The Best Turkey Loads of 2026, Tested on Ballistic Gel (Video)

The turkey ammo market has been flipped on its head this year as the price of Tungsten Super Shot skyrocketed. Amid the turmoil, ammo manufacturers are working to provide the best turkey loads they can at prices that customers can stomach. Some are loading a less-dense tungsten pellet as a way of avoiding the harshest tariffs. Others are stacking tungsten pellets with lead. 

But still, all of these loads are much more expensive than good old lead ammo. So which of these turkey loads are top performers? And how much extra performance do they offer compared to the top lead turkey ammo?

Best Turkey Loads

More Loads We Tested

In order to answer these questions, the OL team conducted an in-depth turkey load test, shooting top loads through two guns (with different choke constrictions), to measure pattern density and pellet penetration on ballistic gel. We tested tungsten loads at 60 yards and lead loads at 40 yards. To evaluate pattern density we counted the number of pellet strikes within a 10-inch circle drawn over the core of the pattern. We were looking for at least 100 pellet strikes in the zone (as is the long-held standard) for consistent lethality. To jump to our full testing protocol, click here. 

Also, check out my reviews of the best 20 gauge turkey loads and best .410 turkey loads.

Editor’s Choice, Best TSS Load: Apex Greenleaf

In theory, Apex’s Greenleaf should produce better patterns than any other load in this roster. Because it combines 1 ½ ounces of No. 10 shot and ¾ ounces of No. 9 shot there are an incredible amount of pellets packed into this shell — 1096 to be exact. 

The result was shockingly dense patterns even at 60 yards. Through the tighter choked Remington, we averaged 199 pellet strikes in the zone. For reference, that’s much better than most lead loads will produce at 40 yards. 

But our main question was: Do these tiny No. 10 pellets penetrate deep enough at distance to be effective? When we shot this load on ballistic gel, we were pleasantly surprised to see that these little pellets were indeed killers. The No. 10 pellets penetrated about 1.87 inches, while the No. 9 pellets drove in about 3 inches. For reference, No. 6 lead pellets penetrated 1.5 inches at this distance.

The combination of insane pattern density with sufficient penetration was enough to earn Apex Greenleaf our hands down Editor’s Choice award. 

Editor’s Choice, Best Lead Load: Winchester Long Beard XR

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Pros

• Excellent 40-yard patterns
• Affordable
• Widely available

Cons

• Limited ranged compared to TSS

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Key Features

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  Pellet Material: Lead

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  Shot size: No. 6

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  Payload: 1 3/4 ounce

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  Average 10-inch pattern: 134 at 40 yards

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  Price: $26 per box of 10

I was among the first group of writers to test Winchester Long Beard XR back when it was introduced more than a decade ago. Today, it’s still the best lead turkey load that I’ve ever shot. The secret is Winchester’s “Shot-Lok” technology, which is a solid resin that buffers its pellets. The result is heavy, even patterns down range. Through the tighter choke of the Remington 870, we averaged 147 pellet strikes inside a 10-inch circle at 40 yards. 

With that Remington shotgun, I would feel comfortable shooting Long Beard XR to about 45 yards. Much beyond that, the pattern would degrade to the point where we’d no longer have 100 pellet strikes in the zone (which is our threshold for consistent lethality). So even though Winchester promises “twice the number of pellets in a 10-inch circle out to 60 yards,” I do not consider this a 60-yard load, at least through our test guns. 

Gel testing revealed that the No. 6 lead pellets penetrated 2.5 inches at 40 yards and just under 1.5 inches at 60 yards (which is nearing the threshold of lethality). But again, in the guns we tested, there weren’t enough pellet strikes in the core of the pattern at 60 yards for reliable, clean kills. 

The takeaway here is that with the right choke and some diligent patterning work, you can shoot Winchester Long Beard XR to 45 or maybe 50 yards effectively. Considering it’s exponentially cheaper than any TSS load, this is a perfect choice for most turkey hunters. 

Best Value TSS: Federal Custom Shop

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Pros

• More affordable than other TSS options
• Sold in box of 10
• Heavy payload

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Key Features

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  Pellet Material: TSS

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  Shot size: No. 9

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  Payload: 2 1/2 ounce

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  Average 10-inch pattern: 104 at 60 yards

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  Price: $156 per box of 10

I realize it’s a bit absurd to consider $15 per shell a value, but welcome to the modern TSS market. Through its online Custom Shop, Federal loads a variety of TSS options for a bunch of different gauges. For turkeys they offer 2 ½ ounce, 12 gauge options in both No. 9s and No. 7s. We had good success with the No. 9s putting an average of 104 pellets in the zone with both guns. The No. 7s penetrated like crazy (3 inches at 60 yards) but because there are fewer pellets in the payload we didn’t get sufficiently dense patterns at long distance.

Federal sells these Custom Shop loads in a box of 10, so you get a little more bang for your buck. The only tricky part is availability. 

Best Tungsten Patterns: Winchester Tungsten Long Beard

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Pros

• Awesome patterns at 60 yards

Cons

• Less dense pellet material
• Less penetration at 60 yards

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Key Features

• 
  Pellet Material: Tungsten (17 g/cc)

• 
  Shot size: No. 9

• 
  Payload: 2 1/4 ounce

• 
  Average 10-inch pattern: 151 at 60 yards

• 
  Price: $93 per box of 5

This spring Winchester is offering a Tungsten Long Beard option (not to be confused with TSS Long Beard). This load utilizes a slightly less dense pellet material of 17 g/cc than standard TSS, which has a density of 18 g/cc.

