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Gear Guide
Spring Turkey Season: Best Affordable Loads After TSS Prices Doubled
1 min readPublished Mar 29, 2026By Editorial Team
TSS turkey loads have doubled in price since last season. A box of five 12-gauge BOSS Tom TSS shells now runs $110 — up from $56. The cause: tungsten supply disruptions from Chinese trade restrictions and rising military demand.
## Best Value Loads by Price Tier
### Budget: Under $5 Per Shell
- **Federal Premium 3rd Degree** (~$3-4/shell) — Three-shot-type blend. Effective to 40 yards.
- **Winchester Long Beard XR** (~$3-4/shell) — Shot-Lok technology. Reliable to 40 yards.
### Mid-Tier: $7-11 Per Shell
- **Hevi-Shot Hevi-13 Turkey** (~$7-11/shell) — 12 g/cc tungsten pellets. Reliable to 45+ yards. Best overall value this season.
- **Remington Final Strut** (~$10-11/shell) — Solid 12 g/cc tungsten option.
- **Migra Hybrid 12** (~$8/shell) — Lead + TSS layered design.
### Premium: Maximum Range
- **Federal Heavyweight TSS** (~$14-17/shell) — 18 g/cc density. The benchmark.
- **Apex GT Series** (~$15-20/shell) — Premium TSS for sub-gauge hunters.
## Rebates and Savings
- **Federal Rebate:** $3-5 per box back through May 31.
- **Hevi-Shot Rebate:** Up to $100 back.
- **Pattern-Testing Play:** Buy budget loads for patterning, reserve premium for hunting.
## The Recommendation
For most turkey hunters under 45 yards: Hevi-Shot Hevi-13 at $7-8/shell with the rebate is the best value. For extended range: Federal Heavyweight TSS with the Federal rebate.
