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Post by hgunhtr on Dec 25, 2023 15:30:16 GMT -5
future son in law has invited me to hunt kansas turkey. looking at the regs it looks like I can hunt with a handgun as long as it shoots a shotshell and has a choke. Contenders with the 45/410 barrel seems to be the answer. I saw one member has one that was converted by schultz machining. any feedback on the performance with the 410?
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Post by northerngos on Dec 25, 2023 15:42:27 GMT -5
I have a tc 410 (octagon barrel with extended choke). With Remington 3” #5 shot shells it is 100% deadly to 22/23 yards. Any further and you risk crippling, the pattern opens up fast. Turkeys with a tc 410 are an awesome game, you should do it!
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woody
.375 Atomic
Posts: 1,116
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Post by woody on Dec 25, 2023 17:05:37 GMT -5
I would look into TSS loads for the .410. They put up some awesome patterns. I hunt with a few guys that use a .410 shotgun and with 3” #9’s they are a honest 35-40 yard gun.
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Post by northerngos on Dec 25, 2023 19:07:35 GMT -5
I grabbed some tss, then I got nervous because I read the shot is very hard. I started to worry about it damaging that external choke. It’s a pretty aggressive choke. But the shot is in a wad so maybe I was overthinking it.
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Post by hgunhtr on Dec 25, 2023 19:24:02 GMT -5
thanks for the replies- had one 7-8 years ago and it was pretty dismal for patterns over 10-12 yards- think it may have been the shells. the new tss is supposed to be the ticket for great patterns.
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Post by northerngos on Dec 26, 2023 21:47:49 GMT -5
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Post by 45MAN on Dec 27, 2023 7:06:17 GMT -5
NEVER HEARD OF TSS (TUNGSTEN SUPER SHOT) AMMO UNTIL THIS THREAD, VERY PRICEY BUT SEEMS TO BE WORTH IT FOR SPECIFIC LOW VOLUME SHOOTING TASKS.
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woody
.375 Atomic
Posts: 1,116
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Post by woody on Dec 27, 2023 7:25:17 GMT -5
NEVER HEARD OF TSS (TUNGSTEN SUPER SHOT) AMMO UNTIL THIS THREAD, VERY PRICEY BUT SEEMS TO BE WORTH IT FOR SPECIFIC LOW VOLUME SHOOTING TASKS. I shoot Federal in my 20 gauge it’s deadly!!!! Plus I use Fox Trot custom and Apex. With 9’s it has a high pellet count and retained energy down range. Patterns very good also. It has made the 12 gauge not needed or the top gun anymore in the Turkey woods. Yes it’s pricey but once you get a choke/ammo combo Thst shoots. Only a few shells a year are not bad. |
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Post by x101airborne on Dec 27, 2023 7:40:51 GMT -5
A guy on a predator hunting forum showed a video of him coyote hunting with TSS number 9's in a 12 gauge. When the guy with the rifle missed and the dog took off running, the guy with a shotgun hit it with a load at 80 yards and rolled it! Wouldn't have believed it if it wasnt on video. For just a couple rounds a year in specific applications I could definitely see it's worth.
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Post by hgunhtr on Dec 27, 2023 9:21:06 GMT -5
the outdoor channel had an episode with 410's and turkeys and they killed a gobbler at 45yards. I am more realistic at 10-15 yards - i want the best pattern possible so spending 40-50 bucks for shells for the opportunity to shoot one with a handgun is probably the cheapest part of the hunt considering that it costs more than that to fill the truck with gas.
Northerngos- i had the internal choke 45/410 10" barrel with sights as well. looking for a super 14 if i can find one.
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gregs
.30 Stingray
Posts: 457 
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Post by gregs on Dec 31, 2023 1:50:57 GMT -5
I picked up a SxS 410 shotgun for Chrismas. Due to the non existence of 410 ammo on the store shelves, I have resorted to CBC brass 2.5" brass shot shells and 9.3x74R brass for 3" shells. The 100 each that I purchased should last the remainder of my time left here. I say this cause I've done alot of patterning and experimenting trying to raise my scores. You get 1 good reload from a factory shell, after that, the strength of the crimp gets weak and your pattern shrinks about 2" each reload. I couldn't break a 90+ average without shooting factory new shells in competition.
