The real advantage of shooting TSS comes from pellet penetration and pattern density at distance. Here’s the basic physics concept to understand: smaller, denser pellets retain velocity better and penetrate better than larger, less dense pellets. If you want the math on this, then Moser says it’s more useful for turkey hunters to look at penetration energy than kinetic energy. Penetration energy is the measure of pellet energy per cross-sectional area, Moser says. In other words, it is the kinetic energy of the pellet divided by its surface area, also referred to as the 2D area of the pellet (Ke=1/2 mv^2).
Here’s a sample of penetration energy generated from 1200 FPS muzzle velocity at 40 yards.
- No. 7 TSS pellet: 535 ft-lb/in²
- No. 9 TSS pellet: 374 ft-lb/in²
- No. 5 lead pellet: 241 ft-lb/in²
- No. 6 lead pellet: 205 ft-lb/in²
As you can see, both TSS pellet sizes carry far more penetration energy at 40 yards than the lead pellet sizes.
Pellets kill a turkey by penetrating its vitals, specifically the central nervous system (spinal cord and brain). You want to see several pellet strikes in the head and neck. A dense pattern is key and this is where TSS really outperforms lead, especially TSS No. 9 shot. Because of the small shot sizes TSS loads offer far higher pellet counts than lead turkey loads.
Source:
https://www.outdoorlife.com/hunting/podcast-the-truth-about-tss-turkey-loads/
