# Handloading turkey ammo



## Day Late

Does anyone handload turkey ammunition? When I had more time I reloaded shotgun shells for trap and sporting clays. But turkey hunting is about the only thing I use a shotgun for these days. I have a entry level Mec reloader collecting dust. I need to brush up on the "Shotgunners Bible" too. But does anyone have a recipe that they like as a starting point?


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## DEDGOOSE

Cadiss is handloading TSS.. Truly cutting edge stuff and will do things never dreamed a turkey load would do.. Pressure tested recipes are available if you purchase the shot from the guy.. I do not believe these guys use any type of loader but do it by hand.. 

IF you wanna handload lead, I would advise against it there is a lead load available that handloaders really cannot touch.. 12 or 13 g/cc shot you can up performance.. 15 g/cc shot you can improve performance over factory loads in the 12 and match performance of factory fodder in the 20..


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## John Singer

I hand load my own turkey loads. My 12 gauge gun has a 2 3/4" chamber. I have developed a load that puts between 5 and 10 pellets in a turkey head target vital zone at 40 yards. 

It is 1 1/2 oz of #5 lead, unbuffered. I try to keep my shots within 35 yards.

I have killed several turkeys with standard pheasant loads of #6 or #5 lead shot.


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## John Singer

For a recipe, I use 25 grains of 800x powder, Cheddite Hull, Cheddite primer, CSD 118 wad, and 1.5 oz of #5 lead. I estimate the velocity around 1100-1200 fps.

Use at your own risk.


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## TSS Caddis

DEDGOOSE turned me onto loading TSS and I am thankful he did. Yes you can kill turkeys with lead and any HTL, but for the 1 shell you use in Michigan a year, why not just go the TSS route and have the enjoyment of reloading it. 

I also did it so I could load a softer recoiling and better patterning load for the kids since I wasn't keen on anything else on the market for young kids.

No need for a reloader, just scale, dowel rod and a roll crimper for the drill press.

This spring, I'm going to try to open the choke up on the 20 and get a more kid friendly, larger, pattern. May have to go down to an improved cylinder for a pattern that could still kill out to 50yds but open up quick enough to get a larger pattern at 20yds. When I was shooting last spring at 20yds, your basically talking a pattern the size of your fist with the Indian Creek .562 choke. If the kids get shot in the breast so be it, it will give them the best chance possible for success. From the reading on what some of the other guys reloading TSS are up to, I would not hesitate to go to the 28ga or .410 either. If I owned a 28ga, I'd probably be reloading for that over the 20ga. I'm considering just going with the 1 1/8oz load for both the kids and I this year and not waste the shot in stepping up to the 1 5/8oz load.

These pics are from the 20ga.


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## slowpoke

No need for a reloader, just scale, dowel rod and a roll crimper for the drill press.

I'm interested in loading turkey loads like this. Any videos (like Youtube)??


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## TSS Caddis

There are video's but it really isn't rocket science. If you think about it, a progressive reloader is just automating what you can do by hand.

I can only relay what I do. 

If using new hulls, they are already primed.
Weigh out the grains of powder per the recipe and dump it in
Put the wad in and seat it firmly with the dowel rod
If the recipe requires, cut and add mylar wrap
Add any felt or cork spacers needed per the recipe and seat with the dowel
Weigh out the shot and pour it in
If the recipe requires, weigh out the buffer and tap it into the shell
Top with any felt spacers or extra buffer to get it to within something like 1/8" from the top of the hull
Weigh the shell to make sure you didn't forget anything :lol:
Add the overshot card, put it under the roll crimper on the drill press and done.

Some times in reloading the 1 1/8oz load I'll just use some once fired hulls and use the reloader to crimp.


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## John Singer

I will freely admit that I cannot get patterns like that with lead.

That is amazing.


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## TSS Caddis

John Singer said:


> I will freely admit that I cannot get patterns like that with lead.
> 
> That is amazing.


Anyone can dominate patterns with Hal's TSS recipe's. I'm just a trained monkey that can follow instructions.


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