TSS Choke vs Reg Choke?

[N2TRKYS]

Do you have bad experience that leads you to want 300 pellets in 10”? The typical advice I have heard since forever is that a good turkey pattern requires 100 pellets in 10”. Or is it very shot size dependent, ie the 9’s need a lot more hits? Or are you just looking for 100/10” at 70 yards, not 40?

Ive been shooting win XR HD ammo in 6’s for decades. They advertised this stuff as “10% denser than lead”, but never called it tungsten. They stopped making it, and I only have 3-4 shells left. But every turkey I ever shot with it died “quite” well, often at ranges where I was getting only a bit more than 100 pellets in a 10” circle. Same with lead 6’s when I was using that. So curious on why you want 3x the pattern density as I would have said was standard to define a killing pattern?

100 is the stated minimum and not size dependent that I’ve ever heard. I want the tightest pattern I can get to shoot out to 50 or 60 yards, easily.

I hear folks all the time say, I never shoot turkeys past 25 yards. That’s great. They’re wasting money shooting TSS. Doesn’t make any sense to me, but hey, it’s their money. Lol

 

[N2TRKYS]

Damn. This is the stuff I like & geek out about.

I think I just need to pattern this stuff & try out some different options & choked.

My wife is going to hate me.

Loading it yourself is the way to go, if you’re really interested in doing that. Also, a shot trap saves some money, as well.

 

[Macintosh]

100 is the stated minimum and not size dependent that I’ve ever heard. I want the tightest pattern I can get to shoot out to 50 or 60 yards, easily.

I hear folks all the time say, I never shoot turkeys past 25 yards. That’s great. They’re wasting money shooting TSS. Doesn’t make any sense to me, but hey, it’s their money. Lol

100% you are wasting money on tss if you only want 25 or 35 yard performance. 40-45 yards is easy with lead in a 12ga, a regular 20 perhaps 35 without much effort. Tss is only relevant past 40 yards, or for subgauges. Thats not really where I was going though.

I always understood and used the 100 pellets in 10” circle to be a measure of maximum range, ie the range you can consistently do that is the maximum range of your gun/load. Obviously if you want 60 yard performance youre going to need a lot more than 100/10” at 40 yards. My question is if you’ve ever found that 100 hits in 10” circle lacking at that range on a turkey. I definitely have not, just curious if you have.

The downside of having an ultra-tight pattern is having +\- a rifle at closer range—a rds or rifle sights can help mitigate that, but having a forgiving pattern is clearly helpful at close range if you dont need 50-60yd performance…and those folks are also probably good candidates for using lead shot. Ive definitely seen a few turkeys missed at 10-15 yards, buddies were NOT psyched!

 

[N2TRKYS]

100% you are wasting money on tss if you only want 25 or 35 yard performance. 40-45 yards is easy with lead in a 12ga, a regular 20 perhaps 35 without much effort. Tss is only relevant past 40 yards, or for subgauges. Thats not really where I was going though.

I always understood and used the 100 pellets in 10” circle to be a measure of maximum range, ie the range you can consistently do that is the maximum range of your gun/load. Obviously if you want 60 yard performance youre going to need a lot more than 100/10” at 40 yards. My question is if you’ve ever found that 100 hits in 10” circle lacking at that range on a turkey. I definitely have not, just curious if you have.

The downside of having an ultra-tight pattern is having +\- a rifle at closer range—a rds or rifle sights can help mitigate that, but having a forgiving pattern is clearly helpful at close range if you dont need 50-60yd performance…and those folks are also probably good candidates for using lead shot. Ive definitely seen a few turkeys missed at 10-15 yards, buddies were NOT psyched!

I haven’t shot one at the range my pattern drops to 100 pellets, so I can’t speak to that. 50 yards is my self imposed limit. Much past that and I get alot of pellets in the meat. TSS is rough on teeth, so I try not to do that. Lol. Personally, I’ve never missed because a bird was too close. 4 steps is as close as I’ve killed one, though.

 

[GreenNDark Timber]

A TSS specific choke vs a regular choke is simply marketing. There’s no difference, pick the constriction you want and don’t worry if “TSS” is stamped on it. TSS isn’t picky so no need to overspend.