Doverham, et al, you need to read Dr. Andrew Jones's book on shotgun patterning before "investing" heavily in a patterning experiment or getting too attached to some of the ideas that have long floated as truth.
Basically, if you aren't willing to shoot 10 patterns and do a statistically valid analysis on the set, you all be whistlin' Dixie. The #1 take-away from the foregoing is that shotgun patterns are really, really variable. #2 take-away is that eyeball integration of patterns is a non-starter. And that for sure means that pellet count within a circle is such a crude analysis as to be mostly worthless.
I already know there will be shouts of "foul," but above is the modern truth. Sorry patterning is complicated, but better to know than go banging away and develop "facts" from flawed data.
DDA
