# Merriams, TSS, 20gauge and snakes



## TSS Caddis (Mar 15, 2002)

With all the talk of 20 gauges from DEDGOOSE, this past winter I went ahead and built an 870 20ga and fitted it with an Eotech for the upcoming spring. 

Figured with the new gun may as well try some new loads so sprung for 5lbs of TSS 9's and cranked out a few different loads to try with the new gun:










Ready to reload:









I'd prefer to be crimping but with new hulls it was just easier to roll crimp. I know my first roll crimps sucked:lol: they did get better though, honest 










After some messing around with different chokes/constrictions/loads, settled on the .562 Indian Creek and 1 5/8oz of TSS #9's.










After tagging in Missouri earlier in the spring, headed off to Montana for some Merriams.

Day 1 we busted one 3 minutes after it left the roost. In a different spot pulled 2 toms and some hen's 500yds or so off the roost to within 35yds. Definetly could have scored at that distance but in the low light misestimated them at closer to 50yds so they walked. Drove around the rest of the day but no gobbling and not many birds seen even though we had access to about 7 miles of river bottom that had birds.

Day 2, headed to the same spot I let the ones walk the day before, but dead silence on the roost. About 1 hour after light we made it to a large property that we tried the day before. One step out of the truck and a gobble. After crossing a small cutthroat stream we were in 10' tall brush but had a nice 3' wide cattle trail to manuever down. At this point you could tell it was not just one tom but many since the gobbling became non-stop. While still on the trail, we heard a gobble coming so we setup before we made it to the field they were in. 2 minutes later a lone tom came down the cattle trail to the call and dropped at 15 yds to the 20ga. At the gun shot more gobbles rang out and 3 minutes later we had another bird down followed by many more gobbles. We backed out to leave them for the next day.

Day 3, we were up at 3am and on the move to try to setup on the same flock we had killed 2 out of the day before. At day break the gobbles echoed through the river buttom as each tom would set off a chain reaction of gobbles down the creek. Since we had never made it to this field in the daylight we didn't really know the lay of the land and on fly down the birds passed on our field with scattered brush preferring s green field not far away. Calls were answered by both hen's and gobbles for the next 20 minutes but it seemed obvious they were not coming. As we glassed the brush seperating us from the field they were in, we notied a fan above the brush of a single tom on his way.

http://youtu.be/OUAKVntMPag

35yds and down. On the shot you can hear more gobbles from the main group, so with one more tag in hand we made a move on them. A few calls and less than 5 minutes later we had 2 more tom's with some hen's and jakes in range and tagged the 5th bird. 5 Tom's in the flock and over 2 days we killed 4 of them.

Messed with them a bit after we took our last bird:
http://youtu.be/iqt3E7UNqNE


Merriam #1



















Merriam #2









Fit in some snake wrangling on the way home.
http://youtu.be/9iMndGX4424


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## jem44357 (Jan 27, 2011)

WOW! A Merriman with a 20 and with 9's no less. Definately on my bucket list. Congrats!


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## old graybeard (Jan 19, 2006)

Awesome job and a beautiful bird, congrats!


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## srconnell22 (Aug 27, 2007)

Congrats Gene, looks like a great time! 

Have you found TSS 9's worth the money and effort over Federal Heavyweight 7's?


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## TSS Caddis (Mar 15, 2002)

srconnell22 said:


> Congrats Gene, looks like a great time!
> 
> Have you found TSS 9's worth the money and effort over Federal Heavyweight 7's?


Dead is dead and Tom doesn't seem to have a problem killing them with the HW 7's, so without doubt overkill. With that said though, those #9's will give me approx 300 more in a 10" circle over HW. Would like to pattern it at 50-60yds to see what it does. Hal has pictures where I believe the 9's pass through aluminum siding at 50 and 60 yds. Although if one wanted to shoot turkeys at 60yds, #8's would probably be a better choice. 

Tom kept talking about TSS shot, so I figured I'd just jump in with both feet and give it a try this year.

Easy to reload them, the only issue I've had is that at 25yds your looking at a 6" pattern and even at 40yds it is still very tight. I probably need to look into even less constriction.

On a side note, I reloaded some 1 1/8oz light loads for the kids and 1 7/16oz loads also. Thinking of dialing back to the 2 3/4" 1 7/16oz load going forward. The 3" 1 5/8oz load is probably way overkill and the 1 7/16oz load still gave me roughly 450 hits at 35yds and at 40yds also.

With the initial startup costs, if you want you can just order the shot from Hal and just stop by on your way up north some day and we can crank some out. Due to the volume the wads, buffer, felt and cork come in I have plenty sitting around. For the 1 7/16oz load it comes to $4.50/shell in shot, for the 1 5/8oz load it comes to $5/shell in shot. Have some initial investment in patterning but once done your talking 1 shell a year to confirm POI and one shell for a bird. IMO, worth every penny of the $10 a year. That 1 5/8oz load is pretty dominating.

