Topic: The Best Turkey Loads of 2023, Tested and Reviewed (Read 43 times)
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Topic: The Best Turkey Loads of 2023, Tested and Reviewed (Read 43 times)
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Hevi-18 had the most consistent patterns of the test out of all three turkey shotguns. It placed 253 pellets (46 of which struck the head and neck) inside the 10-inch circle from the 870, followed by 156 (46 head and neck) out of the BPS, and 147 (34 head and neck) from the SBE3. The contents inside the Hevi-18 four-petal wad look much different than any of the other shells. Hevi-18 uses flaxseed at the end of the payload to fill any empty space left in the shell, a co*mon trait in every Hevi-Shot product I’ve ever used.
But the buffering—small polymer balls that look like salt and hinder pellet deformation—is heavy. It was so thick that it covered up most of the pellets once I dumped them into a plastic bag. The 2-ounce payload penetrated 27 pieces of cardboard in the Brister box, which it hit with such authority that the box actually jumped up from the sawhorses it was placed on. The load also put 27 pellets inside the 10-inch circle at 70 yards and penetrated ½-inch drywall, proving it could kill a turkey at that distance. Hevi-18 is offered in 12- and 20- gauge, plus .410-bore in shot sizes 7 and 9.
Boss was the only TSS shotshell in our test that did not use a polymer buffer to help with shot fractures. But they do use a rather sizable piece of fiber at the wad’s base to act as a cushion. The recipe clearly works because Boss put the most pellets on the head and neck of our turkey targets, placing 60 No. 9s in the kill zone through the 870.
It also tallied 51 head and neck hits with the SBE3 (also better than any other shell), and the BPS registered 26 hits. There was a falloff in overall pattern performance from the Remington to the SBE3 inside the 10-inch circle—from 250 to 140 pellets—at 40 yards, but that was the case with just about every test shell outside of Hevi-18 (and 140 pellets still results in a dead turkey).
Boss did struggle in penetration co*pared to the other TSS turkey loads. Only one pellet made it through 21 pieces of cardboard, but again, that’s still a dead bird. The loads are copper-plated, which protects them from being co*promised by moisture, and are available in 12-, 20-, and 28-gauge, plus .410. Boss is also slightly less expensive (even with shipping costs depending on where you live) than most TSS loads.
Fiocchi is known for target loads, not turkey hammers, but that might change after hunters see our test results. The 3-inch, 1 5/8-ounce loads, had the best overall pattern percentage of any TSS shotshell (36 percent), placing a total of 214 pellets inside the 10-inch circle through the 870. The SBE3 put 118 pellets (25 in the head and neck) on target and the BPS had 57 No. 9s in the circle (18 head and neck shots).
Golden Turkey performed well on the Brister box, sending 10 pellets through all 27 pieces of cardboard. Fiocchi heavily buffers its shot. When I poured the contents into a clear plastic bag, I could barely see the pellets—it was like they were buried in white sand. The seal at the end of the shell is tight to ensure moisture does not get inside of the shell. Fiocchi also uses a plastic cap, not a crimp, to secure the shot and buffer. Golden Turkey is available in 12- and 20-gauge, plus .410 in Nos. 7 and 9 shot.
I expected better overall patterns from a box of $75 Federal TSS, but the 109 (25 head/neck) it produced from the Remington 870, 95 (24 head/neck) from the SBE3, and 44 (16 head/neck) by the BPS were all still deadly. Federal shined on the penetration box, delivering 21 pellets through 27 pieces of cardboard, making it one of the hardest-hitting loads in the test. That’s likely due to the Flitecontrol Flex wad design that has been proven to deliver dense patterns at distance.
In fact, we shot the Federal load (and a few others) out to 70 yards and it scored the highest, placing 49 pellets inside the 10-inch circle and penetrating the ½-inch thick drywall board, which showed it had enough energy to kill a gobbler at that range. It ran out the muzzle at 1,491 fps, which is extremely hot for a turkey load. Federal also buffers its shot. The polymer balls are not as fine as some of the other buffers in the test, which might be another reason it shoots so well at long range. Federal offers the shotshell for 12- and 20-gauge in 7 or 9 shot, a blend of 7/9 shot, and a blend of 8/10 shot (20-gauge). It’s also available in .410 No. 9s.
Browning TSS was the only load that put more pellets (95) through the Brister box than it did the 10-inch paper target (88, BPS). The penetration box opening (18 inches) is almost double the size of the 10-inch target, so it is possible for more pellets to travel through the box than pierce paper. The 3-inch, 1 ¾-ounce load didn’t perform as well as Federal Heavyweight out to 70 yards, putting 16 pellets in the circle, seven of which were head and spine shots. It did penetrate the ½-inch drywall.
Remington’s 870 put 73 pellets in the circle with 25 head and neck shots, and the SBE3 totaled 48 strikes with seven head and neck shots. Browning lists the muzzle velocity at 1,200 fps, but its best shot on the chronograph was 1,013. The shot is lightly buffered and includes a few pieces of flax at the end of the shell, which is crimped. The TSS load is available in 12- and 20-gauge, plus .410 in shot sizes 7, 9, and 7/9 blend.
Longbeard XR uses a liquid resin that dries hard around the lead pellets inside the hull to create a buffer and thus less fracturing of pellets once you pull the trigger. Called Shot-Lok, the technology helps increase pattern density. I shot this load on paper quite a bit before our test and had never been overly impressed with it. But when I patterned it out of the 870, it scored the highest pattern percentage of the test: 125 of 297 pellets (42 percent) inside a 10-inch circle at 40 yards with 40 head and neck strikes.
There was a massive drop off shooting XR out of the SBE3, scoring just 51 pellets (15 head and neck strikes), and the BPS tallied just 26 pellets on target (11 head and neck strikes). It penetrated 14 cardboard slats shooting the Brister box, and proved that it was a 40-yard load if you’re shooting the right gun and choke co*bination.
Winchester touts this as a 60-yard load that performs with some tungsten capability, but I didn’t see those results in our testing. I shot XR out to 70 yards and only a few pellets lodged in the ½-inch drywall. Most hit the drywall and fell into the box. XR only put 10 pellets inside the 10-inch circle from 70, and just one of them was a head and neck strike. But, when you’re paying $20 for a box of 10 turkey loads, 40-yard killing power is damn exceptional. The load is offered in 12- and 20-gauge in Nos. 4, 5, 6 shot.
Remington’s new TSS loads were not available at the time of the test, so I shot the 3.5-inch Magnums t