about a dozen is good for me, dont like picking shot out of my teeth at dinner time. what bilds my confidence level isnt the pellet count in the head ,its the consistency of the pattern, and point of impact.i shot at turkey shoots for a few years and the tale of the paper was never consistent, but the point of impact was. so at the pattern board you might get your 20 or so pellets, but in the woods on your butt, free hand ,at a moving turkey head will be a different story.