I finally scored some TPS28 wads and some Fiocchi primed hulls so I'm almost ready to turn my little Stoeger O/U into a turkey gun. I think the only thing I need now is the tungsten shot.

My shotgun came with an IC and Mod choke. I expect to load some typical 3/4-7/8 oz loads and was wondering what choke typically gives a good pattern for turkey out to 40 yds? I know it will "depend" but was thinking I had heard that non-toxic shot loads usually have a better (tighter) pattern with the more open chokes than lead shot?

I think I can get a full choke from Stoeger but I don't know what the others (Briley, Indian Creek...) offer.

I was also thinking those fiberoptic sights that clamp onto the vent rib might be kind of cool and give me a little more elevation and/or windage if I needed it. Does anyone have any experience with those? Thoughts?

I tagged out with my tss handloads and 28 gauge this year (here comes jbyrd telling me I did it wrong)

Do you know what thread pattern the stoeger OU takes? Indian creek does make their chokes for a 28 gauges and that is what I recommend

I would load a heavier load if I was you. You want as many pellets as possible to make it a quick efficient kill. Both birds I shot this year did not even flop.

My choice load is a 1-3/8oz load of #9 tss but I have loaded up to 1-5/8 oz. Here is an indian creek pattern for you




As for the sights, having adjustable sights is crucial for most guns shooting heavy tss loads. POI is not always the same as POA. I shoot a red dot and love it, but I would say having some sort of sight adjustment will probably be necessary

I know this will be brought up so lets just go ahead and address it. A 1-3/8 oz load of 9's has 502 pellets and the same killing power as #4 lead. Your typical #5 3.5" lead shot turkey load has around 349 pellets and less killing power

My Remington 28 gauge is a fixed full choke and is actually choked extremely tight. With a 7/8 ounce load of 6's it absolutely ROLLS turkeys at 40 yards.

Not knocking it as the numbers don't lie, however I would say that this and all of the other pattern tightening effort leads to two potential issues.

Clean misses or edge hits when a bird ends up in your lap or the inevitable temptation to take the iffy long shot.
The latter more likely with so many sitting on greenfields rather than getting in the woods and hunting.

I think the Stoeger chokes are the Browning Invector pattern.

Holy cow coondagger2, that’s an impressive pattern. Isn’t 0.520 pretty close to cylinder bore on a 28 gauge?

Are the 1 3/8 oz loads standard pressure loads?

160user; is that #6 load with lead shot?

No sir, cylinder bore is .550. The 520 is a pretty tight choke

The 1-3/8 oz load runs a little over 10k psi. SAAMI allowable pressure for 2-3/4" 28 gauge is 12,500 psi

And these newfangled recurve bows will encourage folks to.take long, crippling shots.
Only longbows are REAL archery!
Then it was compound bows
Then crossbows...

See how that works?

Decades ago guy I knows wife wouldn't allow him to use a scope deer hunting, said it wasn't sporting.
Every other year, he'd call me to.help.him look for a deer he hit but couldn't find.

Whoa now, you ascribe a motive I do not have.

I have no issue with technology and understanding shot ballistics. And most practitioners on the cutting edge are skilled and responsible actors.

If I have an issue it's the inevitable lazy actor that just assumes the latest greatest whizbang ammo compensates for lack of practice.

Are these rounds/tight chokes for head shots? I've never witnessed such tight patterns in a shotgun and I shoot some tight chokes for geese.

Yes, on turkey you're seeking to put pellets in the brain or neck vertebrae for full incapacitation. Aim for where the feathers meet the bare skin to center the pattern. Rookie mistake to aim for the head as half the pattern passes over.

LOL, sorry, was trying to get in before the usual.suspects!

FWIW, I usually use a factory full choke, on sale 3" #5, and only shoot birds inside of 30 yds.

But I AM fooling with TSS #9 in ML shotguns.

