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Posted By: 1Longbow 20 gauge 2 3/4 turkey loads - 03/21/23
Anyone have any favorites. Wife can't handle 2 3/4 12 gauge. She's been recovering from cancer treatments, and is pretty recoil sensitive. Thank you for all answers
Foxtrot Ammo loads the Hot Rod load which is 2.75" and 1 3/8" oz. load of #8 or #9 TSS.

https://foxtrotammo.com/collections/all
A light 20 with full power loads can buck as much as a 12 throwing the same weight of shot. I have killed several Turkeys with standard 1 1/8 oz loads of 7.5 shot. Full choke and under 30 yards.
Well, she’s a trooper for refusing to be a victim and you’re a trooper for being there. Don’t know what shotguns are available for y’all but if a gas operated 20ga can be had go with that and 1 1/8 oz loads of copper #6 or #7 1/2. It’ll most likely be a dense enough pattern from a full choke or a little tighter with one or both within 30 yards. Praying for you both.
If you have a .410 another option would be .410 Apex Ninja 9.5's if you could find them and a .410 is legal where you are.
Here’s a possibility:

https://apexmunition.com/product/lt-20-20-gauge-2-3-4-1-3-8-oz-5-shells/


They tout it as low recoil. Expensive, but TSS will give you a bit more range, if that would be helpful. Otherwise, I’d suggest the best-patterning target loads you can find and keeping shots within the effective range of those.

If you have or can borrow a .410, it would kick her even less and with Apex or Fed TSS, mine’s a solid 40-yard gun.

Good luck to both of you.
Originally Posted by 1Longbow
Anyone have any favorites. Wife can't handle 2 3/4 12 gauge. She's been recovering from cancer treatments, and is pretty recoil sensitive. Thank you for all answers

She sounds like a friggin' trooper. Nothing's going to hold her down. Good for her. And good for you. I wish I could point you to something you're looking for but it seems you got very competent advice above. Best wishes to her and you. And good luck this season.
another source for TSS is nitro ammunition, good stuff!
Posted By: pullit Re: 20 gauge 2 3/4 turkey loads - 03/23/23
Great to hear that nothing is going to hold her back. Hope she continues to recover and kicks it butt.
Light 12 gauge will work as well, and pattern better. I shot this bird with 2 inch 7/8 oz 8 shot…





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Posted By: Sako76 Re: 20 gauge 2 3/4 turkey loads - 03/23/23
A buddies kid has killed several turkey's with a Winchester SX4 in 20 ga. and Boss shot shells.
Originally Posted by shootem
Well, she’s a trooper for refusing to be a victim and you’re a trooper for being there. Don’t know what shotguns are available for y’all but if a gas operated 20ga can be had go with that and 1 1/8 oz loads of copper #6 or #7 1/2. It’ll most likely be a dense enough pattern from a full choke or a little tighter with one or both within 30 yards. Praying for you both.

^^^^^This^^^^^

In 2019, I had shoulder replacement surgery. I never shot magnum ammo anyway, but I backed up to a 16 gauge semi auto and am extremely happy with the results!
1 oz of #8's will do the trick!

NOTE: I WOULD NOT want to spend the day on a trap/skeet range, but no more ammo than turkey hunting requires, it's a big 'ol "GO"!

P.S. on the "Big C"! Been there! Done that!
Kudos to:
1) her - for not giving up
2) her - for "beating" it
3) you - for standing by her and encouraging her to "live"

God bless her AND you for your courage, strength and resilience.
Where do you live?
If I’m traveling through I will bring you some of my light loads that might daughter shoots.

What gun/choke does she have access to?
Jstocks, thank you for the offer. We live in Az. I had a friend loan me a 20gauge pump ,that has some weight to it. it has a turkey choke installed
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Posted By: jc189 Re: 20 gauge 2 3/4 turkey loads - 03/25/23
Get some TSS #9 shells for that 20ga and you will be good to go. My 10 year old granddaughter just shot her first Gobbler with her O/U 410 with turkey chokes. She was shooting TSS #9 shot. Killed him at 30 yds. no problem.

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If she's sensitive to 12ga 2-3/4", a 20ga 3" TSS isn't shy with recoil, just FYI.
Posted By: jc189 Re: 20 gauge 2 3/4 turkey loads - 03/25/23
No need for 3" 20ga shells. You can get light 2 3/4" 20 ga shells in TSS #9. They would work just fine in a 20gauge pump that has some weight to it.

Share:
APEX AMMUNITION
Turkey Tungsten Super Shot, 20GA, 2 3/4", 1 3/8 Oz
SKU: APX-LT20-9



The LT-20, named for being a “LIGHT” recoiling 20 gauge designed for those looking to reduce a little recoil and still get that same knock down power.
$46.99
Originally Posted by 1Longbow
Jstocks, thank you for the offer. We live in Az. I had a friend loan me a 20gauge pump ,that has some weight to it. it has a turkey choke installed
t

I won’t be coming by that way. I live in Alabama, and hunt mostly eastern half of the US. If you’d like to learn to load your own shells for her, let me know and I’ll help get you started. You can pm me for contact information.

Your best bet is to get some of the Apex mentioned above or message Brice at Foxtrot and tell him what you need.

For your prescribed need, the light tss load from Apex is really similar or the same as the load that I load my 13 year old to shoot. Easily a 40 yard plus load with 9’s.

I’m kind of surprised at some of the answers given. Recoil really doesn’t have anything to do with gauge of the gun. Much more related to the total shot charge, amount of powder and relation to the weight of the shotgun regardless of gauge. A 3.3 lb yildiz single shot 410 shooting 1 oz loads from Foxtrot is going to be snappy and kick a helluva lot more than a Remington 1187 shooting Kyle smiths original 1 oz load in 20 gauge.

For those who can’t comprehend that, they belong casting their pearls of perceived wisdom around their own table so their kids can learn to chip rocks into wheels. Quit telling the rest of us how much air to run in our tires.

Any one certain gauge doesn’t pattern better than the other.

The 20 gauge actually gives a fairly broad range of turkey loads. I have recipes for 1 oz loads all the way up to 2 1/8 oz loads that I’ve shot or been provided to shoot.
Tss give you the flexibility to load 9’s, which increase the pattern density.
Thanks for that info!
Congrats to your daughter. nice gobbler
Posted By: Sako76 Re: 20 gauge 2 3/4 turkey loads - 03/25/23
Originally Posted by 1Longbow
Jstocks, thank you for the offer. We live in Az. I had a friend loan me a 20gauge pump ,that has some weight to it. it has a turkey choke installed
t

The first thing is get rid of that pump and get her a gas operated 20 ga. and that will solve half of your problem.
Recoil energy of a shotgun

http://www.omahamarian.org/trap/shotshellenergy.html



I have used this website to get an idea of recoil for my grandsons. Put in shot load weight, muzzle volocity and gun weight.
buy her a 410, use the recommended choke and TSS ammo, it will do fine to 40 yards, maybe farther.
I load a 2 3/4” 1.75 oz. 20 ga. load of TSS 9’s that ain’t very friendly on either end. With that being said I load my kids a 2 3/4” 1 1/8 oz 20 ga. load of TSS #10’s that is not bad at all to shoot.
I was looking at rogers sporting goods this weekend and I thought I saw some apex 2.75 loads out there.
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