According to Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life’s Editor-in-Chief and the man who spent a significant amount of time getting punched in the shoulder by 12-gauge recoil for this study, the turkey ammo market has essentially “flipped on its head.” With tungsten prices hitting the stratosphere, Robinson and his team set out to see if the eye-watering price tags on modern shells actually translate to more tail fans on the wall.
Here is how the landscape looks through the lens of Robinson’s 60-yard ballistic gel tests.
The TSS Titans
If you have the stomach for it, Apex Greenleaf took home the Editor’s Choice for TSS. Robinson was staggered by the sheer volume of “1096 pellets packed into this shell,” which resulted in “shockingly dense patterns even at 60 yards.” While some might worry about the lethality of tiny No. 10 pellets at that distance, Robinson noted they “were indeed killers,” out-penetrating traditional lead No. 6s.
For those looking for a “value”—a term Robinson admits is “a bit absurd” when discussing $15-per-shell ammo—the Federal Custom Shop earned its stripes by offering reliable patterns without quite reaching the $20-per-pop threshold.
The Lead Legend
Despite the tungsten hype, Robinson remains a fan of the classics. He crowned Winchester Long Beard XR the best lead load, noting it is “still the best lead turkey load” he has ever shot in over a decade of testing. It’s the choice for the hunter who wants “heavy, even patterns” at 40 yards without the TSS “turmoil” in their bank account.
Robinson’s Reality Check
The data is clear: the tech works. But Robinson offers a sobering reminder for the “long-range” crowd:
“Turkey hunting at its very best is a close-range game… The expert turkey hunters I know do not blast turkeys at long range just to punch tags.”
He warns that while these loads can kill at 60 yards, the “core of the pattern… is quite small,” meaning an imperfect shot at distance is a recipe for disaster.
The Final Tally
| Category | Load | Alex Robinson’s Take |
| Best TSS | Apex Greenleaf | “Hands-down Editor’s Choice… overkill at close range.” |
| Best Lead | Winchester Long Beard XR | “Perfect choice for most turkey hunters… exponentially cheaper.” |
| Best Value TSS | Federal Custom Shop | “A little more bang for your buck,” if you can find them. |
| Best Pattern | Winchester Long Beard Tungsten | “Outstanding patterns… but probably not [lethal] beyond 60 yards.” |
Robinson’s final word of wisdom? Don’t blame the gear. “The shooter is almost always the weakest part of the system,” he writes, urging hunters to pattern their specific gun and choke before hitting the woods. After all, a $20 shell is just expensive noise if you haven’t done the homework.