TSS ammo...is it worth it?

[leslie hetrick]

tss lets me make 35-40 sure kill shots, the last federal tss #9,s i bought were 32.00 for 5 shells. taking in the cost to hunt, gas-breakfest-license-cammo cloths-packed lunch ect. target was shot at 36 yards.

 

[flatwater bill]

Leslie...............great results in those photos. I have not been able to purchase TSS at $32. I can buy Federal 3rd Degree TSS for that price, but it is, of course, only 40% TSS. I have two 5 packs and have yet to use that specific Federal shell. It should be a solid 40 yard performer. But then, my old Win Longbeard was a 40 yard performer at half the price. But my next turkey hunt will be with the 20 ga.........and I have a Benelli.........FWB

 

[BeeMaa]

tss lets me make 35-40 sure kill shots, the last federal tss #9,s i bought were 32.00 for 5 shells. taking in the cost to hunt, gas-breakfest-license-cammo cloths-packed lunch ect. target was shot at 36 yards.

Very nice @leslie hetrick. From the looks of your target at 32 yards, you are good past 40 yards. Beautiful bird as well.

With the right combination of load, shotgun and choke, it's amazing what this stuff can do. Have you tried using the Carlson's TSS Turkey Choke designed specifically for use with the Federal TSS loads?

 

[leslie hetrick]

i,m running a .640 carleson choke in my rem 870. several friends and i got a good buy several years ago on the federal tss #9 three inch shells. i do have 20 ga 3" tss #9 shells, but have not used them yet. i have a rem 870 with a 24" barrel express 20 ga 3 " with a burris fastfire 3 on it. after i sight my turkey shotguns in with tss, i shoot a trap load with #8 shot at a target and keep it for next years turkey season and check zero with the trap load.

 

[BeeMaa]

.640 HOLY COW!!! And I thought my .650 tube was tight.

I had a reflex sight but it crapped the bed right before a hunt and I've been using irons ever since.

 

[jduckhunter]

I'm glad to see you guys are out there on the cutting edge of technology but for me and my duck hunting I'm going to stick with my Kent Faststeel 2.0 at $.64 a round. On my last 6 days of duck hunting I shot 39 rounds and bagged 21 ducks, that adds up to $24.96 total for ammo or $1.19 per bird. Call me crazy but I'll take that.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

What’s the 2.0? I always used the normal fasteel with good results. (Good compared to other steel loads)

 

[jduckhunter]

What’s the 2.0? I always used the normal fasteel with good results. (Good compared to other steel loads)

2.0 steel shot is zinc plated ( rust preventative plus it's supposed to help with shot lubricity) coated bases to help with rust proofing and the velocity is a bit faster.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

I've run TSS Turkey Hunting for several years and will not shoot anything less. The .410 with TSS #9 is a blast to Turkey Hunt with.

Your ammo is the cheapest part of the hunt, but effectively the most important. I see and hear time and time again about someone shooting a deer or other animal and loosing it. Most times, they're complaining they skimped on the box of ammo and shot the cheapest box they could find. In my opinion quality ammo is worth the investment and I'll always try to shoot the best bullet I can that shoots the most accurate.

 

[1dirthawker]

ok,

so this might be a subject for a different thread, but since we have a bunch of tss smart guys here i thought i would float the question:

WOULD TSS IN LARGE SIZE BE A POSSIBLY APPROPRIATE SHOT SHELL FOR A LEOPARD FOLLOW UP??

sounds like it might work really well.

 

[BeeMaa]

ok,

so this might be a subject for a different thread, but since we have a bunch of tss smart guys here i thought i would float the question:

WOULD TSS IN LARGE SIZE BE A POSSIBLY APPROPRIATE SHOT SHELL FOR A LEOPARD FOLLOW UP??

sounds like it might work really well.

It would definitely work, but like you said the shot would need to be at least 2, but I’d probably be happier with BBB or T. If you were to use 9 shot, the damage to the pelt would be too severe. And you would still get more pellets into a shell because they are more dense than lead with 00 buck.

3 biggest problems with this are having a firearm proofed for this type of shot, availability of the ammo (or components) and of course the price.

 

[leslie hetrick]

my fat ass doesn,t need that 8.00 breakfest and i don,t need 6-7 dollar tss shells, but its not need, at my late age(78) its want. i don,t use tss to shoot farther, only to have a good pattern at 35-40 yards.

