The Best 20-Gauge Turkey Loads of 2026
Posted 2026-03-06 by
From state-of-the-art TSS to improved lead and blended loads, there has never been a better time to take your favorite 20-gauge to the turkey woods
There was a time when most turkey hunters believed that a magnum 12-gauge was needed to cleanly kill a gobbler. The heavier the payload, the better. No doubt, those big guns were bad medicine on longbeards, but they packed a wallop on both ends. Some of them hurt when you pulled the trigger, particularly for smaller-framed hunters.
Luckily, there have been some fantastic advancements in modern turkey loads. Improved powders, shot cups, and payloads, namely heavier-than-lead options like TSS, now turn out patterns and performance that those magnum 12 shooters of 20 or 30 years ago could only dream about.
All test loads were shot with a Retay Masai Mara with a .565 turkey choke. Images by author
With season just around the corner, we tested 17 of the most popular 20-gauge turkey loads this year. The test was simple. I shot each load three times at blank sheets of paper with a center aim point through my Retay Masai Mara, fitted with a red dot and a .565 turkey choke at a distance of 35 yards. To account for different points of impact from different loads, I didn’t even look at where the load centered over the aiming spot. I just traced a 12-inch circle around the densest part of the pattern and then counted the number of pellet holes inside.
Each load was fired three times and averaged for final score.
I then averaged the three shots for the final score. Will these loads cleanly kill a turkey beyond 35 yards? You’d better believe it. But maximizing the effective range of any turkey gun requires some tweaking and experimentation with your choke and gun. You will have to determine the maximum effective distance for your combo for yourself. I’ve included the MSRP for each load, although real world prices tend to be a bit lower.
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THE BEST TSS 20-GAUGE TURKEY LOADS
With a sectional density of 18 grams per cubic centimeter, Tungsten Super Shot is heavier and harder than lead, and it has become the shot pellet material of choice for serious turkey hunters. Those dense, heavy properties mean you can drop down to a much smaller shot size and carry the same kinetic energy of a larger lead load. Most experts agree that a No. 9 TSS pellet carries about the same energy as a No. 5 lead pellet. With nearly double the number of No. 9 pellets per ounce than No. 5 lead pellets, and improved penetration over the softer lead pellets, it is easy to see why TSS turkey loads are so effective.
Federal Realtree 40th Anniversary
3-in, 1.5 oz. of No. 9 TSS shot / 1,100 fps
MSRP $81.99/5
Total Hits in 12” Circle: 321
This year, Federal has teamed up with Realtree to celebrate the company’s 40th birthday. The limited edition loads feature Realtree Legacy Camo packaging and these come packed with heavyweight TSS shot, full length FLITECONTROL FLEX wads for tight, constant patterns, and a roll crimp over a clear card wad to hold everything in place.
Hevi-18 Turkey TSS
3-in, 1.5 oz of No. 9 shot / 1,250
1250 fps
MSRP $97.99/5
Total Hits in 12” Circle: 379
Hevi-18 is Hevi-Shot’s entry into the TSS turkey load arena, and it produced exceptional performance. With high-density 18 g/cc pellets, friction-reducing spherical buffer, and a crimp seal resin to hold everything together, Hevi-18 extends effective range for turkey hunters looking for every possible advantage. It’s also available in a 2 ¾ inch load for reduced recoil.
Remington Premier TSS
3-in, 1.5 oz. of No. 7 TSS shot / 1,100 fps.
MSRP $81.99/5
Total Hits in 12” Circle: 180
The folks at Remington tuned these loads for consistent, tight patterns, even at long range. I tested the No. 7 TSS loads, which are perfect for hunters seeking a bit more downrange energy. The Premier is also available in No. 9 TSS configuration.
Apex Next Level Ninja TSS
3-in, 1⅝ oz. of No. 9 shot / 1,175 fps
MSRP $79.99/5
Total Hits in 12” Circle: 409
New for this year, Apex has released Next Level Ninja, which has a blend of No. 8.5 and 9.5 shot for an excellent balance between pattern density and knockdown power. The Next Level 20-gauge has an impressive 608 pellet payload. I first tested the standard No. 9 load, then tested the Next Level Ninja a few days later. While the standard No. 9 load put an impressive number of shot in the circle, the Next Level Ninja topped it by about 40 pellets.
