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Turkey Guns & Shooting => Turkey Guns => Topic started by: Greg Massey on April 23, 2023, 03:19:08 PM

Title: Older Guns / TSS
Post by: Greg Massey on April 23, 2023, 03:19:08 PM
Do any of you shoot TSS in the older 3 inch mag. shotguns 12/20 gauges ? Fixed Chokes ... like a full....?
Title: Re: Older Guns / TSS
Post by: wchadw on April 23, 2023, 03:41:30 PM
Greg I kinda looked into this with my older Ithaca fixed full. I got a lot of mixed opinions. Some said if it was modified or bigger that it might be ok with the smaller tss? But I also had folks that said the smaller pellets should be fine regardless. Others said no it would ruin barrel. Sounds like problems definitely will occur when you get to larger shot sizes - when you can get barrel bulge. I didn't risk it and just got some lead magnum 5s like I used to shoot

But I have considered doing a smaller 1 oz or 1 1/4 oz buffered load of 9 1/2 or 10s. I would think the thick tps wads would protect barrel from scratches? Really need a gunsmith's opinion


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Title: Re: Older Guns / TSS
Post by: 2eagles on April 23, 2023, 03:52:53 PM
I wanted to kill a turkey with my 50 year old Wingmaster, just because I had used it for everything else, so why not. Bought some turkey thug 6's and determined my max range on paper. Then made sure to get my bird at less than 30 yards. Dead bird. No real need for tss, why chance harming your shotgun?
Title: Older Guns / TSS
Post by: wchadw on April 23, 2023, 04:01:01 PM
Quote from: wchadw on April 23, 2023, 03:41:30 PM
Greg I kinda looked into this with my older Ithaca fixed full. I got a lot of mixed opinions. Some said if it was modified or bigger that it might be ok with the smaller tss? But I also had folks that said the smaller pellets should be fine regardless. Others said no it would ruin barrel. Sounds like problems definitely will occur when you get to larger shot sizes - when you can get barrel bulge. I didn't risk it and just got some lead magnum 5s like I used to shoot

But I have considered doing a smaller 1 oz or 1 1/4 oz buffered load of 9 1/2 or 10s. I would think the thick tps wads would protect barrel from scratches? Really need a gunsmith's opinion


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I patterned with the lead 5s
Was good to 35 yards. I killed a bunch of squirrels and turkeys with it when I was growing up. I rarely shoot at anything over 35 yards or so with a shotgun anyways. I was always taught as a kid that was pretty much max useful range


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Title: Re: Older Guns / TSS
Post by: crow on April 23, 2023, 04:27:35 PM
I've been shooting Fed HVWT #6 and #7's and TSS #9, #8 and #7's for over 9 years in a savage single shot 3" 20gauge with a fixed xfull .585 choke with no problems, no scratches or bulging
Title: Re: Older Guns / TSS
Post by: Longshanks on April 24, 2023, 09:06:26 PM
Have two Wingmasters have had since 12yrs old. 55 now. They have shortened barrels with Hastings Tru Choke C-1 barrels. Shoot Kicks .655, .660 and Hastings non-ported chokes .655, .665. Have experimented with lead loads over the years and keep the barrels polished and deep cleaned. They shoot 140's in a 10" at 40 with lead 6's and 110-115 in a 10 with lead 5's. They are killers out to 40yds. Have thought about trying TSS in them but it's not worth it. The Hastings chokes are lead only and not heat treated. The Kicks chokes would probably be fine but the barrel is super thin. Just not worth it. Just came from MO and every turkey we killed was inside 40yds and several were inside 30yds with everyone shooting TSS. Could have just shot lead and been fine. Right now I'm hunting with Federal Grand Slam 3" lead 5's and 6's. Killer out of the Kicks chokes.
Just saw Michael Waddel miss a Turkey with TSS and a red dot on his gun. No way Michael would have missed that Turkey with lead 5's or 6's that he has put over 100 marks on his barrel rib with a sharpy.
Title: Re: Older Guns / TSS
Post by: Lone Star Eastern on April 24, 2023, 09:27:35 PM
I didn't even know there was a risk of damaging a gun with tss. I've been planning on shooting tss through my old NEF single shot 20 ga with fixed modified.

Should I not?


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Title: Re: Older Guns / TSS
Post by: ChesterCopperpot on April 24, 2023, 10:14:19 PM
Quote from: Lone Star Eastern on April 24, 2023, 09:27:35 PM
I didn't even know there was a risk of damaging a gun with tss. I've been planning on shooting tss through my old NEF single shot 20 ga with fixed modified.

Should I not?


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There's nothing wrong with that. Have done so for years with my wife's NEF fixed modified. I shoot tungsten out of a hundred year old Model 12. Best friend has been a gunsmith for 45 years and older shotguns are his bread and butter and he said lay with it.


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Title: Older Guns / TSS
Post by: wchadw on April 24, 2023, 10:29:20 PM
Here's an interesting article today. Doesn't really say it's safe to shoot tss thru old guns but it reads like he is doing it

https://realtree.com/Kill-a-Turkey-With-Your-Grandpas-Gun


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