FWIW, I shot the factory full choke in my beretta 28 gauge this year and killed two turkeys. TSS is super dense so it naturally patterns tighter. The aftermarket chokes aren't entirely necessary, they just provide a little more pattern density

TSS and new wad technology has tossed out the old choke rules for lead.

But there was a hint of my own throwback old school preferences though, lol. I'm more of a traditionalist of get in the woods as close as you dare, sit down yelp three times and shut up. And if you ain't called it you ain't earned it.

You all must have good teeth to eat them tiny little pellets riddled throughout the meat on them turkeys.

I don't eat the head, so I don't find any pellets

In all seriousness, I've eaten 15 or 20 tss shot turkeys now and can count the number of pellets I have found on one hand

See my above post. No pellets in the meat. Maybe some in the neck.

I can see how many in that 10" circle above, I can also see how many are below it.

Just need to hunt XL necked turkeys!!!

Yes you can see the pattern ends about 3-4" below the bottom of that circle. I don't aim where the head meets the neck, I aim for where I want the bulk of the pattern to hit. Right on his eyes.

All of this is from personal experience though, not internet speculation

I have a 28 gauge Wingmaster with Remchokes and have been advised not to shoot TSS through it using standard choke tubes. Cant find a TSS compatible choke tube without sending barrel off and having one made so have not turkey hunted with it.

Jebs makes a 28 gauge REM Choke

I use the Jebs 20 gauge rem choke with tss

They sure do, good to know! I looked on their website and they have the 28ga remchoke turkey model available. Or Rhuff could just sell that Remington to me

Sounds like I need to order my shot and a full and a modified full choke.

You need to see what a reputable choke maker recommends and get that choke. I had a custom made choke made for my 20ga. At the time it was made for Hevi13 #7 shot. But when I switched to TSS it was a perfect match for the #9’s we loaded. Went with some Apex loads to try and their 3” 1 5/8oz loads are absolutely deadly at 40yds. I don’t care for all pellets in a 10” circle choke, I like it a tad more open at that distance.
And the only time you hear someone asking how those little pellets taste is from someone that has no clue about TSS, lol. TSS literally blows completely through the body if hit. No pellets in any of the turkeys I’ve killed starting with the Hevi13 and 50 something turkeys ago.
As far as sights, it all depends if your a drive to your spot kind of hunter or one that might walk 5+ miles up a mountain or through a swamp chasing a bird. I had the clip/screw on fiber optic sights and they lasted all of one season before I went with a red dot style sight. I use a Burris FFIII and love it. Sometimes with TSS POA isn’t POI, hence the sights come into play.
Find a choke first. Once you get the choke throwing the pattern you want, no matter where it is on paper, then get a sight to dial it in. Fortunately on my little 20 I have a see through mount so just incase the battery happens to die I can use the bead on the barrel. My POA is the POI.
As far as your loads, you’re loading way light. Find a load online or from a reputable manufacturer, and follow their specs. TSS is not something you want to run hot, but you want more than 7/8oz. In fact, all the loads I shoot have less recoil than lead turkey loads.
Remember with smaller gauges and TSS, you still want that bird at 40 or less. Will it kill farther? Yes, but we owe it to the game we hunt to make clean ethical kills every time that trigger is pulled. TSS is just that oh crap I misranged that bird. If you do it right it should be I need to shoot now before he gets too close!! I didn’t have a shot last year over 25yds and that was in three different states. One bird I had to let walk off a bit. He just came in way to close for me, lol. I get excited and that red dot get jumping.

Best option for sights on a turkey gun I have found with the super chokes and TSS

The POA/POI difference doesn't surprise me and I am expecting to have to add something to account for that.
You can't drive to anywhere I hunt which is fine by me and it's disappointing to hear about the clamp on type of sight. I'm not sure I want to rely on something with batteries but I'll go with whatever is most effective.

I agree on the 40 yard max range regardless if it's a 12 ga with lead or a 28 ga with TSS. This whole effort for me is to make that little 28 ga earn it's keep, lol. I hear ya on getting excited.