Winchester Longbeard TSS
3-in, 1 9/16 oz. of No. 9 shot / 1,100 fps
MSRP $79.00/5
Total Hits in 12” Circle: 315
Winchester’s Longbeard TSS debuted last spring, and it quickly lived up to the reputation of the classic Longbeard XR lead turkey load. The 20-gauge I tested has a bit heavier payload of No. 9 shot than some of the competition, and it produced excellent 35-yard results.
BOSS Tom TSS
3-in, 2 1/16 oz. of No. 9 shot / 1,050 fps
MSRP $75.00/5
Total Hits in 12” Circle: 481
This season’s heaviest payload award goes to BOSS Tom with an impressive 2+ ounces of shot. Even with that massive number of pellets, the BOSS Tom 20 is still stepping out at a quick 1050 fps, a combination of speed and power that should prove to be devastating in the field. That heavy payload was evident both on target and on my shoulder. You can feel the difference when you pull the trigger.
Verdict TSS
3-in, 1 ⅝ oz. of No. 9 shot / 1,150 fps
MSRP $64.99/5
Total Hits in 12” Circle: 359
This small company has quietly been turning out some high performance shotgun ammunition for turkey, waterfowl, and predator hunters. Each of these turkey shells are hand loaded with the highest quality components and rigorously tested for tight patterns. This was one of the most consistent loads shot to shot, with only slight variations in pellet count from one shell to the next.
Salt Creek Cold Turkey
3-in., 1 ⅝ oz. of No. 10 shot / 1,100 fps
MSRP $97.00/5
Total Hits in a 12” Circle: 528
Salt Creek is another small company turning out hand-loaded TSS turkey and waterfowl ammo. Their 20-gauge turkey loads are available in No. 9, 10, and a 9-10 blended load. I tested the No. 10 shot version, which includes about 750 tiny pellets in the hull and, due to that swarm of pellets, produced the densest patterns of the test.
Migra Custom Turkey
3-in, 1 ⅝ oz. stacked No. 7/9 shot / 1,100 fps
No MSRP listed, but real world around $70/5
Total Hits in a 12” Circle: 298
Combining premium tungsten super shot pellets with Migra's patented stacked load technology, these shells give turkey hunters superior performance up close and dense patterns at a distance. These loads contain 545 premium TSS pellets in each shell, with a mix of 40% No. 7 shot with 60% No. 9 shot.
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There’s no doubt that TSS has allowed hunters to scale their shotguns down in size and recoil and still cleanly take birds at ranges that would have made our predecessors chunk their hard kicking magnum 12s into the nearest pond. But that extra range and increased pellet count comes with a downside. TSS is expensive, and the price keeps going up.
For hunters who don’t want to drop the price of a family meal on five shotgun shells, there are plenty of 20-gauge turkey loads available that will get the job done without breaking the bank.
Fear not. For those turkey hunters who still want tote a 20-gauge to the woods but don’t want to spend the equivalent of a full tank of gas with every two pulls of the trigger, new shell technology and improved components offer plenty of options that will get the job done for hunters who don’t mind calling their longbeards in a little closer. I tested eight of the top non-TSS loads on the market, and they will all get the job done handily. The shot materials in these loads include and lead and tungsten, which is a still heavier-than-lead compound that is less expensive than TSS, and TSS/lead blended loads that offer some of the ballistic benefits of full TSS loads at a lower cost.
The patterning board had to be replaced a few times during the test.
If you have been turkey hunting long enough, you remember when the golden standard for a 12-gauge turkey load was 10 pellets in the head and neck area of a printed turkey patterning target. All of these loads will easily do that with several pellets to spare. Shots were taken at 35 yards and hits were measured in the densest part of the pattern. Shot totals were an average of three shots.
