20 gauge hybrid load

[Siringo]

Last week I went late season Turkey hunting in Wisconsin. I am not a regular Turkey hunter but wanted to use my Pedersoli Trade Gun. I have shot this gun with Sky Chief loads and it works OK on grouse. But my patterns at 25 yards are iffy (to me) for Turkey loads. So I got this idea to buy some Federal TSS 20 gauge Turkey loads. They have a special wad and 1 1/2 ounce of buffered #9 tungsten. These cost $50 for 5 shells. I cut the shell head off and removed the roll crimp. Then pushed the shot/wad column down the shell casing about a 1/2 inch. I removed the plastic overshot wad and replaced it with a thin over shot card and a soaked 1/2 inch fiber wad. I used 90 grains of 1 1/2 Swiss and then rammed the entire wad column down the bore. Essentially a speed loader. At 25 yards I had very good tight pattern. Way better that my normal sky chief
Load. These hybrids clocked at 1250 fps.

Unfortunately I didn’t get a Turkey (but my son did with a bow).

 

[Trigger]

The fight control wad?

I thought it would work

 

[Britsmoothy]

Why not just load 1.5oz of lead shot for a 25 yard shot. It should be devastating at that. Use 3f. 1.5 is to slow.

 

[Trigger]

Mr. Britt

Yea I don't know. You need to get them good. It's enough though.

my spot is full of educated turkey. Someone trained them good this year.

Most people only hunt opening days it seems.. or they just don't hear the turkey anymore and give up

I heard one kid shoot last year. No bird. I was like where the bird. He was upset missed.

There's maybe 4 or 6 nice Tom's some Jake's and all.. you'll hear one gobble now at daylight.. I'm the only person there now and you think there no turkey but there's turkey there.

People miss. Try them to far. I don't know.

It because there not shooting 25. It's 30... or the turkey are scary smart. They do know how to Investigate you.

When I see a bird coming. Sometimes they daisy around things getting closer making you go all shoot now don't shoot shoot no wait.. they will stair in your direction for a while before getting closer or leaving.

Is one or the other. The birds only get so close they know where your should be.

 

[Trigger]

Like calling from the trails. They don't respond when everyone doing that..

If you go off the trail 100 yards in. They answer you then.

So it's allot of work walking so far down the trail then into the woods to call a little and see.

You would just want to keep going and calling from the trail to.. that's what everyone does. The birds know.

 

[Trigger]

even Jake's being so stupid are tricky.

Like 4 will coming running into you.. nail the breaks 10 yards away and then all oh sht running away.

People miss. Choked to tight.

 

[Trigger]

I got a video a friend sent. No faces so I think I can post.

That bird came out but you can see it wasn't hanging around either.

Old man Mr. Britt. That's his name

https://photos.app.goo.gl/VKbGQjLBdv9SRGyC6

See if the link works.. that bird didn't give much time.

 

[tiklikker]

even Jake's being so stupid are tricky.

Like 4 will coming running into you.. nail the breaks 10 yards away and then all oh sht running away.

People miss. Choked to tight.

Sounds like my first Jake. I was set up in a Christmas Tree planting, back in a tunnel looking out at my decoys on a rolling field.
My buddy was about 10 yards further down off the edge of the field, calling for me. He told me turkeys were coming. He called and four Jakes came galloping down toward us like the Cartwrights of Bonanza. They slowed down and all walked by my lane in a mass. No shot. My buddy looking from another angle is saying to himself "shoot, Shoot, SHOOT!" Just then one of the Jakes must have thought "Hey, what the heck was that?" He turned around and stuck his head back into my lane. I popped him and the rest scattered. I still remember that one like it was yesterday.

 

[TransYank]

I agree with post #3 I use Original. 12ga. 1 1/8 of 3f with 1 1/4oz # 5 lead

 

[Siringo]

Last week I went late season Turkey hunting in Wisconsin. I am not a regular Turkey hunter but wanted to use my Pedersoli Trade Gun. I have shot this gun with Sky Chief loads and it works OK on grouse. But my patterns at 25 yards are iffy (to me) for Turkey loads. So I got this idea to buy some Federal TSS 20 gauge Turkey loads. They have a special wad and 1 1/2 ounce of buffered #9 tungsten. These cost $50 for 5 shells. I cut the shell head off and removed the roll crimp. Then pushed the shot/wad column down the shell casing about a 1/2 inch. I removed the plastic overshot wad and replaced it with a thin over shot card and a soaked 1/2 inch fiber wad. I used 90 grains of 1 1/2 Swiss and then rammed the entire wad column down the bore. Essentially a speed loader. At 25 yards I had very good tight pattern. Way better that my normal sky chief
Load. These hybrids clocked at 1250 fps.

Unfortunately I didn’t get a Turkey (but my son did with a

 

[Eterry]

According to Federal, the idea is they're Tungsten Alloy is 22% denser than Regular Tungsten and 56% denser than lead. So you can use much smaller shot, increase your pellet count at same velocity, zero deformity, and double your foot/ Lbs of energy.
BTW, the M-1 Abrams uses a similar technology in their gun, which is a smoothbore.

Several of my Waterfowler friends are using Tungsten Alloy. I have boxes of steel shot I'd like to use first, then I'll take out a 2nd mortgage and buy some!!

The last market hunter (poacher) I knew around here used #9 lead for geese, aiming for their head. He told me one pellet in the head brings them down. I'm sure turkeys feel the same.

 

[The Baron]

There's no need for TSS in a ML, but what you've done should certainly work. Or just to the same with any 20ga #6 lead load and save a lot of $ compared to TSS.

If you want to experiment, try my turkey load of 80gr. 3F, 4 overshot cards, 1 1/8oz. #6 lead shot and 1 os card. I did extensive testing and found that eliminating all the heavier felt or thicker cardboard wads improved my pattern. I also tried all amount of shot from 1oz. to 2oz. and didn't gain any useful pattern density beyond the 1 1/8oz. loading. Granted my .62 is a straight cylinder bore, but my load shoots "dead turkey" out to 20 yards and a bit beyond.

 

[WALT53]

Last week I went late season Turkey hunting in Wisconsin. I am not a regular Turkey hunter but wanted to use my Pedersoli Trade Gun. I have shot this gun with Sky Chief loads and it works OK on grouse. But my patterns at 25 yards are iffy (to me) for Turkey loads. So I got this idea to buy some Federal TSS 20 gauge Turkey loads. They have a special wad and 1 1/2 ounce of buffered #9 tungsten. These cost $50 for 5 shells. I cut the shell head off and removed the roll crimp. Then pushed the shot/wad column down the shell casing about a 1/2 inch. I removed the plastic overshot wad and replaced it with a thin over shot card and a soaked 1/2 inch fiber wad. I used 90 grains of 1 1/2 Swiss and then rammed the entire wad column down the bore. Essentially a speed loader. At 25 yards I had very good tight pattern. Way better that my normal sky chief
Load. These hybrids clocked at 1250 fps.

Unfortunately I didn’t get a Turkey (but my son did with a bow).

Maybe it’s the buffer that helped you could try using some cornmeal to buffer with your regular shot and just thin cards.

 

[Siringo]

Maybe it’s the buffer that helped you could try using some cornmeal to buffer with your regular shot and just thin cards.

Buffers do help, but it’s primarily wad technology.

 

[Newly O’Brian]

Yes, it's a great and I've used that too!