TSS shot

MThuntr

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 9, 2009
Messages
6,421
Location
In the Sagebrush of SW Montana
Anyone messed with TSS (Tungsten Super Shot) Loads?

This is the 18gm/cc stuff that is all the rage in turkey hunting lately. Apparently #9 TSS outperforms #4 lead shot. I see loaded ammo is $10-15/shot but I discovered loading it comes down to about $3/shot. My current turkey and waterfowl gun is a Stoeger M3500 and I figured for turkey hunting I'm shooting 1 or 2 shells per year (sometimes up to 5 depending on number of birds shot) so spending the 3x the cash on putting 3x the shot on target may be worth it. This also means my 20 gauge may get used more often. Since I've dabbled in loading my own shotshells already I have most of the equipment but was curious if any of you turkey talkers have made the leap to TSS.
 
I have used it in duplex loads with steel for waterfowl and the #9 will shoot clear through the giant Canada geese we have here.
 
Its great stuff, but it may be overkill. It depends on your goals. I like my turkeys under 40 yards and just about everything works in that range. If I can't get them that close, I don't feel like I did my job as a turkey hunter and would rather keep hunting. Then again, I'm only trying to get one or two birds a spring.
 
It's not so much as an inability to get birds close. The bird I shot on Sunday was 34.9 yards. I think last year was the furthest shot I've ever made at a turkey and it was maybe 50 yards. I think I'm more interested int shooting a lighter load of say 1oz out of a 2-3/4 or 3" shell or even grabbing my 20 gauge for a nice light carry...the heavy payloads of turkey shells has me wanting to take a less is more approach. Also as a tinkerer, I feel that I can hopefully tweak a load to match my current chokes for a nice dense pattern.
 
I haven't personally experienced them or even heard of them til last week. But I saw this video which ruled out any extra thought of them
 
I've ordered a pack of 20 and 16 gauge #9's from Apex this year. I can't say anything about performance as I haven't shot anything or patterned them yet. But, their customer service is awesome. They were separate orders with zero time to waste, both were delivered promptly right after the order. Very impressed.
 
I've handloaded some and used Federal #9s this year. Killed three birds with it this spring. 1st one was at ten yards, cut his head completely off.
Shooting 2 ozs of #9s gives you almost 750 pellets to send downrange. It's impressive
 
I haven't personally experienced them or even heard of them til last week. But I saw this video which ruled out any extra thought of them

this video is almost useless. TSS is closer to $40 per box than $60. And where TSS shines is penetration at longer ranges, which they did not address.
 
this video is almost useless. TSS is closer to $40 per box than $60. And where TSS shines is penetration at longer ranges, which they did not address.
I'm not here to argue. you are free to do what you want with your money. But IMO it's not will the shot kill the bird at the given distance but will it be in a tight enough pattern to get to the bird. Bird can only be so dead. Sorry to piss in your wheaties with the video
 
I'm not here to argue. you are free to do what you want with your money. But IMO it's not will the shot kill the bird at the given distance but will it be in a tight enough pattern to get to the bird. Bird can only be so dead. Sorry to piss in your wheaties with the video

chill out dude this is a discussion forum. and judging a pattern by counting pellets in a neck is not the way to go. I want to know pellet count in a ten inch circle
 
yikes...stick to the facts boys. Not concerned about opinions of personal ethics or economics. I've been successfully hunting turkeys with standard lead shot (actually those Remington Duplex 4x6 loads that aren't available anymore) for quite some time and am interested in trying something different for the sake of trying something new. Just want to know who has experience with TSS and would like to hear from them.
 
yikes...stick to the facts boys. Not concerned about opinions of personal ethics or economics. I've been successfully hunting turkeys with standard lead shot (actually those Remington Duplex 4x6 loads that aren't available anymore) for quite some time and am interested in trying something different for the sake of trying something new. Just want to know who has experience with TSS and would like to hear from them.

sorry to derail your thread. My experience has been very good with it and I think it's absolutely worth the money, considering the low volume of shooting involved in turkey hunting.
 
I used the original TSS back around 2007 and really liked it. The price per shell was much less then. Once the original shot was approved by USFWS for waterfowl, I used it on geese with great success. A 2 3/4" #5 load would drop them clean at distances I'd never think about shooting steel. I still have a few of those shells, reserved for extra windy days when those small dense pellets stay on course far better than steel.

I don't know if the current TSS is identical to that product, or what happened with the original owner's trademark for the name. I built the original TSS website. Part of that site is still visible through archive.org, at https://web.archive.org/web/20080219005909/http://www.tungstensupershot.com/pages/technical.asp
 
Last edited:
I’ve been loading it for a couple of years in my 20 and 12ga. I didn’t like the performance of the 9s, so I switched to 7.5s. I love the 7.5s. I’ve got 175 pellets in a 10” circle at 40 yards with 7.5s in my 20ga. 330 pellets in my 12ga.
It still seems funny loading shells with a drill press. Lol
 
I'd really like to start loading them, but this state has a stupid law that limits shot to no smaller than #7 shot. I'm mostly interested in trying the #9s for use in 20ga...
 
You can get #7 TSS. I’ve killed a few birds with it. It penetrates better than lead with a denser pattern. Farthest I’ve ever killed a bird was 45 yards. Last years opener with TSS and he went down in a heap. Under 30 yards it doesn’t matter what you shoot.
 
I realize TSS comes in sizes larger than #9 and I'll likely try it, but I want to try the #9. Think it'd be great for my use as I could use a more open choke and should have plenty of pattern density at the ranges I'd let my son shoot.
 
Gastro Gnome - Eat Better Wherever

Forum statistics

Threads
110,816
Messages
1,935,406
Members
34,888
Latest member
Jack the bear
Back
Top