Wanted to try tungsten shot for pheasant tower shoots in Florida. Practical alternative to South Dakota, a 3 day drive away. Lab tested 7 different powder loads of 1 oz of #7 TSS15 in roll crimped Fiocchi hulls, CSD 078 wads, Long Shot powder. Single round velocity range was 1594 fps through 1664 fps. Selected load that tested at 1597 fps, 8710 psi for pattern test. Also have #8 TSS18 shot. Loaded 1 round with the #8 TSS18 shot. Set tripod at 58.5 yds from pattern board, as far as range layout permitted. Amazing pattern resulted in 47 of 271 pellets in 10” circle, 74% in 30” circle. Extrapolating vendor’s data suggests 1.5” penetration in ballistic gel at more than 100 yards. I recognize 1 round pattern testing is not ideal, but the TSS pellets are $2.91 per ounce and the Target Telemetrics pattern paper is $4.36 per paper. Recoil is stiff, trap load is 17 lbs free recoil, TSS load is 36 lbs free recoil.
Please don’t hunt pheasant with 7’s or 8’s more than likely you will just sting or cripple the bird. Kent makes a fast lead shell in 5’s 1425 fps or Fiocchi golden pheasant are the 2 best loads for hunting pheasant.
Why are you making things more difficult then they need to be? Just buy a box of Fiocchi Golden Pheasants and shoot the birds. You are shooting a bird not an Elephant. Your tower shots are mostly 30 yards or less. Anything you can put in the gun will work. I used some TSS in my 28 ga last year and it was great but that is in a 28ga where you can use a little extra. Using them in a 12 is fine if you just want to do it but seems like fuss for nothing.
He doesn't know what TSS is . I know what it is and you are free to do whatever you wish but for what you are doing its not as complicated as all this. Just buy a box of lead 4's and shoot the birds. If you are not allowed to shoot lead shoot steel#1's. I have killed quite a few Roosters with them when I was required to do so. If you want to shoot TSS then do so. I shoot a whole bunch and its just not cost effective for me unless I want to use my 28ga for waterfowl and even then I am better off to just shoot lead and pay the ticket as in my state that is still cheaper then using TSS and I haven't been checked in over 20 years.
Those nickel #6's work really well on Pheasants out of my 28 ga Citori Sporter in S Dakota . If nontox is required where you hunt I wouldn't go lighter than #2's in steel shot or smaller than #4's in ITX/Bismuth . Birds within 40 yds should be no problem but if have wild flushes , I'd back them up with some HTL #4's with 12 g/cc .
Thanks for the details. Others may dis TSS and they certainly are entitled to that view. I appreciate your work and would love to hear how well those ditch parrots die. TSS is nothin like Bismuth or lead. Waterfowlers know this well - upland hunters will soon too. As an aside, you don’t need to shoot through them to kill them
First shoot on 11.14.20. Tower shoot format was 11 stations at 100 yds from 30’ tower. 2 stations with 2 shooters, 9 stations with 1 shooter. Birds thrown on 30 second increments, then move CW to next station Most were hens, 132 birds thrown, 76 collected. 3 of the 11 stations I had no birds in shootable range. Dropped 11 birds, 2 were at 50 yds+. Total harvest divided equally among the shooters. I examined my 6 birds and identified 1 hen that had 3 through and through pellet channels. Probably #15 or #18 TSS pellets. The other 10 birds I hit were in other shooters bags. Conclusion, I DON’T KNOW. At $2.00 a round for this hunt format, I’ll consider high velocity nickel plated lead #6 and #5 as a better alternative.
Federal Premium Wing-Shok Pheasants Forever High Velocity --- I Test these In KS Hunting Ditch Parrots ---- The Wing-Shok Pheasants Forever High-Velocity line of shotshells from Federal Premium in 12-gauge sizes and achieve a muzzle velocity of 1,500 FPS Conclusion: Use in 2 barrel only of O/U P-Gun The 1 3/8 oz shell will jar your fillings out .... I spit it out next morning. GREAT LOAD ---- Discontinued by Federal?? ..... See lot on Gunbroker "Federal Copper 4 and 5 HV 1 3/8 & 1 1/4 3 boxes + 20 GA 3"
I've always been a fan of a 1-1/4 oz of Magnum #5 at 1350 FPS in my 12 ga.....1oz of Magnum #6 at 1300 in my 20 ga-choked full.
My favorite load for wild pheasants over my dogs is- AA hull- win 209 primer- 28.3 gr. longshot powder - remington RP 12 wad- 1 3/8 of magnum 6's- nickle 6's better - 10,800 psi. I've killed a lot of birds in 48 years with a superposed in improved and modified and I believe in more bb's means more head shots which means dead bird dead! I've tried a lot of different shells. Load a few and let me know what you think. I would appreciate the feedback. Great load for the shootoff pad also
Shot last tower shoot 2 weeks ago with #6 and #5 Nickel Lead from Precision Reloading with IC and Imp Mod chokes. Dropped 21 birds, majority were 40 yds plus. Some at less than 25 yards. Marked a 50 yd plus hen for exam at end of day. Bloody head and 4 pellets through and through breast. #5 Nickel Lead I’ll go with with Precision Reloading Nickel Plated Lead shot in the future. Hope ND/SD/NE/KS is in my future. 70+ degree pheasants ain’t right! JES
two shell from Winchester may be what you are looking at. They are Rooster XR. They have harden resin around copper plated shot like they do for Long Beard XR but at higher velocity. Long Beard loads are great. One is 3" with 1.5 oz of 4 or 5 or 6 shot at 1,300 . Another load is 3" with 1-1/4 oz at 1,450 fps in either 4 or 5 shot,
This year was my 25th running Thorn Bottom Hunting Preserve, the one thing that has always amazed me is the shells that people bring to shoot Pheasants. Reading this thread makes me feel better when I read how many old hands recommend 4's and 5's. I'm a real believer in any coated lead. copper or nickel. I sell a lot of Fiocchi golden Pheasants in both 4's and 5's, Winchester and Federal also. The hardest thing has ben to get new and unexperienced hunters to use big shells with big shot. For starters I tell them that small shot tears up a bird more than large shot up close and wounds at longer range. Once the use the good stuff they are like you and never go back to little inferior loads again. In fact for the past 5 or 6 years I have banned shot smaller than 5's and I make any hunter that doesn't have them buy a box or not hunt.
