Federal Premium Heavyweight TSS 12 Gauge (PTSSX197F79)

Federal Premium Heavyweight TSS is the load that set the standard for factory tungsten turkey ammunition. Tungsten Super Shot runs about 18 g/cc, roughly 56 percent denser than lead's 11 g/cc, so a tiny #9 pellet carries the downrange energy and penetration of a much larger lead pellet. This 3-inch 12-gauge shell stacks 2 ounces of a #7/#9 blend, and the #9 shot patterns like #4 or #5 lead while putting two to three times more pellets in the same payload weight. Through a tight turkey choke it prints dense, even patterns lethal on a gobbler's head and neck well past 40 yards.

The #7/#9 blend is deliberate. The finer #9 pellets flood the pattern core with hit density, while the larger #7 pellets extend penetration at the longest ranges. That combination is why TSS rewrote range expectations for turkey hunting. Where a lead hunter capped confident shots around 35 to 40 yards, a patterned TSS gun stretches ethical range past 50. Federal builds it on the FLITECONTROL FLEX wad, which brakes off the shot column cleanly for the tight, repeatable patterns TSS is capable of.

The catch is cost. TSS is expensive because tungsten is expensive, and a 5-round box runs around $95, roughly $19 per trigger pull. Turkey hunters accept it because a box lasts multiple seasons and the terminal performance is not matched by any lead load. Federal loads the same recipe in 20 gauge and .410 bore, and TSS density is exactly what makes a .410 a viable 40-yard turkey gun, something that was unthinkable with lead. Pattern your specific choke and load before the season, because TSS patterns tight and you need to know where the dense core lands.