought a bunch of ITX .shot . Not as expensive as tss. Been watching videos . Pretty interesting.

I agree.
I shot a piece of 4x4 lumber last fall with a 2 3/4 high brass #6 through my turkey choke. Blew big chunks of wood all over the place. I think 2 3/4 #6 would work just fine out to 30.

At 40 yards, I’ll take a 20 gauge with a decent choke shooting Apex #9s over a 12 gauge 3-1/2” shooting #4s ALL DAY LONG. TSS is for real. Expensive? Yep. So was my gun, my truck, my lease, my Camo, etc....

Just tested a 20 vs 12 with turkey loads and factory full choke tubes. The 20 gauge TSS loads stomped my old 3" mag copper plated Rem and Win loads. Very interesting indeed.

I was truly impressed with the patterns the #9 TSS shells gave me. I was also impressed with the impressive recoil! Lol! Little 20 thought it was a 12, pretty lively and I've never been recoil sensative at all. Except when I fired one 3-1/2" 2-1/4oz turkey load from a Benelli Nova, I said nope! Haha! I've shot "elephant" guns, literally, both smokeless and blackpowder varieties that didn't recoil as much as the Nova.

Has any of y’all had a chance to shoot a bird yet with tss that hasn’t prior to this year?

I shot one yesterday with TSS. 45 yards. 20ga. Federal 9s. He died. Not my first with TSS though

What the hell would you know about anything besides fatties? There's a reason I get along with you.

Anyhow I busted a big tom yesterday at 40-45 yards (in the air, but that's a different story) with a 20 gauge and a 3" #5 pheasant load (Browning BXD) with an improved cylinder. It absolutely flattened him. Feathers everywhere and barely a kick was left in him. I've killed birds with .410, 20, 16, 12 and 10 gauges with dove loads up through full blown turkey loads, and it was actually kind of eye opening as to how effective that 20 gauge load was. Maybe it was a fluke, but I kind of doubt it.

My first and only bird yet this season was killed with a boss 20 GA 2 3/4 waterfowl load. #5 copper plated bismuth through a jebs full choke at 30 yards. It stomped the hell out of light geese during season and sure did a number on Mr. Tom.

I echo other sentiments, if you are looking at turkey loads through the lens of frugality, you probably are in the wrong past time.

Head out tomorrow morning, my first hunt/tag starts Saturday morning out by Galena, IL. The 870 20ga is all sighted/patterned and the 3" #9 TSS are packed up. First time ever hunting turkey with a 20ga but feeling confident after reading experiences here.

My last 8 or so have all been with a 20 gauge. Kills have been from 28-53 yards. All spectacular. Confidence is everything. My confidence level with my current setup is as high as it's been with any 3" or 3 1/2" 12 gauge or 3 1/2" 10 gauge.