Federal Realtree 40th Anniversary Grand Slam
3-in, 1 5/16 oz. of No. 5 lead / 1,185 fps
1185 fps
$23.99/10
Total Hits in a 12” Circle: 87
Another in Federal’s limited edition lineup of Realtree 40th anniversary loads, The FLITECONTROL FLEX wad system in the Grand Slam works in both standard and ported turkey chokes, opening from the rear for a controlled release of the copper plated lead shot and offering extremely consistent patterns. The pellets are cushioned with an advanced buffering compound to provide dense shot strings and ample energy to get the job done. At around $2 bucks per shell, budget conscious hunters will rejoice.
Federal Premium 3rd Degree
3-in, 1.5-oz. blend of No. 5,6,7 shot / 1,100 fps
$41.99/5
Total Hits in a 12” Circle: 129
The three-stage payload of 3rd Degree consists of No. 5 copper-plated lead, No. 6 FLITESTOPPER lead, and 18 g/cc No. 7 HEAVYWEIGHT TSS shot to deliver larger, more forgiving patterns at close range, while providing deadly penetration at long distance. The 3rd Degree uses the FLITECONTROL FLEX wad to provide consistent patterns at any range. This is a great choice for any turkey hunter who can benefit from a slightly larger pattern at close range.
Remington Nitro Turkey
3-in, 1 1/4 oz. of No. 5 lead / 1,185 fps
MSRP $15.99/10
Total Hits in a 12” Circle: 93
Remington uses a unique manufacturing process that yields shot pure lead shot that is as hard and round as copper-plated shot. Nitro Turkey Magnums will pattern as well as other copper-plated, buffered loads without the higher cost. This load was one of the best patterning lead loads of the test, and it’s a bargain at $1.60 per shot.
Remington Premier Magnum Turkey
3-in, 1 1/4 oz. of No. 6 lead / 1,185 fps
$15.99/5
Total Hits in a 12” Circle: 77
A step up from the Nitro Turkey loads above, the Remington Premier Magnum Turkey Loads deliver the added penetrating power and dense, concentrated patterns the serious turkey hunter demands. These loads contain magnum-grade, Copper-Lokt shot that’s protected by a Power Piston wad and cushioned with special polymer buffering for optimum patterns.
Hevi-Shot Hevi-13
3-in, 1 ¼ oz. of No. 7 Hevi-Shot / 1,090 fps
MSRP $42.99/5
Total Hits in a 12” Circle: 165
Hevi-Shot was one of the first heavier-than-lead options to hit the market. At 13 grams per cubic centimeter vs. 11 for lead, this straight tungsten-based ammo is more expensive than lead but much cheaper than straight TSS, and it carries enough punch to allow hunters to drop down to a No. 7 pellet for higher shot count with plenty of down-range energy.
Hevi-Shot Mag Blend
3-in, 1 ¼ oz. of No. 5,6,7 tungsten shot / 1,200 fps
MSRP $42.99/5
Total Hits in a 12” Circle: 159
Another option from Hevi-Shot is the Mag Blend line, with a blend of No. 5, 6, and 7 tungsten shot, providing hunters with even patterns at all reasonable turkey hunting distances. The smaller No. 7 pellets provide for a dense pellet count at close range, while the heavier No. 6 and No. 5 pellets retain more down-range energy for longer shots.
Verdict Juror #5
3in, 1 1/2 oz. of No. 5 lead / 1,125 fps
$19.99/5
Total Hits in a 12” Circle: 91
Verdict has a fantastic and economical lead option for turkey hunters who don’t want to pay for TSS. The Juror #5 load uses the same premium components and proven formula from their TSS loads to produce a hand-loaded shell with a copper plated No. 5 lead payload. This shell delivers a hard-hitting combination of speed, pattern density, and consistency.
Winchester Longbeard XR
3-in, 1 1/4-oz No. 5 lead / 1,000 fps
MSRP $28.99/10
Total Hits in a 12” Circle: 62
Winchester changed the turkey ammo game when it introduced the Longbeard XR years ago, and the classic 20-gauge load continues to be a proven performer. It features advanced Shot-Lok Technology and is capable of excellent long-range patterns. I reshot this one with a slightly more open choke tube and got a much better pattern, but in the interest of fairness, I left the .565 pattern results on the test. I’d probably go with the #6 shot for this one.
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