I just bought a new Benelli with a Fastfire II. I’ve never used a red dot on a shotgun. But the ability to shoot it like a rifle and being able to sight it in appeals to me. I know I need to play with patterning it ( but dang those new TSS shells are expensive) so I want to get some knowledge before I start banging away.
What distance is a good zero (assuming shots to be 10 to 50 yards)? Or another way of asking is how much drop in the pattern center will I see at 50 yards vs. 10? Using a 3” 20 ga. TSS. Of course I know it depends on the specific load, and I can shoot it to find out, but I’m just looking at he ballpark data, if any of you shoot a similar 20 ga and have patterned your turkey guns. Thanks for any info you have to give me a head start when my gun arrives.

If you watch this video it will tell you exactly how to do it my friend. I made this video this past weekend.

https://youtu.be/k8XRLyxDNuU

I’ve always started with a small game load at 20 yards to get my pattern where I want it. Then I start with one round of whichever load I will be using at 20 yards and make any adjustments if needed. Typically I have not had to make many adjustments once I get where I want with the game load. However, I will advise to shoot different loads out of your gun at different yardages to see exactly what your particular setup is capable of doing. No, TSS is not cheap, but I know my parameters and I have supreme confidence every time I pull the trigger that it will be an ethical shot. I shoot handloads and each load recipe shoots different out of different setups. It’s a fun hobby, but expensive lol

P.S. I probably shot 30+ turkeys growing up before I ever thought about or read about patterning your load to your setup. It’s not totally necessary, but definitely worth doing.

Thanks. Like many, I never took great efforts to pattern a shotgun. But last year, I took a good shot and made a bad hit. Finally found the bird but made me realize (especially with these tight chokes) aiming is important, and I think a red dot will be more accurate and adjustable. Definitely when my new gun arrives, I plan to shoot with various loads and distances to be confident. Guess I’ll take out a bank loan to pay for my shells!
Why are the TSS shells do expensive? Is the shot way more costly than lead? Or is it costly just because they can get fools like me to buy in.

I tend to agree- not a bad idea but also not nearly as important as sighting in a rifle

I received my new Benelli 20 ga. M2 turkey gun. Surprisingly, it came with a Vortex Venom, not a Burris as advertised. But actually like it better as I have 2 other Venoms so I’m familiar with them. Shot it with game loads then shot all the TSS I could afford without taking out a bank loan, but enough to feel confident out to 50 yards. It’s a sweet shooting gun. Super light. My old Remington 11-87 weighed a ton compared to this. I’ve been cruising my land today brushing in some ground blinds. Season starts in 3 weeks. I’m ready!

Awesome! I have a Venom on an M2 as well. Getting dipped and Cerakoted this week! Glad you were able to get some rounds through it. To answer your previous post, yes. TSS is very pricey. If you buy to reload you can save a little money per round. Still not much tho. I have over $4 just in shot in every round I load.

Get ya one of these to help get you started.

https://www.amazon.com/Laser-Cartri...26802&sprefix=12+ga+lazer&sr=8-4

You already got good advice on how to zero it. I always start with a dove load at 20 yards and get it perfect on those, then shoot a TSS round at 40. You can use sandbags to keep yourself steady, but I think it's important to put the gun against your shoulder and try to mimic the field conditions that you will be shooting under. I've seen something like a lead sled change the POI. Most people try to center the load on the target at 40 yards, and that should be good at any range out to that and a few yards beyond with TSS.

When we first started shooting TSS back in 2007, I tested it quite a bit on paper to try to figure out what it would do. With a 12 gauge load at 1250 fps and #8 shot, the center of the pattern had dropped about a foot at 75 yds. That was also about the range that I ran out of pattern density. I'd no desire to shoot turkeys at long range, but the testing showed that TSS would make a 20 gauge all that was needed to turkey hunt. The shot is what makes it so expensive. As far as I know, it's only made in China and runs at least $50 a pound by the time it gets to retail in the USA. Good luck with your new gun!

Got it all zeroed in as suggested. At 40 yards, I’m shooting a tight pattern and feel very good at that distance. At 20, it will decapitate a bird. Those TSS Ninja shells are bad! I wouldn’t want to shoot them all day though.

I only notice the kick when using them for sighting in / pattern check. I've never noticed the recoil when shooting a gobbler in the face. Haha.