SHOT Show: Turkey Loads to Consider This Spring
With thousands of exhibitors across the hunting and shooting sports industry at this year’s SHOT Show, there was an exciting amount of new and innovative products for hunters, shooters and outdoor enthusiasts.
We at the NWTF pursue the outdoors all year long, but we are chomping at the bit to get after it this spring. Some cool new products at SHOT Show got us even more excited, including new turkey loads, new turkey shotguns, general turkey hunting gear and accessories. This article covers some of the new turkey loads. Keep an eye out for new shotguns, turkey packs and accessories in the coming days.
Turkeys continue to be taken with traditional loads and TSS alike. However, the overarching theme at this year’s 47th annual SHOT Show was an array of new Tungsten Super Shot loads from the industry’s household ammo brands, many of which are now available in sub-gauge sizes. Here are some standout turkey loads to consider this spring.
Federal Premium 28-gauge TSS
Federal has been a pioneer in TSS loads. The company has offered turkey hunters TSS loads in 12-gauge, 20-gauge and .410 options for years now, so it was only natural to see the 28-gauge make it to the non-Custom-Shop lineup. With sub-gauges gaining in popularity, turkey hunters who appreciate Federal’s exceptional performance and want to run and gun with a lighter-weight turkey gun can now do so, not to mention helping support the NWTF’s conservation efforts with the purchase of each box. The load will be offered in 2¾-inch and 3-inch options.
HEVI-Shot
Several additional new loads will be available for turkey hunters from HEVI-Shot, including two Magnum Blend 28-gauge offerings in 2¾- and 3-inch, No. 5, 6 and 7 shot. Plus, there are two 28-gauge 2¾-inch new options in No. 7 and 9 shot.
In addition, HEVI-Shot’s HEVI-13 product line will be returning. It comprises of four 3-inch 12- and 20-gauge offerings in No. 6 and 7 shot. Loaded with HEVI-Shot 12 g/cc tungsten, HEVI-13 offers 20% more effective range and energy than lead turkey payloads.
Winchester TSS Lineup
Winchester jumps full steam into the TSS world by bringing a full lineup of all new TSS loads for 2025. We are fans of Winchester’s quality performance across all firearms, so we are excited to see how they delivered for their first line of TSS loads.
The loads are available in 12 gauge, 20 gauge, 28 gauge and .410 bore.
Apex .410 in Greenleaf
APEX will be introducing a new .410 bore load with a unique blend of No. 9 and 10 shot as part of their Mossy Oak Greenleaf Turkey TSS series. Apex will be officially launching this product at the NWTF’s annual Convention and Sport Show Feb. 12-16 in Nashville. Keep your eyes peeled!