I shot alot of 410 when I shot skeet competently so I know my way around a 2.5" 410 shell. Generally, the 410 is considered a 20-30 yard gun. There is a diminished return trying to stretch the killing power of the 410 further because of the small 1/2oz payload space in a 2.5" shell. Try to go to larger shot = less pellets in the pattern. There is a balance and 7.5 is about as large as you can go in a 2.5 shell.
3" shells are a different animal with the additional payload space.
While getting ready to start experimenting with loads for 3" shells, I found the TSS rabbit hole on a turkey hunting forum.
These guys are getting 100 pellet 10 inch patterns at 40 yards with a 410 using #9 and #10 size TSS shit. TSS is speedy but it is pretty impressive.
Material Properties:
Steel shot weighs about 7.5 grams per cubic centimeter (g/cc) and is harder than lead.
Lead shot weighs about 10.6 g/cc and is a relatively soft metal, deforms easily and is reasonably gentle on a gun barrel.
Hevi-Shot weighs about 12 g/cc and is a mixture of tungsten, nickel and steel and is a much harder metal than lead. It can damage the inside of the barrel of a shotgun and therefore must be loaded with thicker shot wads for more barrel protection.
Hevi-13 weighs about 13g/cc but is otherwise similar to regular Hevi-Shot.
Federal Heavy Weight weighs about 15.2 g/cc and has a higher percentage of tungsten in the metal which makes it heavier than the previously mentioned materials.
TSS weighs about 18 g/cc and has the highest percentage of tungsten of any shot available today and is therefore the heaviest shot currently available. It is an extremely hard material and requires even more precautions than the others to protect the shotgun from damage.
TSS comes in three densities, 13 (hevishot), 15 & 18
Non-toxic shot has come a long way. Good luck on the hunt!
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Post by hgunhtr on Dec 31, 2023 11:51:35 GMT -5
Gregs-
Thank you for the very useful information. i have turkey hunted turkeys with a longbow/selfbow for years. longest shot so far is 18 yards. if the 410 gives me that much range with any of the loads I end up testing I will be happy. Turkeys are a close range hunt in my opinion so the 410 pistol should be a hoot.
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Post by northerngos on Dec 31, 2023 13:13:18 GMT -5
My contender was worked over somewhat by a machinist/amateur gunsmith long before I got it. It is a shorter barrel than what you are looking for, and has the external screw on choke tube. Even with regular 3” rem #5’s it is a 22-23 yard turkey gun, 100% successful out to there. I’ve killed a number with it. To be fair I haven’t compared it with a stock contender barrel but I doubt there would be much difference. All that he did was basically lap the bore to take out the rough spots, and smooth the throat I think. It’s still fully rifled. If you are looking for 15-18 yards and under I’d be pretty surprised if you weren’t set with a stock barrel and regular 3” lead shot.
Edited “throats” to singular
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woody
.375 Atomic
Posts: 1,116
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Post by woody on Dec 31, 2023 13:58:27 GMT -5
I picked up a SxS 410 shotgun for Chrismas. Due to the non existence of 410 ammo on the store shelves, I have resorted to CBC brass 2.5" brass shot shells and 9.3x74R brass for 3" shells. The 100 each that I purchased should last the remainder of my time left here. I say this cause I've done alot of patterning and experimenting trying to raise my scores. You get 1 good reload from a factory shell, after that, the strength of the crimp gets weak and your pattern shrinks about 2" each reload. I couldn't break a 90+ average without shooting factory new shells in competition. I shot alot of 410 when I shot skeet competently so I know my way around a 2.5" 410 shell. Generally, the 410 is considered a 20-30 yard gun. There is a diminished return trying to stretch the killing power of the 410 further because of the small 1/2oz payload space in a 2.5" shell. Try to go to larger shot = less pellets in the pattern. There is a balance and 7.5 is about as large as you can go in a 2.5 shell. 