Federal Is Shipping Its Heavyweight 28GA TSS Turkey Loads
Zac K. 03.24.25
Looking to get loaded up for spring turkey season? If you’re a sub-gauge enthusiast, there is no reason to grit your teeth and reach for the big-bore twelve (or ten). Your 28 gauge will do the job just fine, and Federal’s new Heavyweight TSS loads are part of the trick of getting it done.
Taking down turkeys
Traditionally, a lot of turkey hunters went for 12 gauge or 10 gauge shotguns so they could shoot larger-diameter pellets for downrange hitting power, but still have high pellet count and decent patterning. But thanks to advances in shotshell technology, that mindset has changed.
Sub-gauge shotguns—16 gauge, 20 gauge, or even smaller—are increasingly popular with turkey hunters thanks to a combination of improved choke technology and redesigned shotshells that hold a pattern better. Updated wads make a big difference here, but so does improved shot material. Instead of lead or steel, shotshells like Federal’s TSS loads use tungsten alloys to make pellets that are small in diameter, but still heavy enough to carry killing energy further out.
New 28 gauge shotshell option
The new Federal 28-gauge Heavyweight TSS turkey loads come in 2.75-inch and 3-inch options, both packed with #9 pellets. Previously, Federal had a 2.75-inch 28-gauge load available in their Custom Shop, but this year, you can buy these factory loads from your local dealer—they’re being shipped right now.
Federal’s description makes them sound like they’re built to perform:
Federal Premium HEAVYWEIGHT TSS tungsten-alloy shot material’s 18 g/cc density is 56 percent more than lead, resulting in the highest pellet counts and the most energy at extreme range. Its rear-braking FLITECONTROL FLEX wad performs flawlessly through ported and standard turkey chokes for consistent, deadly patterns.
Other features include a roll crimp and over-shot card that keeps buffering material in place and full-length wads that prevent direct contact between the extra-hard pellets and the bore, protecting the barrel.
Sounds legit. They’re pricey, at $74.99 for a box of five 3-inch loads, or $60.99 for a box of five 2.75-inch loads. But then, you aren’t exactly going through a flat of these at the skeet range, either; once you know your pattern is dialed in, you should be good to go, more or less.
A portion of the proceeds go to the National Wild Turkey Federation as well, so you’re helping out with conservation. See more details at Federal’s website here.
