Are tungsten turkey loads worth the money?

[Greybeard]

First off, I'm not an experienced turkey hunter. I've been pricing some turkey loads for a hunt this spring, and holey moley, they are higher than Snoop Dog.
For you folks that have experience, are the tungsten loads really worth it? Also, do I really need a turkey choke instead of my regular full choke?

Thanks!

 

[MNElkNut]

The key word in your question is "worth". Many, many turkeys have fallen to regular turkey lead loads. Having said that, our experience with tungsten is fantastic. Not a one out of the 9-10 we have shot with tungsten has taken a step. IMO that is a statistically significant number, but your opinion may vary. Are they better than lead? I would say in our experience, yes. Especially on longer shots. Do you need it? Absolutely not. It is up to you how much you value better performance.

 

[seeth07]

My opinion on Turkey loads has always been this - you are going to shoot 1 time at a Turkey a year if you have a heavy shot thru a very tight choke. They aren't exactly hard to hit and I feel it is almost impossible to miss one. I'm ok with paying $8 for that single shot knowing its going to drop dead even if its 60 yards away.

 

[Doublecluck]

If you need tungsten to kill a turkey you should work on you ability to hide stay still and call. Spend the money on a quality decoy and box call. I’ve stoned plenty of turkeys at 40-50 with a .410 #5 like 11/16 oz of shot. If a 2.75/3”/3.5” 4/5/6 don’t kill it you probably shouldn’t have been shooting at it. I’ve actually missed quite a few turkeys on the first shot in Montana with “special” turkey loads cause they get in close and between specialized shot, cups and chokes I’m essentially trying to hit it with a slug,

 

[Birdbander]

To answer your question, its subjective. For the setup that I choose to use tungsten is worth the cost. After testing various chokes with lead and TSS, theTSS noticeably outperforms lead holding a tighter pattern farther.

As stated, there's been lots of turkey killed with lead before tungsten made its way onto the scene.

Some gun/choke combos may do better with lead in fact. Test as many different choke & ammo types/sizes as you practically can and base your decision on which to use, and the maximum distance you know that combo to be effective, then stick to it.

 

[np307]

For me, being able to downsize my gun and still be comfortable at 40, even 50 if I misjudge, is well worth it to me. Im personally not a fan of the 3.5" 12 ga loads that people are blasting birds at 100 yards with.

Lead will kill them just fine though.

One note about chokes, tss doesn't usually like an overly restrictive choke. Definitely not the super tight turkey chokes of days gone by.

 

[TheTone]

I’ve shot of bunch of them with pheasant loads, so in my opinion no. Vast majority of mine have been shot inside 20 yards.

 

[NoWiser]

I wouldn’t spend the money on TSS if I still used my 12 gauge, but I like it out of my 20 gauge and .410. I can’t remember shooting more than 1 shot per year so cost isn’t an issue. They shoot great out of a factory choke tube, so no need to buy a turkey choke, which provides some savings. Absolutely not necessary, though.

I’ll say this. If I’m ever hunting public land, I hope the other hunters aren’t using it. As deadly as it is on turkeys, I think it’s probably significantly more dangerous in the hands of a reckless turkey hunter.

 

[shannerdrake]

First off, I'm not an experienced turkey hunter. I've been pricing some turkey loads for a hunt this spring, and holey moley, they are higher than Snoop Dog.
For you folks that have experience, are the tungsten loads really worth it? Also, do I really need a turkey choke instead of my regular full choke?

Thanks!

“Need?” No.

“Worth it?” Yes.

You said you aren’t an experienced turkey hunter. Help yourself all you can and pay respect to the bird. A turkey wounded or not killed quickly with lead is a bird that might have been stoned dead with tungsten.

I say this to everyone all the time - ammo is the cheapest part of the hunting equation so it makes zero sense to go cheap. I’m amazed at the guys who have $2k in their gun but fuss around with cheap ammo.

I hunt with one rifle and one shotgun and hunt a lot. I only feed them a steady diet if top end ammo. Remember that bullet/pellet is the only thing that actually kills the animal.

 

[utah400elk]

Nope. Not with it. I had TSS last year and didn’t kill a single bird. JK. I have shot incredible groups with TSS and do feel it’s worth it. I have killed a few birds with TSS but…most were 20-40 yard, so any turkey ammo would have worked. I shoot regular 12 gauge to get close, finished sighting in with TSS then use TSS to hunt.

All that said, in reality it’s just another thing to spend my money on. Not necessary but it’s what I use.

 

[Northwoods]

First off, I'm not an experienced turkey hunter. I've been pricing some turkey loads for a hunt this spring, and holey moley, they are higher than Snoop Dog.
For you folks that have experience, are the tungsten loads really worth it? Also, do I really need a turkey choke instead of my regular full choke?

