“TSS has been the most revolutionary innovation in the world of turkey shotguns since the invention of the screw in choke.” Jason Hart
I hunt turkeys, and you hunt turkeys, but neither one of us probably hunts turkeys like Jason Hart.
Jason is the co-founder and business development manager at Marloina Outdoor, which produces Nomad hunting camo and Huk fishing attire. He has taken 20 Grand Slams (all four subspecies of the wild turkey in the United States), including one with every American shotgun gauge made, that’s 12, 16, 20, 28, and .410. He shot many of those turkeys with Tungsten Super Shot (TSS). Jason became interested in TSS in 2013 and started handloading with it because, at the time, no commercial loads were available.
TSS 101: Tungsten is a rare metal found naturally in the earth and is also known as wolfram. The name tungsten comes from a Swedish term, tungsten, meaning heavy stone, and is used to make several items, including tungsten-carbide drill bits and filaments for light bulbs. Although tungsten is mined all over the world, most of it comes from China, and tungsten shot is made there as well. The TSS shot that we shoot is made of about 95-percent tungsten with the remainder made of nickel, iron, or copper.
It is tungsten’s superior density-to-mass ratio versus lead and steel shot, along with its hardness which makes it shine as a pellet for shotshells. Density is measured in grams per milliliter; most tungsten shot is 18cc, water, by comparison, is 1cc, and lead is about 11.3. Most shotgun ballisticians figure that a #9 size pellet is equal in performance to a #5 pellet of lead. This means you can significantly increase the pellet count of a payload by using a smaller shot size but penetrate as much or more because of the increased density. Overall pattern densities increase, so there are more hits on the target. The difference in loading #9’s compared to #5 shot is phenomenal, a 3”, 1 ¾ ounce load of #9 shot will contain about 637 pellets, while the same load of #5’s will give you about 256. It’s all in the math.
Said simply: with tungsten loads, you get more pellets per shotshell, and these denser pellets maintain their velocity farther, hit harder, and penetrate more deeply compared to the same shotshells filled with lead or steel pellets, which are heavier, slower, softer.
“Most TSS hand loaders want to get at least 100 pellets in a 10” circle at 40 yards to ensure an ethical kill in the head/neck region of a gobbler,” said Jason Hart. “Some 12, 16, and 20 gauge TSS #9 patterns can often exceed 400 pellets at in a 100” circle at 40 yards. Past 40 yards it is estimated on average a TSS pattern will retain 70% of its pellet count for every 10 yards past 40. Doing the math on a 400 pellet count at 40 yards will tell you that your gun has the capability of being lethal well beyond the 40-yard mark,” he explained.
Less is more.
Besides incredible patterns with a 12 gauge and taking gobblers at formerly unheard of yardages, TSS offers some other intriguing opportunities. Because of the ability to load lots of small shot in a shotshell and excellent terminal performance, the use of smaller gauges has become much more popular. TSS loads in 20 gauge can be devastating and will make you wonder if you ever need to carry a 12 gauge again. But what has soared in the turkey gun world is the .410.
Only a few years ago, the .410 wasn’t considered a viable turkey killer by anyone you know. Now, because of the capabilities of TSS many hunters like the novelty and challenge of taking big gobblers with the little .410. The best part of this is the newfound use of the .410 isn’t just for adults. Young hunters can make use of the .410 as a turkey gun and not have to worry about heavy guns and heavy recoil. CZ-USA, TriStar, Rossi, and Savage all have .410 shotguns that can be used in the turkey woods. Remington is producing a new Model 870 in .410 outfitted as a turkey gun.
Federal, Apex, Browning, Nitro, Pendleton, and Hevi-Shot all make TSS loads and Remington will soon follow.
