Big Game 20 Gauge : a TSS BB Report

[Ozarkansas]

I'm hunting an area down in Texas with tons of hogs that only allows shotguns and archery. Since some times of the year you can only have birdshot in your possession and since Texas has no shot size limits I decided to buy a roll crimping bit and try my hand at loading TSS in larger sizes in my 20 gauge turkey gun. I got in touch with a guy who sold it in larger sizes, and asked for T shot, but he talked me down to BB by telling me that T was way bigger than you need and even BB will always pass through anything you could shoot at. I thought he was blowing smoke but I figured I would at least try it.
Once I got the TSS I was able to come up with a 2-3/4 load that threw 49 BBs at about 1200FPS based on load data he gave me (which had been pressure tested). patterns were decent at 30 yards through an IM choke- 30 pellets or so in a 24" circle and no pig-sized gaps anywhere in the pattern.
The first day of the season, I took it out to the area I hunt and very quickly started smelling and then hearing pigs. I was able to intercept them at a creek crossing and ripped a shot off into a clump of three pigs, dropping two. My second and third shots dropped a pig each. All pellets passed completely through, even several that passed through both femurs and the hip bones of a pig. Range was about 30 yards. Overall I was blown away by the level of destruction I saw. It was like I had set off a claymore in the woods. Every pig dropped like it got unplugged.
If you don't have shot size restrictions, definitely give TSS a try for big game in your scattergat. I now have what is essentially a 49 pellet buckshot load and may drop down a shotsize or two to bump up pellet counts even more (that guy was right, I definitely did not need T shot). TSS may be super expensive, but it's easier to justify paying $8 a pop when you're bringing down big game with it.

 

[Billy Goat]

Hal was your source for TSS I assume?

No I'll effects of running that large of a shot size thru your 20? I'd be a little nervous as hard as the TSS is, I have had problems with steel trying to go past #2's with 20 ga.


I have some similar loads for coyotes, but in 12 ga.

 

[Ozarkansas]

Hal was your source for TSS I assume?

No I'll effects of running that large of a shot size thru your 20? I'd be a little nervous as hard as the TSS is, I have had problems with steel trying to go past #2's with 20 ga.

yeah he was, super helpful dude.

I haven't put many rounds through it but so far I haven't had any issues and he told me it should be fine as long as you don't overchoke (which is why I'm running an extended IM instead of something tighter). What sort of problems did you have with steel #2s?

 

[Gorp2007]

That's an awesome solution to the pig problem. I'm also in Texas hunting an area that is shotgun and archery only and part of your post grabbed my attention. You said that "some times of the year you can only have birdshot in your possession," do you have a link or amplifying information for that regulation? The only thing I've read is that when hunting waterfowl you can't have lead shot, but as long as you're not hunting waterfowl you're good to go. Thanks for any clarification you can provide, I want to make sure I stay on the right side of Texas Parks and Wildlife.

 

[Blockcaver]

Bear load??? Sounds like it has potential!

 

[Ozarkansas]

That's an awesome solution to the pig problem. I'm also in Texas hunting an area that is shotgun and archery only and part of your post grabbed my attention. You said that "some times of the year you can only have birdshot in your possession," do you have a link or amplifying information for that regulation?

I was purposefully vague so I wouldn't give my spot away, sorry. It isn't illegal in this area to use a shotgun with slugs or buckshot, but if you're wanting to hunt something besides pigs or deer you can't have buckshot or slugs on you. This was my way around that rule so that I could shoot pigs while out hunting other stuff (this also isn't a TPWD rule but rather a rule for this specific area by the organization that owns the land).

edit to add: this will also get around the rule that you can't have lead shot while hunting waterfowl, as all buckshot and rifled slugs that I'm aware of are lead so you can't carry them while duck hunting (I think).

 

[Gorp2007]

I was purposefully vague so I wouldn't give my spot away, sorry. It isn't illegal in this area to use a shotgun with slugs or buckshot, but if you're wanting to hunt something besides pigs or deer you can't have buckshot or slugs on you. This was my way around that rule so that I could shoot pigs while out hunting other stuff (this also isn't a TPWD rule but rather a rule for this specific area by the organization that owns the land).

edit to add: this will also get around the rule that you can't have lead shot while hunting waterfowl, as all buckshot and rifled slugs that I'm aware of are lead so you can't carry them while duck hunting (I think).

Thanks for the clarification, the spot I hunt here in San Antonio has lots of unique rules and regulations, so I understand the challenges of staying on the right side of the land managers!

 

[Billy Goat]

yeah he was, super helpful dude.

I haven't put many rounds through it but so far I haven't had any issues and he told me it should be fine as long as you don't overchoke (which is why I'm running an extended IM instead of something tighter). What sort of problems did you have with steel #2s?

Only problem I had was getting them to pattern. It's been my thought that the bore of the 20 just can't handle big hard shot.

I have had decent patterns with lead BB, but lead is totally different from steel and tungsten in how it reacts to choking.


I like Hal, that's who I purchase my TSS from.

 

[Ozarkansas]

Only problem I had was getting them to pattern. It's been my thought that the bore of the 20 just can't handle big hard shot.

I have had decent patterns with lead BB, but lead is totally different from steel and tungsten in how it reacts to choking.

Sorry for the late reply, but yeah I’ve been cautious about overchoking it. I use an extended IM choke with the logic that it will have a longer forcing cone and hopefully pattern better. I have no idea if it’s the best option but it patterns well enough I would have no problems shooting something out to 50 yards (or even further for pigs).

 

[FLAK]

Our state managed lands here have those stupid regs in place. You can only hunt pigs with whatever gun/load is legal for OTHER game that is in season. So in Turkey season I'm stuck with #4 shot. Of course if it's quail or snipe season I can use number 2's. Go figure.

 

[Ozarkansas]

Update: ended up having one instance of shot bridging with the I/M choke that pretty much trashed the tube in a single shot, so I moved up to I/C and actually ended up with better patterns, almost 40 pellets in a 10” circle at 22 yards. With that sorted out I took it back to the woods and got another pig. This one was a decent size boar (100+ lbs) with long cutters. It was a 20 yard shot and another BANG-flop, not surprising when you consider how many pellets are hitting him at that range.

while cleaning him we did find several pellets under the opposite hide, but only when they had hit the spine or shoulder, all soft tissue hits were pass-through. When I was butchering him I found one pretty impressive pellet that had made it all the way across the chest cavity to burrow into the ball joint of his humerus.

 

[sneaky]

TSS is the real deal

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