NDR: Turkey Shells?

Carl

Carl

Well-known member
Staff member
NDR:
So I get the advertisements from Rogers in my inbox. I just just reading through the get-ready-for-turkey's-season one.
I just gotta ask: are the new turkey shells with the newer heavier shot worth the $6-10/round?
Understanding, of course, that most guys only pulls the trigger once or twice a season, I assume that they probably are.
Is the improvement of pattern and range vs the old buffered lead payloads that significant?
 
Carl said:
NDR:
So I get the advertisements from Rogers in my inbox. I just just reading through the get-ready-for-turkey's-season one.
I just gotta ask: are the new turkey shells with the newer heavier shot worth the $6-10/round?
Understanding, of course, that most guys only pulls the trigger once or twice a season, I assume that they probably are.
Is the improvement of pattern and range vs the old buffered lead payloads that significant?
Click to expand...

They are often more expensive than that. They are astoundingly better, not marginally better, or noticeably better, but shockingly better. TSS makes a 20 gauge better than a 10. To carry a 20 that can do everything a 10 can do is a pleasure.

The only issue is price, if you can't afford them then the other options are still good.
 
Todd, I heard that a lot of guys switched over to 20s with the new loads. So I assumed the new loads must be significantly better.

Dave, I hear yeah. I never felt a need to switch over to "heavy shot" vs. steel. If I do my job, standard steel loads work just fine on ducks. But with turkeys, I think about dropping the $$ to be able to shoot my 20 vs. a 12.
 
Carl, I've killed all of my turkeys with a 20 ga since I started hunting turkeys some 18 years ago. I have never paid the monies to spend $60-$100 for a box of 10 shells. I did some patterning with my gun and benelli chokes and I have been using Remington Nitro Turkey pretty much for the last 15 years? If I do my part, those shells have been great.

Maybe in places where wide open spaces are a bigger thing, I'd consider looking at different ammo but in the swamps of FL, an open 45 yard shot is a long way.
 
Carl said:
Todd, I heard that a lot of guys switched over to 20s with the new loads. So I assumed the new loads must be significantly better.

Dave, I hear yeah. I never felt a need to switch over to "heavy shot" vs. steel. If I do my job, standard steel loads work just fine on ducks. But with turkeys, I think about dropping the $$ to be able to shoot my 20 vs. a 12.
Click to expand...
I've been shooting the 20 gauge heavyweight shot, and now the 20 gauge TSS for about five years. The heavy shot was great the TSS is even better. My 20 gauge weighs 7 pounds. And will put an astounding amount of pellets on target even at 40 to 50 yards. Though I rarely shoot that far.

I killed 3 to 5 birds a year, and the improvement in shot and Wad technology are amazing over the old lead fours.

I usually wait until I accumulate points either with Cabelas or Rogers and they generally end up costing me about five dollars a round.
 
Another vote for hevi shot, TSS, etc. . Awesome stuff, if lead became legal for ducks again, I'm not going back. Super tight patterns at 40-50 yards, no turkey head is avoiding a devastating hit. The penetration at those yardages is superior to lead as well. As to the cost, buy once, cry once.
 
I do not turkey hunt but have sat and watched a couple buddies pattern/sight in their guns. Now these guys are super serious turkey hunters and have 20ga benelli M2s that are set up just for turkeys. Complete with red dot sights, lengthened forcing cones and choke tubes carefully matched to their gun and load. Crazy the money they have invested in a gun they might pull the trigger on 3 times a year outside of sighting it in. Anyway, watching them shoot a load of number 9 TSS at a target attached to a piece of 1/2” plywood absolutely shocked me. At 40 yards you could hardly tell that the target was a target due to the pattern density and these number 9 pellets were getting complete pass through on the plywood. Just absolutely mind boggling. Now I’m sure some cheaper shells will kill a turkey just fine but I was absolutely blown away at the effectiveness of these gun/shell combos. Kind of makes me want to go buy one of those little .410s and chase turkeys with them. Although I’d have to go out of state due to NJ’s explicit no fun policies
 
Carl said:
NDR:
So I get the advertisements from Rogers in my inbox. I just just reading through the get-ready-for-turkey's-season one.
I just gotta ask: are the new turkey shells with the newer heavier shot worth the $6-10/round?
Understanding, of course, that most guys only pulls the trigger once or twice a season, I assume that they probably are.
Is the improvement of pattern and range vs the old buffered lead payloads that significant?
Click to expand...
The TSS allows you to shoot a sub gauge effectively right down to a 410 if that's your desire . If you do a lot of run & gunnin carrying a lighter sub gauge has its benefits. The best lead turkey loads in 12 gauge still kill em dead at normal ranges. Years ago when Hevi-Shot came in the picture in 12 gauge it made me a believer on hung up birds. All just another tool in the arsenal. Rogers has Remington TSS 20 gauge for about $39 a bx of 5 and I believe Fiocchi also. The Remington patterns great thru my 20,s.
 
Carl,

Tod is correct. The shells are night and day difference. I was likely one of the first people on this forum to start using them. I've been using for over a decade. However, i'm going back to lead. My wife broke a tooth that cost us over $5K for an implant, and i've since thrown away 4 or 5 turkeys. I even bought a handheld metal detector, but its impossible to find the little #9 pellets if they get down in the meat. A flyer #9 will pass through and break both wings or hips if that gives an idea of how devastating they are.
 
They seem too expensive to me. I've have the big birds standing on the end of my layout blind during early goose here. Could have clobbered them with my stock if they were open for firearms.

That being said, if you only fire off one or two shots a year, maybe it's worth it. I just stuff the boss 4s in my 12ga and it wrecks the gobblers well enough for me.