 

[flatwater bill]

Yes, the right TSS load would be a great stopper. But Drthk's question is not easy to answer. I had promised to publish my testing on stopper loads, but life got in the way. Some of the complexities: A Controlled Trial is not possible. We can't get 1000 leopards or bears to charge and standardize their weight, hair length, aspect, velocity and determination and then divide them into groups to test loads for effectiveness. We have to make some in vitro assumptions. Quantitating the data is also difficult: e.g.: this load was a bit better than THAT load or this load was 82% as good as THAT load.....definitions and parameters must be chosen ahead of time. Having said all that, and driveling on too much, I will skip to the conclusion. In my testing, if the best stopper load was rated at 100......the next best load rated 43. The scale was linear. And the 100 rating was TSS. #T for animals bigger than 150 kg, and #2 for animals less than 150 kg. I still hope to list my testing method.....because it was a fun project. But right now, I must plan a trip to Africa. Where I won't have to stop a charging leopard, and freely admit I have never done so.....I will leave it to some trusting PH to do the beta testing......good shooting .......FWB

 

[Nevada Mike]

I've used it while shooting black brant with my Model 21. Better than lead but pricey.

 

[1dirthawker]

3 biggest problems with this are having a firearm proofed for this type of shot, availability of the ammo (or components) and of course the price.

yeah, don't know if they make #4 buck, but i bet that would work. you would likely have to load your own and the price....compared to nitro ammo, not too bad. and for stopping a leopard charge, what would you pay for a one shot stop EVERY time??

 

[1dirthawker]

In my testing, if the best stopper load was rated at 100......the next best load rated 43. The scale was linear. And the 100 rating was TSS. #T for animals bigger than 150 kg, and #2 for animals less than 150 kg. I still hope to list my testing method.....because it was a fun project.

i would be interested in hearing your results. i would think that a 3" or 3.5" load of T or #4 buck would be a great stopper in tss. at least for a close encounter. a common issue from hunters of leopard is that the buck shot does not penetrate the very dense muscle in a frontal shot on leopard. i was wondering if tss would penetrate and do a good job.

of course, IVW is right re: the tight shot column at very close range is no better than a slug for a "pattern" and slugs work great, so not sure it the tss would be as good, superior or worse.

 

[flatwater bill]

People's needs and abilities vary, and one weapon/load is not right for everyone. But in placing and numbering 3 targets for the shotgun, all at 20 meters (22yards) friends and I tested one another's ability to hit with a shot charge, or a slug. One man held a shotgun at port arms, facing away. Next, instructor yelled a number....1, 2, or 3. The shooter had to turn and fire. The targets had been moved after each shot. Everyone could put a disabling shot on the plywood with a cyl choked 12 ga. Instantly. No one could reliably do it with a slug. (4 guys all serious shotgunners). But we are not PH's and we all have limited experience stopping charges. Some good shooters would be better off with a rifle or a slug, no doubt. Not me. As to the 3 1/2" load of TSS at 2 1/2 oz.......this would be awesome, but recoil is far too great for a follow up shot. JMO above.............................FWB

 

[BeeMaa]

As to the 3 1/2" load of TSS at 2 1/2 oz.......this would be awesome, but recoil is far too great for a follow up shot. JMO above.............................FWB

Recoil is subjective. It's measurable, but felt recoil is "felt" different by each person. So it is to each individual to make the determination of how much is too much.

I will say that my SBE2 (about 7#) shooting the 2 1/4 oz, 3.5" loads is right at my recoil limit. My shoulder is sore after about 5 shots and it quickly becomes not fun. I can't imagine the SBE3 will be much different.

For a follow up shot in a hunting situation...it's hard to say for sure how fast I could get back on target but I know I will get a little practice with it come next year on a Goose hunt. I'll be sure to follow up with my results, although I'm sure they will pale in comparison to yours. BTW - I'm really looking forward to seeing what you do have.

 

[flatwater bill]

You are quite right about recoil. I know I'm more sensitive to it than my hunting buddies are. For fun, watch the YT channel W-T-W when he shoots a 1 1/8 oz target load at 100 yards, then follows it up with a 2 1/2 oz TSS load at the same distance. The target is interesting....The shooter is a hoot. It is obvious that he is not expecting or prepared for the difference. The high density, and resulting low volume shot charge, allows more wadding choices to somewhat mitigate recoil. But it is not enough for the monster 2 1/2 ouncer...............FWB

 

[Deleted member 40394]

2.0 steel shot is zinc plated ( rust preventative plus it's supposed to help with shot lubricity) coated bases to help with rust proofing and the velocity is a bit faster.

The Kent 2.0 pattern like crap for me. I have 5 boxes in my closet. Bring back the old kents.