Thanks!

Love the Snoop Dog reference. I’m sure there are lots of ways to kill a turkey. David killed Goliath with a sling, but the best answer to both of your questions is yes.

 

[338win]

TSS “can” ethically get you to 70+ yards in most 20 and 12 ga with a correct choke. Longbeard XRs in 5s can get you to the 60s. Id say you don’t need it But I love tss. 2.5 oz loads in a factory flush Carlson .680 has an open enough pattern up close and enough density out to beyond reason and most of the pellets that hit body, pass through or lodge against the bone.

Longbeard XRs with a cheap turkey choke will be the most economical option.

 

[EKYHunter]

Yes to both questions. Get some Apex loads and a Trulock choke tube. You’re welcome.

 

[WIbiggame]

Gonna throw out an unpopular opinion here. TSS is absolutely worth it if you aren't ok with the turkey winning sometimes and you NEED to kill a bird. Can buy a better tasting butterball at the grocery store for cheaper than a box of TSS if you need to kill it for food.

If you limited yourself to 30yds (40 even) any load will work just fine. And if you want/need to use a 20g or 410 than limit yourself to 25yds.

I will say a turkey choke will help form the load better than your regular full choke but again just limit how far you shoot, pattern the full choke you have to know you maximum range and stay within it.

Its ok for the turkey to win sometimes.

Longbeard XR 6 shot at my max range of 35yds I personally set for myself for no reason other than i truly just enjoy trying to outsmart the bird.

 

[EKYHunter]

Gonna throw out an unpopular opinion here. TSS is absolutely worth it if you aren't ok with the turkey winning sometimes and you NEED to kill a bird. Can buy a better tasting butterball at the grocery store for cheaper than a box of TSS if you need to kill it for food.

If you limited yourself to 30yds (40 even) any load will work just fine. And if you want/need to use a 20g or 410 than limit yourself to 25yds.

I will say a turkey choke will help form the load better than your regular full choke but again just limit how far you shoot, pattern the full choke you have to know you maximum range and stay within it.

Its ok for the turkey to win sometimes.

Longbeard XR 6 shot at my max range of 35yds I personally set for myself for no reason other than i truly just enjoy trying to outsmart the bird. View attachment 391659

Good pattern, but you’d better not lift your head off the stock or he’d better not take a step or you might miss. I like a more open pattern that gives me some forgiveness. This is 30 yards, 20 gauge Apex 9 with a .570 Trulock choke.

 

[Hem]

Laughing.

 

[Doublecluck]

Gonna throw out an unpopular opinion here. TSS is absolutely worth it if you aren't ok with the turkey winning sometimes and you NEED to kill a bird. Can buy a better tasting butterball at the grocery store for cheaper than a box of TSS if you need to kill it for food.

If you limited yourself to 30yds (40 even) any load will work just fine. And if you want/need to use a 20g or 410 than limit yourself to 25yds.

I will say a turkey choke will help form the load better than your regular full choke but again just limit how far you shoot, pattern the full choke you have to know you maximum range and stay within it.

Its ok for the turkey to win sometimes.

Longbeard XR 6 shot at my max range of 35yds I personally set for myself for no reason other than i truly just enjoy trying to outsmart the bird. View attachment 391659

Exactly why I stopped using it. Birds at 15 yards you better have a scope. lol. Had em at 10-15 yards and missed twice blowing 12 gauge size holes in the hillside just past his head. Once they got out to 50-60 the last one got him but really not necessary. Shot one at a box at 20 and it was damn near a 12 gauge round hole.

I guess if you don’t let em get close it makes sense kinda. Depends on what part of the country and terrain a little also. Even when I was in in California hunting heavily pressured public land rios I wasn’t needing to take 70-80 yard shots though. 30-40 was pretty typical.

 

[Gellar]

A box of 5 for $11.99 kills em just as dead as a box of 5 for $49.99

 

[Sheltowee]

I wouldn’t spend the money on TSS if I still used my 12 gauge, but I like it out of my 20 gauge and .410. I can’t remember shooting more than 1 shot per year so cost isn’t an issue. They shoot great out of a factory choke tube, so no need to buy a turkey choke, which provides some savings. Absolutely not necessary, though.

I’ll say this. If I’m ever hunting public land, I hope the other hunters aren’t using it. As deadly as it is on turkeys, I think it’s probably significantly more dangerous in the hands of a reckless turkey hunter.

Was about to say exactly this-- the benefit of TSS is letting the hunter step down to a smaller gauge. I love it in my 20 but don't see a need to use it in my 12, which patterns exceptionally well with Hevi-Shot Magnum Blend and Longbeard.

 

[Tikka06]

It’s expensive but it works. The “worth it” is a personal choice I guess. It’s worth it to me because it kills the hell out of birds in the 50-60 yard range.