I change my battery every year whether it needs it or not prior to checking zero. First battery I left in for 3 years before I figured I might need to change it, lol. Out of all my buddies that have them, I don’t think any of us have ever had a battery go out on us. I carry a spare in my turkey vest just in case.

Same for me, I change each season and I’ve never had one go out on me. I buy reputable brands like energizer or Duracell not the dollar store brand.

You don’t have to drill and tap the gun to have a red dot. I use mounts that clamp on the vent rib. They have four screws and you loctite the screws. They are solid as a rock and I’ve never had one even think about moving. Look up meadow creek mounts

Thanks for the heads up on Jebs will check them out. I love my 28 gauge. Along with a 20 gauge Benelli Montifeltro I dont need another shotgun.

I just ordered some #9 tungsten shot from Super-18 Tungsten Super Shot. Is reloading data included with the order or do you have to ask? I didn't see a "contact me" link and I guess I missed the option to include a note.

The last thing on the list is the roll crimp tool. They are out of stock at Precision Reloading but Ballistic Products has them. Is there any real difference?

Said no one ever.

Hal will provide you reloading data, if you have Facebook that’s how I get in touch with him. His name is Hal Abbott, he is a bald guy, can’t miss him.

I get terrible crimps from the BPI crimper. Another Facebook thing, but get in touch with Dale Wildman from PA and get a GAEP roll crimp tool. The crimp quality is night and day, I have a comparison somewhere

GAEP on the left BPI on the right

Thanks coondagger. That’s quite a difference in roll quality. Seems like I’ve heard the Precision Reloading roll crimper is better than BPI too.

I have BPI’s 12 ga roll crimper, the cheaper one, and it works ok. If I swab it good with 3 in 1 oil it does better and it seems to improve when it “gets warmed up”.

I don’t have a facebook account so I’ll try and hold out for the PR tool and hopefully I’ll get the data with the shot from Mr Abbot.

Here is some contact info I found for Hal, he won’t know which data to send until you tell him what you are looking for. He has thousands of loads

Hal Abbott
Email: hganc@aol.com
Website: https://www.super18tungstenshot.com/
phone: 919-662-8138

Whatever you do, follow exactly what’s sent. Don’t try and reinvent the wheel, it’s already invented and rolls just fine. A lot of folks won’t share recipes because of liability issues.

Although with TSS being main stream now, it may be common knowledge.

I ordered the shot this morning and received an email with tracking early afternoon and it had an email address not the same one but hopefully it'll work.

hawglips@gmail.com

Hopefully I'll have all of the components listed when I get the data.

I’d believe that would be a correct email too. He goes by hawglips on all the forums so that tracks

Do you have h110 powder?

Or you could just go to https://gobblernation.com. That is where I contact him and get the reloading data.

I load for the 20ga and the 410ga. I have found that tss has better patterns at closer ranges than longbeards. If you have no plans on shooting past 50 yards (lets call that the oops), then open your choke so you have a more open pattern at closer ranges. I also have found very few pellets in the breast of the turkeys that I have shot.

I use the williams fire sites. I have had no issues with them. I have a set on my 835 and shoot 3.5" 2oz loads. No issues with them in 5 or so years.

I do have some H110 along with some Fiocchi 2.75" 8mm primed hulls, overshot wads and by tomorrow I'll have the TPS28 wads and some 1/2" (?) fiber cushion wads.

You will also need PSB buffer from precision reloading

My 1-3/8 oz load uses 1/4" 32ga felt

I don't mind sharing my load with you in PM

Also found a phone number for Dale for the GAEP roll crimper, I think it is a much better tool than any of the large supply house versions

Dale Wildman
(724) 998-1791

He also sells the clear plastic overshot cards so you can see the shot in the shell after you load it and they aren't affected by moisture like the paper ones.\

Thanks, I'll give him a call.