If I posted some I killed with a BB gun would it only prove how dumb I was...
What would hurt more hit with an ice pick.or a ball peen hammer ?
TSS just like some heAds is harder than lead...it takes 3 fairy dust sized number 9 size TSS pellets to weigh what one lead #4 pellet weighs.
When a 3 times heavier #4 lead pellet hits a bone and flattens out and doesn't exit it impacts all the energy it carries on what it hits...when a little solid TSS #9 or #7 pelet's zips right through what it's hit it takes its energy with it.
There is a mathematical equation for figuring energy based on weight and velocity...only way a TTS #7 or #9 like you shoot can win is if you up your velosity...when in reality ou are shooting your TSS at a lower velosity than my 3 times heavier lead #4.
Put that cc in your gravity pipe and smoke on it...
What you say about the comparative weights is true, but it is a moot point. How far does a #9 TSS pellet penetrate? The answer is - far enough. As long as they have enough energy to penetrate into his head or neck, they will kill him.
I'm sure you know this, but I'll share it for those who don't turkey hunt. We kill turkeys differently than most anything else. We body shoot upland birds, we body shoot waterfowl, we body shoot deer, but the last thing in the world you wanna do with a turkey is to body shoot him with a shotgun. The long neck and head are the areas of the turkey that are vulnerable, and since we shoot them while stationary it makes sense to tailor your gun and load to fill the head and neck with holes. I have found that it doesn't seem to make much difference how big the holes might be. The smaller shot kills them just fine if you punch holes in the head/neck.
I just checked my hunting log that I have kept all my life. I have killed 88 spring gobblers with TSS handloads. I have killed them with size 7, 8, 8.5, 9, 9.5, and even killed a couple with 10. I have killed a lot more with lead than I have with tungsten, so I think I have a large enough sample size to form an opinion. I started out using TSS #8 shot, which is a 6.4 if you wanna compare it to the weight of lead. That size certainly has plenty of penetration to kill a turkey, but it has so much that it will kill a turkey way further than I wanna shoot one. Other folks were having success with #9, so I decided to try them. What I found was that they have plenty of penetration to kill the turkey, so I'm able to use a more open choke and a smaller gauge gun. That gives me a wider pattern and more room for aiming error, which I think is a good thing.
Turkey ammo has come a long way since I started hunting back in the 60s. The Longbeard loads that Joe mentioned are much superior to the lead I used back in the day.
Good hunting to all.