Penetration information for lead, hevi, TSS etc...
http://www.gobblernation.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=1653


Per ounce information:

Lead #5	Hevi 13 #7	TSS #9
1 oz	173	278 362
1 1/8oz	195	313 407
1 1/4oz	216	348 453
1 1/2oz	260	417 543
1 5/8oz	281	452 588
1 3/4oz	303	487 634
2 oz	346	556 724


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## Romulas (Apr 27, 2013)

Nice job congrats!


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## srconnell22 (Aug 27, 2007)

TSS Caddis said:


> Dead is dead and Tom doesn't seem to have a problem killing them with the HW 7's, so without doubt overkill. With that said though, those #9's will give me approx 300 more in a 10" circle over HW. Would like to pattern it at 50-60yds to see what it does. Hal has pictures where I believe the 9's pass through aluminum siding at 50 and 60 yds. Although if one wanted to shoot turkeys at 60yds, #8's would probably be a better choice.
> 
> Tom kept talking about TSS shot, so I figured I'd just jump in with both feet and give it a try this year.
> 
> ...


Cool, thanks for the offer. I've been tossing it around this year. I've been running the HW 7's, but keep thinking the grass is greener on the reloading side (although HW is as good as it gets from the factory). 

After a string of 6 misses out of the last 7 shots (8-45 yards) by kids in the last week, I'm thinking I may want to look into something with a bit more open pattern or more shot down range. Even if that means down range is cut to 30 yards. 

Recoil tamed enough for kids (ages 8-17) on the reduced loads?


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## TSS Caddis (Mar 15, 2002)

srconnell22 said:


> Cool, thanks for the offer. I've been tossing it around this year. I've been running the HW 7's, but keep thinking the grass is greener on the reloading side (although HW is as good as it gets from the factory).
> 
> After a string of 6 misses out of the last 7 shots (8-45 yards) by kids in the last week, I'm thinking I may want to look into something with a bit more open pattern or more shot down range. Even if that means down range is cut to 30 yards.
> 
> Recoil tamed enough for kids (ages 8-17) on the reduced loads?


I shot the MagBlend reduced recoil load and the 1 1/8oz TSS load had *WAY* less recoil. I set my 6 year old up to shoot the 1 1/8oz TSS load. Reminds me I still need to get that little sucker out since he blanked in Missouri.

I'd wager that if you threw a factory modified in the 20ga that you may end up with a very forgiving light recoil youth pattern and still be able to kill out to 40yds. If I have a chance this weekend, I'll throw Mod in the gun and see what the 1 1/8oz does with it. 

Thinking of buying a Montefeltro Light 28ga this winter and setting it up for kids since it is about 2lbs lighter than the 870.

Serious about the loading offer also. Could crank out a pound of any of those loads pretty quick. Hal is pretty quick to ship the shot, or you can just use mine and pay me back. Can get about 14 1 1/8oz loads out of a lb.


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## srconnell22 (Aug 27, 2007)

TSS Caddis said:


> Reminds me I still need to get that little sucker out since he blanked in Missouri.


If you end up hunting around the area that you've hunted the last few years with him there were still birds around my farm last time I was down that way. He is welcome to kill one there. 

Tommy knows where to go around there.


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## dsconnell (Aug 29, 2007)

I was just there this past weekend and there are a few in the area there.. we didnt kill one so they are still there

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## TSS Caddis (Mar 15, 2002)

Cool, thx guys. He busted his little but from 5:30am till the 1pm close every day in Missouri so pretty motivated to get him a bird yet this year.


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## gooseman (Jul 24, 2006)

Nice work Gene. I am a little disappointed that you didn't use your .410 though. &#128521; 



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## jasonmeekhof (Jan 21, 2012)

I wish I had a reloader for a 410 I would load up some tss shells for my daughter. 

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## TSS Caddis (Mar 15, 2002)

jasonmeekhof said:


> I wish I had a reloader for a 410 I would load up some tss shells for my daughter.
> 
> posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


It's pretty crazy the patterns they are getting with TSS in .410 and 28ga. Some of those guys have legit 50yd 28 guages.


Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk


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## TSS Caddis (Mar 15, 2002)

Here is a .410 pattern with TSS that I snagged from someone else.



















28 guage patterns I snagged from someone else.

40 yards
10''-180
20''-260
outside-101
total-541









50 yards
10''-115
20''-215
outside-185
total 515










Can at 50yds after the shot passed through the cardboard.


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## jasonmeekhof (Jan 21, 2012)

I'm not set up at all to reload but have considered it simple for reloading tss 410 shells. Just wish I could have someone load some up. 

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