#7 TSS and the .7 rule

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crow
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Joined: July 17th, 2017, 7:01 pm

#7 TSS and the .7 rule

Post by crow »

I shot some of the Fed factory 3" 20ga. #7 TSS 1.5oz loads out of an old savage 220 with an extra full fixed choke (.585)
It is doing better than the .7 calculations, not sure if the larger size TSS does better with the .7 rule or if anyone else has seen this

this gun averaged 131 in the 10" at 40yds, with the .7 rule this should be 92 in the 10" at 50yds and 64 in the 10" at 60yds

same day as above, shot a pattern at 60 yards, it got 90 in the 10", with the .7 rule this should be 63 in 10" at 70 and 44 in 10" at 80.

I reload and normally shoot #8 TSS in this gun, I bought the Fed factorys when bass pro reduced them.

Yesterday I wanted to see how they would do on groundhogs for penetration and shot 2.
first one was standing up facing me and shot at a ranged 54yds, very impressive, it flattened him stone dead. smaller ground hog and had exit holes out his back.


2nd one after a 50 some yard bellycrawl stalk thru a bean field shot him as he was facing me on all fours at a ranged (after the shot) 76yds.
this one was at the mouth of his hole, the pattern flipped him onto his back and was dead when I got there.

overall the 7's had very impressive penetration and performance, I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a broadside fox or goose at distance with this load.
deerhunt1988
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Re: #7 TSS and the .7 rule

Post by deerhunt1988 »

#8s in my gun hold a higher % in the 10" than #8.5s and #9s at 40 and 50 yards. At 50 yards I actually get about the same number of #8s in the 10" that I do #8.5s with 115 less pellets in the load.
257rwr
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Joined: May 20th, 2020, 8:26 am

Re: #7 TSS and the .7 rule

Post by 257rwr »

whats the formula for the .7 rule?
toasty
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Re: #7 TSS and the .7 rule

Post by toasty »

257rwr wrote: June 8th, 2020, 2:42 pm whats the formula for the .7 rule?
Each 10 yards you go out from 40 yards, you have 70% of the shot retained in your 10" pattern. It works fairly well for small shot like #9s and #10s. I have found larger shot stays together much tighter than small shot and the .7 rule doesn't work for #7s. I once shot a goose load of TSS #5s at 40 and 60 yards and had about 90% of the shot retained in the pattern at 60 vs 40.
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paboxcall
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Re: #7 TSS and the .7 rule

Post by paboxcall »

toasty wrote: June 8th, 2020, 2:54 pm
257rwr wrote: June 8th, 2020, 2:42 pm whats the formula for the .7 rule?
Each 10 yards you go out from 40 yards, you have 70% of the shot retained in your 10" pattern. It works fairly well for small shot like #9s and #10s. I have found larger shot stays together much tighter than small shot and the .7 rule doesn't work for #7s. I once shot a goose load of TSS #5s at 40 and 60 yards and had about 90% of the shot retained in the pattern at 60 vs 40.
What influence does choke constriction play in this 0.7 rule? Assume the same gun/barrel, would the difference between say .555, .562, etc. be a variable?
"Sit down wrong, and you're beat." Jim Spencer

Don't go this year where youtubers went last year.
crow
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Re: #7 TSS and the .7 rule

Post by crow »

257rwr wrote: June 8th, 2020, 2:42 pm whats the formula for the .7 rule?
if you got 200 tss #9 pellets in a 10" circle at 40 yards you would multiply 200 X .7 =140 pellets in the 10" at 50 yards

it goes in 10 yard increments, so 140 pellets at 50yds times .7 = 98 pellets in 10" at 60yds, and so on in 10 yard increments
257rwr
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Re: #7 TSS and the .7 rule

Post by 257rwr »

Thanks i was looking for this the other day.
toasty
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Re: #7 TSS and the .7 rule

Post by toasty »

paboxcall wrote: June 8th, 2020, 3:07 pm
What influence does choke constriction play in this 0.7 rule? Assume the same gun/barrel, would the difference between say .555, .562, etc. be a variable?
Choke, in theory, doesn't matter with the .7 rule. A tighter constriction will be tighter at 40 but will still drop off at the same rate. It really is just a guidline to be used to calculate your theoretical pattern density of your turkey load at longer ranges than you pattern. Most guys don't spend the money to pattern and that is why the .7 rule was created. The problem is guys think they have enough pattern density at 60 or 70 yards by calculation and they do, but they don't account for the 20" of drop in the shot and end up missing or body shooting and wounding a turkey. With smaller shot at those ranges, you are also going to run out of adequate penetration with your pellets at longer ranges. If one really wants to shoot turkeys at 60 yards, I think they should pattern at 60 yards to see effects of drop and pattern density. TSS is effective, especially with small bores, but it doesn't make a gun a 60 yards turkey gun.
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paboxcall
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Re: #7 TSS and the .7 rule

Post by paboxcall »

toasty wrote: June 8th, 2020, 9:02 pm
paboxcall wrote: June 8th, 2020, 3:07 pm
What influence does choke constriction play in this 0.7 rule? Assume the same gun/barrel, would the difference between say .555, .562, etc. be a variable?
Choke, in theory, doesn't matter with the .7 rule. A tighter constriction will be tighter at 40 but will still drop off at the same rate. It really is just a guidline to be used to calculate your theoretical pattern density of your turkey load at longer ranges than you pattern. Most guys don't spend the money to pattern and that is why the .7 rule was created. The problem is guys think they have enough pattern density at 60 or 70 yards by calculation and they do, but they don't account for the 20" of drop in the shot and end up missing or body shooting and wounding a turkey. With smaller shot at those ranges, you are also going to run out of adequate penetration with your pellets at longer ranges. If one really wants to shoot turkeys at 60 yards, I think they should pattern at 60 yards to see effects of drop and pattern density. TSS is effective, especially with small bores, but it doesn't make a gun a 60 yards turkey gun.
Got it, thanks! Was over thinking it. :thumbup:
"Sit down wrong, and you're beat." Jim Spencer

Don't go this year where youtubers went last year.
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