https://gundigest.com/gear-ammo/ammunition/whats-the-deal-with-tss-shotgun-shellAt 35 yards, the Remington Nitro load put 45 pellets in a 5-inch circle, with an estimated velocity of 800 fps; this translates to 204 foot pounds of energy (fpe) delivered to the target. The Federal HeavyWeight round hit the 5-inch circle with 103 pellets, at an estimated velocity of 750 fps, creating 155 foot pounds of energy smacking the target. The Remington lead No. 4s penetrated the Clear Ballistics gel approximately 6 inches, and the Federal TSS tungsten shot penetrated 6 inches.
I found it interesting that the Federal No. 9 TSS shot embedded in a mostly uniform pattern, with the majority of the pellets having traveled the same depth in the ballistic gelatin. The Remington No. 4 lead pellets pierced the medium about 6 inches a few went deeper than that, and several traveled less. While I dont have any real slow-motion video proof, this would indicate the TSS load is delivering the shot charge to the target in an even manner, with a short shot string.
Some would say this is an unimpressive showing for the TSS load because it produced slightly less foot pounds of energy and velocity to the target. You must, however, look at the number of pellets. While 45 pellets for the lead in a 5-inch circle is certainly not bad, 103 TSS pellets is twice as good. It should also be noted that a TSS-specific choke tube would produce a higher pellet count on the target. Double the number of pellets would certainly give more room for error when taking a bead on a turkeys head.