3" shells are a different animal with the additional payload space. While getting ready to start experimenting with loads for 3" shells, I found the TSS rabbit hole on a turkey hunting forum. These guys are getting 100 pellet 10 inch patterns at 40 yards with a 410 using #9 and #10 size TSS shit. TSS is speedy but it is pretty impressive. Material Properties: Steel shot weighs about 7.5 grams per cubic centimeter (g/cc) and is harder than lead. Lead shot weighs about 10.6 g/cc and is a relatively soft metal, deforms easily and is reasonably gentle on a gun barrel. Hevi-Shot weighs about 12 g/cc and is a mixture of tungsten, nickel and steel and is a much harder metal than lead. It can damage the inside of the barrel of a shotgun and therefore must be loaded with thicker shot wads for more barrel protection. Hevi-13 weighs about 13g/cc but is otherwise similar to regular Hevi-Shot. Federal Heavy Weight weighs about 15.2 g/cc and has a higher percentage of tungsten in the metal which makes it heavier than the previously mentioned materials. TSS weighs about 18 g/cc and has the highest percentage of tungsten of any shot available today and is therefore the heaviest shot currently available. It is an extremely hard material and requires even more precautions than the others to protect the shotgun from damage. TSS comes in three densities, 13 (hevishot), 15 & 18 Non-toxic shot has come a long way. Good luck on the hunt! Not sure where you’re located but there seems to be a lot of AA’s in my area currently. But they do want $17.99 a box!!! Just a few years ago they were $100-120 a flat. I shoot with some really good skeet shooters. Strictly shoot .410 in practice mostly. They run 100 straights weekly when we shoot practice. They make it look easy. Lol. They seem to get about 5-6 loadings out of their hulls before they get whistlers. Most preferred the older AA’s to the new HS hulls. Some like STS’s. Most are old school and use 296. .410 and LilGun tend to fry hulls faster. I mostly Shoot the 28 gauge tubes in my gun. |
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Post by northerngos on Dec 31, 2023 14:45:10 GMT -5
I picked up a SxS 410 shotgun for Chrismas. Due to the non existence of 410 ammo on the store shelves, I have resorted to CBC brass 2.5" brass shot shells and 9.3x74R brass for 3" shells. The 100 each that I purchased should last the remainder of my time left here. I say this cause I've done alot of patterning and experimenting trying to raise my scores. You get 1 good reload from a factory shell, after that, the strength of the crimp gets weak and your pattern shrinks about 2" each reload. I couldn't break a 90+ average without shooting factory new shells in competition. I shot alot of 410 when I shot skeet competently so I know my way around a 2.5" 410 shell. Generally, the 410 is considered a 20-30 yard gun. There is a diminished return trying to stretch the killing power of the 410 further because of the small 1/2oz payload space in a 2.5" shell. Try to go to larger shot = less pellets in the pattern. There is a balance and 7.5 is about as large as you can go in a 2.5 shell. 3" shells are a different animal with the additional payload space. While getting ready to start experimenting with loads for 3" shells, I found the TSS rabbit hole on a turkey hunting forum. These guys are getting 100 pellet 10 inch patterns at 40 yards with a 410 using #9 and #10 size TSS shit. TSS is speedy but it is pretty impressive. Material Properties: Steel shot weighs about 7.5 grams per cubic centimeter (g/cc) and is harder than lead. Lead shot weighs about 10.6 g/cc and is a relatively soft metal, deforms easily and is reasonably gentle on a gun barrel. Hevi-Shot weighs about 12 g/cc and is a mixture of tungsten, nickel and steel and is a much harder metal than lead. It can damage the inside of the barrel of a shotgun and therefore must be loaded with thicker shot wads for more barrel protection. Hevi-13 weighs about 13g/cc but is otherwise similar to regular Hevi-Shot. Federal Heavy Weight weighs about 15.2 g/cc and has a higher percentage of tungsten in the metal which makes it heavier than the previously mentioned materials. TSS weighs about 18 g/cc and has the highest percentage of tungsten of any shot available today and is therefore the heaviest shot currently available. It is an extremely hard material and requires even more precautions than the others to protect the shotgun from damage. TSS comes in three densities, 13 (hevishot), 15 & 18 Non-toxic shot has come a long way. Good luck on the hunt! This breaks it down very thoroughly. It would have saved me an hour or two of digging at the least if I had access to it a couple of weeks ago 😅 |
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