Originally Posted By: AWSThanks to DAB's info on penetration, I'm having more interest in this. For my use, an ounce of TSS 6's just might be perfect for some of the LF and weapon restricted areas I hunt. Being able to put together a lighter load of smaller shot that will be as effective as my 1 1/4oz BB and T shot loads sounds great.
AWS, I have a 1 oz load out for pressure testing right now. I am hoping that it will be in the 1400+ fps range.
Originally Posted By: DAAOne question would be the actual metrics of the #2 and #4 you are selling. What are the actual diameters. How uniform are they. What is the actual density.
I looked into importing some TSS myself for awhile. Decided not to mess with it this year. Too many irons in the fire already. But I still might order 50 kilos of #2's, some time, next year maybe. Buying in bulk from China like that really brings the price way down. I'd probably just organize a one time group buy here, selling most of it at a modest mark up to cover the cost of the whole shipment, and end up with enough left over to last myself a good long time.
But, anyway... One thing I learned, in researching an order of TSS from China, there are many sources and it's not all of the same quality.
The stuff I have now, from Hal, measures out almost precisely the same as lead #2, is very round, almost amazingly uniform and maybe most important of all, it measures out a full 18 gr/cc, near as I can tell using a graduated cylinder. And of course, I can hardly even put a mark on a piece of it with a pair of pliers squeezing as hard as I can. To give an idea how uniform it is, weighing out 1-5/8 oz. payloads, counting pellets, 131 #4's and 93 #2's, ten payloads each, weigh within less than .5 gr. Compared to the variation in a typical lead buckshot or Hevi-shot load that is crazy uniform. It's some really nice stuff.
I'd want to know that your TSS was of the same quality.
The TSS I got from Hal/Hawglips was about $45 a pound shipped, and he provided me with all the load data I asked for, 2-3/4 and 3" loads, 1-1/8 through 1-7/8 in 1/8 increments, etc.
Don't get me wrong though, I suspect I'll be hooked on this stuff like crack, if it works nearly as well as I'm hoping. The ONLY downside, is cost. So, bringing the cost down, is allllll good. For myself, I'll want to be sure I'm still getting the same quality though. And for most others, the load data you'll be able to provide will be of utmost importance. They can't use the stuff without good data. And - just so everyone is clear, I can't share what I have from Hal, that's part of the deal in buying TSS from him.
- DAA
According to the supplier, the #2s are 3.76 mm (0.148") and the number #4s are 3.28 mm (0.129"), and only vari by +/- .01mm, which is pretty consistent with everything that I have received, so they are pretty spot on for size. They are very shiny and polished, and very uniform in size. I have also tested the density of the shot, and the last order came out to be 18.25 g/cc in density, which is about 62% heavier than standard lead.
The supplier that I use is a much smaller business, which is great for quality, and I do all my ordering through their sales director, and not just a different salesperson every order. I agree, there are many suppliers out there with different variations of quality in their product, and sometimes it is a crap shoot, but I plan to stick with the folks I am using as they have showed me that they are about making customers happy, and so am I.
As I stated in a post above, I am working on data, as I figured that would be the only way to really get the predator hunting community into this, because just as you said, it isn't any good, if it is just sitting in a bag, and not loaded. I am currently working on a 1 oz load that I hope will be in the neighborhood of 1400 fps, and a 1.5 oz load that will be around 1300 fps. Also some questioned the fact that if it is a long range load, it doesn't serve much purpose in a short range situation because it would be like a slug, so I plan in the near future, to work on a load that will spread up close, but still have the needed extended range as well. It will probably be a #4 x #2 duplex, or a #6 x #2 duplex load.
