Says they "upgraded" the TSS shot quality and increased price.

$80 to $90 per 5 rounds now....plus shipping if you on-line order!

NOPE!

Looks like I'll be going back to Longbeard XR 5s.

Gotta draw the line somewhere.....sheesh!

But you save 5% if you order 10+ boxes.

I haven't converted. Most of the guys I know shoot it and swear by it. I rarely shoot a bird past 30 yds, so I just don't see the big deal. My Federal #5s pattern well out of my particular choke tube.

Shooting anything past 50 yds just doesn't feel like Gobbler hunting to me. To each their own though.

In my opinion, TSS is made for smaller gauges where turkey killing power was already a question - 20 ga and smaller. 12 ga has had 50 yard lethality for many years with various lead loads and choke tubes. Turkeys are meant to be called in close - that is the excitement of it. No reason to use tss in a 12 ga

I keep going back and forth on the TSS.

I feel like the TSS hits harder at range, but my gun with Hevi-Shot has killed birds in the 50s with no problem.

I’d look at the other outfits making the ammo. Ive always shot Federal, but there is other good ones out there.
It’s not terribly important for me to shoot it at home. I’ve killed 2 gobblers at home every year since 1983. It’s when I go on these out of state trips that I want the extra range. I was in Michigan a couple weeks ago. Laid eyes on 1 longbeard after 3 full days of hunting. I confidently killed him stone dead at 50 yards. When I’ve drove many hundreds of miles, bought an out of state tag, etc., I’m not worried about the cost of a shell lol.

I don't care if it makes me breakfast and washes the skid marks out of my shorts after I shoot it, I am NOT paying $5 per shot for a shotgun shell!

Well than you aren't going to pay the 16 a round it costs.

I agree 100% .

Since you turned me on to the TSS, I really like it. The incredibly dense pattern, the No Flop and the fact that under 35 yds or so there hasn't been any pellets to pick out of the meat....complete pass-thru.

I'm gonna try and look at other brands and maybe at other dealers b4 all the original stock is gone.

The "18G/CC" at the bottom of the box designates the "improved" TSS. I can't for the life of me see how it could be better than the original.

When all the original stock is gone, all of it will be higher $$.

Put your camo on and go to Kroger, lol.

I could never get the advertised manufacturers shells to work in my gun for some reason. I went with Apex and haven’t looked back. I’m also shooting a 20ga as is my son, so I’ll buy a few boxes one month and he’ll buy a few another month. We should never run out no matter how many trips we take.

With that said, if I ever went back to a 12ga, I’d go with lead, but I don’t ever see that happening. My next purchase will be a Benelli M2 in 20ga and that should have my pre retirement guns met. I already have another brand new still in the box FFIII sitting in the safe. Found a great deal on one and went ahead and bought it.

If you ever get a 20ga set up for turkeys, you’ll never go back to a 12ga. If you start traveling out West you’ll really appreciate the lighter weight as well.

I really like TSS in .410 shells. TSS #9 gives you a far denser pattern, but the benefits don’t stop there. The tungsten # 9 shot doesn’t deform….you could shoot it at a steel plate and it won’t flatten. When a #9 shot hit, it penetrates deep. Most bbs that errantly hit the breast penetrate straight through. They don’t pull feathers into the wound like #4,5,or 6 lead shot would. Think of the #9 TSS as being a swarm of needles being shot out of a shotgun.

You can literally see a red mist at impact. I’ve heard through the grapevine that GA may outlaw TSS. They’re thinking too many people are taking too long of shots and wounding turkeys…part of our decline?

Not a turkey hunter, but have shredded a lot of coyote with a Benelli M1 turkey shotgun with a Mark Bansner Tru Glo turkey choke. Tried them all, but it turns out lead from a 12 ga is all I need.

Ah, where to start. I am in the business of manufacturing shotshells and I can confidently tell you all you are paying for with Federal's prices is the name. They are increasing the price because people will pay it due to not being educated on the available options. There is no "upgraded" TSS that they have started using. The quality of the shell is MUCH less than that of what custom handloaders offer for nearly half the price.

If you are going to pay a premium price then you need to expect a premium product. Mass produced TSS shotshells are not a premium product. There is lot to lot variation and the machines that are used are not precise.

Unfortunately, Apex has purchased a mass production shotshell machine also. I'm not sure if they are in production with it yet.

Shop around and find those that are truly handloading your ammunition. That is what you want. Consistency, good materials, and accurate weights. I'd bet the actual shot payload in those $18 a pop Federals is less than advertised...

Point me in the right direction coondagger2...

Haven't heard anything about TSS being made illegal. I don't think the state will do that as that would be an almost un-enforceable law/reg.

Plus, crippling losses due to wounding doesn't explain the decline in overall turkey numbers.....why are the hen numbers declining?

I don't use it due to price but also I don't want the boys missing in the thick woods and close shots they get. Neither boy has ever shot a turkey as far as 20 yards. So I load them up with Winchester 3" #5 20g.

That said I tried it out after reading about it on here and holly smokes I never knew a shotgun could pattern like that. The federal I patterned did ok but bass pro brand hearters? Patterned tighter and more evenly also had more recoil. If I were to use tss it would be bass pro brand over federal.

I always recommend Brice with Foxtrot Ammunition in TN.

He is actually handloading and his consistency is fantastic.

20 bucks a box cheaper than Federal too...


https://foxtrotammo.com/collections/all?page=2

Thanks, but his is only $6/box of 5 cheaper for the comparable load.

I'll keep looking...