In our range testing, Winchester’s No. 9 load delivered outstanding patterns, especially out of the Remington 870, averaging 156 pellet strikes in the zone at 60 yards. This was the second best performance we saw, behind the Greenleaf TSS. 

However in penetration testing we were a bit dismayed to see these pellets only drive about 1.5 inches into ballistic gel at 60 yards. This is substantially less than the straight TSS No. 9 pellets, which penetrated 2.75 inches at this distance. In fact, Winchester Tungsten was on par with the lead No. 6 pellets in terms of penetration. However, Winchester did say that in their testing they recorded 2.44 inches of penetration into the same gel block material at 60 yards. 

The takeaway, at least from our testing, is that Long Beard Tungsten can deliver outstanding patterns and enough penetration to be reliably lethal at 60 yards, but probably not beyond. 

More Turkey Loads We Tested

Apex GT-3

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This is a standard No. 9 TSS load that turned in some excellent patterns at 60 yards. This 2 ¼-ounce load brings 814 pellets to the party. Through the Remington 870 it averaged 145 pellet strikes in the zone (so a .660 diameter is probably a good place to start). One additional benefit of Apex is that they source their TSS from American companies, rather than China.

Boss Tom TSS

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Boss offers the best 20-gauge turkey load I’ve ever shot, and their 12 gauge offering is solid too. Interestingly, this is a 2 ¾-inch shotshell that brings a hefty 2 ½-ounce payload. That translates to 905 No. 9 pellets in the payload. Boss also sources its TSS from American companies.

Hevi-18 TSS Turkey

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Hevi Shot has a variety of denser-than-lead options, but Hevi-18 is their top TSS load. Compared to the other TSS options we reviewed, this shotshell has a lighter payload of 2 ounces but it still put plenty of pellets on target with 121 in the zone out of the Remington shotgun.

Migra Hybrid

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Migra Hybrid is an intriguing load that combines No. 5 lead pellets with No. 9 tungsten pellets (which have a density of 17 g/cc like Winchester’s). The load contains 217 lead pellets and 200 No. 9 tungsten pellets. The result is an option that contains tungsten but comes in at a fraction of the price of TSS. A box of Migra Hybrid is selling for $40 per box of 5, that’s less than half the cost of TSS ammo. Unfortunately, we didn’t get great patterning results out of these Hybrid loads. At 40 yards we saw about 90 pellet strikes in a 10-inch circle with the Remington 870 (the Mossberg was much worse). Migra did say that they recorded 200-plus pellet strikes using a Mossberg 935 and .675 choke. 

So if you’re going to shoot these loads you’ll likely need to do some experimenting with choke constrictions for better patterns than we were able to produce in our test. 

Federal Grand Slam

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Grand Slam uses copper plated lead shot and Federal’s Flite Control wad. We saw OK patterns out of the Mossberg with this load at 40 yards but we’d have to do more testing with different choke constrictions to be fully confident with it at this range. 

How We Tested the Best Turkey Loads

We used two 12 gauge test guns for this review: 

For each load we shot three patterns per gun and then averaged them to get an average pattern density. We measured patterns by drawing a 10-inch circle around the core of the pattern and then we counted the pellet strikes. Any average pattern density of 100 pellet strikes or more within the 10-inch circle was deemed lethal (as this is the traditional standard). 

We shot the TSS loads at 60 yards and the lead loads at 40 yards. The idea here is that hunters who opt for TSS want to shoot turkeys beyond the ranges that lead loads typically allow. We then shot the top performing loads into ballistic gel to evaluate their penetration. It’s common knowledge that lead No. 6s pellets kill turkeys effectively at 40 yards, so we used this penetration depth (2.5 inches) for a control figure.  

Loads that delivered the best pattern density, plus sufficient penetration were given top honors.

We shot all patterns from a bench using Caldwell’s Lead Sled Max, which saved us from the brutal recoil of these heavy payloads. We also used LPVO scopes on the guns for precise aiming. 

Read Next: The Best Turkey Guns of All Time

Turkey Hunting Ethics 

Turkey hunting at its very best is a close range game. The point, after all, is to call a tom in close and kill him cleanly. The expert turkey hunters I know do not blast turkeys at long range just to punch tags. They enjoy the pursuit more than anything, and they’re ok with letting a gobbler walk in order to hunt him the next day. 

But it would be foolish to deny the fact that we now have the gun and ammo technology to kill turkeys cleanly and ethically beyond 40 yards. Based on our testing, the right 12 gauge with a proper choke and TSS load will kill a gobbler stone-dead at 60 yards. However, making an accurate shot at this distance is a real challenge. Sure the pattern of shot will be large at 60 yards, but the core of the pattern (which will kill the bird quickly) is quite small. In other words, if you take imperfect shots at this distance, you are bound to wound turkeys, and this is unacceptable. 

No matter what range you intend to shoot, you must take the time to pattern your shotgun/choke with the ammo you are going to hunt with. If you are unable to put 100 pellets in a 10-inch circle over your target consistently, then you must shorten your shot distance (and keep practicing). 

Final Thoughts

If I’ve learned anything from testing turkey loads and turkey guns, it’s that the shooter is almost always the weakest part of the system. Hunters miss turkeys because we get overly excited and make bad shots. It usually has nothing to do with our ammo, or choke, or gun. 

However, with good shooting, the best turkey loads on the market really do give hunters an edge. You can’t simply buy ammo with a turkey on the box and assume that you’re good to start killing gobblers. So use our data in this review as a jumping off point, and then shoot these loads through your setup on the range before going hunting.