To each their own I guess. Turkeys aren't my bread and butter for hunting activities so my $0.02 may be more like 0.02 pesos to those who care
 
I strongly believe they are. I spend a lot of time turkey hunting and drive quite a distance to get to my hunting grounds. If I fire two shells per season, that's a little less than $40 with the ammo I shoot. It's much cheaper than the gas I use to get to and from my hunts, cheaper than the calls and camo...basically I see it as a nominal expense, even when the cost per shot is quite high.

I hunt public land almost exclusively for turkeys, and most of it is quite pressured. While I tremendously enjoy working a bird in close and shooting him at 15 yards, that's not always possible. Shooting TSS has, without a doubt, caused me to have successful seasons whereas normal turkey ammo would have seen me with unfilled tags. Two years ago I harvested a large tom at 65 yards. He was hung up and would not come closer. As he turned to leave (his companion tom had just left), I shot him and he dropped instantly, dead. I marked the tree I was sitting against and the spot where he died and returned later with a 200' steel tape. The shot was exactly 65 yards.

Last year I had a tom that would not come in. He'd gobble constantly and had some interest for quite a while. Eventually he left, but for whatever reason continued to gobble every few steps, even when I stopped calling. He was leaving at a good trot and I had a good idea what route he was taking. I took off running and did a large loop and got to where I expected him to travel by. He didn't read the script and ended up passing by much farther away than I thought he would. I took the shot and he dropped immediately, dead. Again I marked my tree and the spot he dropped, and returned later with a steel tape. Exactly 60 yards. This was toward the end of the season. Without TSS I'd have not filled that tag.

Calling them in close is a lot of what turkey hunting is about, but being able to confidently take the farther shots when the situation calls for it is really nice. These ranges are only possible with TSS. I personally like the Apex TSS shells.
 
They are absolutely not even comparable to lead loads. I load my own shells for everything from trap to waterfowl to turkeys, so the outrageous prices you see online don't really reflect what I have invested in mine. That being said, lead shot still will kill them. I shot lead turkey loads for 11 or 12 years before making the switch.

I really enjoy the "run and gun" style of turkey hunting, so the little small guns really fit my style. I also think a pump gun is the ideal turkey gun, so I have a Mossberg 410 and a Remington 28 gauge set up for turkey hunting. I try to do a little traveling and usually shoot 5-6 birds a year. I can do things with my 410 that I never could do with my 3.5" 12ga in years of shooting lead shot. I guide for a handicapped hunt each turkey season and the little 410 is perfect for those guys to shoot turkeys with as well. Absolutely no recoil
 
Huntindave McCann said:
Yes it is. Makes me feel spoiled about where I hunt. I honestly can't remember how long it has been since I had an unfilled tag. Turkey hunting in Iowa hasn't always been a piece of cake. The first modern hunting season for turkey in Iowa was in the spring of 1974. You had to draw for a tag, only two limited open areas to hunt in the entire state, could only hunt the mornings, one turkey per year, if you were lucky to see one
Click to expand...

spoiled is one way to think about sitting on your ass in blind hunting over decoys... another way would be to think of it as boring. 😀
 
Carl said:
NDR:
So I get the advertisements from Rogers in my inbox. I just just reading through the get-ready-for-turkey's-season one.
I just gotta ask: are the new turkey shells with the newer heavier shot worth the $6-10/round?
Understanding, of course, that most guys only pulls the trigger once or twice a season, I assume that they probably are.
Is the improvement of pattern and range vs the old buffered lead payloads that significant?
Click to expand...
I agree with Todd TSS is you pest shot I have been shoting turkeys wit TSS a number 8s and the are deadly out of a 410, but were are reloading them. If $$ is an issue Boss or Heavy Shot would be my next choice.
 
I have never shot the TSS and have killed them with plain lead in .410, 20, 16, and 12
The 20 browning silver hunter with a primos tightwad using Winchester long beard, Remington, federal and Kent. Have never had an issue out to 40 yards. Never missed a turkey.

I feel like the TSS might produce a better pattern but I can't see it killing the turkey anymore dead than the lead has been doing for me.
 
Huntindave McCann said:
As boring as sitting over decoys for ducks? I honestly see little difference. I scout the turkeys preferred feeding/strutting areas and plan my hunt accordingly. Choosing a spot to sit, is as important with turkey as it is for duck.
Click to expand...

Lets compare and contrast. Turkey hunting in a blind... sitting over a corn or hay field in a little black box looking out a porthole or two for birds. Duck hunting... sitting at the edge of a body of water, be it a marsh, river, lake or ocean looking at bobbing decoys (preferably hand carved) in a boat enjoying a much wider than a porthole view of the world. Nope, not convinced.
 
benp said:
I have never shot the TSS and have killed them with plain lead in .410, 20, 16, and 12
The 20 browning silver hunter with a primos tightwad using Winchester long beard, Remington, federal and Kent. Have never had an issue out to 40 yards. Never missed a turkey.

I feel like the TSS might produce a better pattern but I can't see it killing the turkey anymore dead than the lead has been doing for me.
Click to expand...

I always wonder why people who have never tried something feel so strongly to share their experiences and then say something isn't needed. Just because you aren't curious to understand what you are missing doesn't mean it is not way better.

Nearly everyone who has shot TSS has already shot lead, but they to TSS when they have a choice. I've killed turkey with lead, several other heavier than leads and TSS out of some of the finest choke tubes made in the heaviest loadings. I would pick TSS in a 20 over them all if I had to pick a forever combo.
 
Depends on your definition of blind I guess......I almost always turkey hunt from a blind and I have wide range of views of my swamps....

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