Rocketman,
My knowledge of the Rayleigh Distribution is a bit vague, admittedly. However, if my understanding of the distribution is in any way correct, shotgun patterns at distance tend not to follow such distributions, especially in the cases of tighter chokes. As "Gough Thomas" points out, shotgun patterns tend to "trumpet out" as they approach their maximum extended ranges.
My comments were based on 80% patterns at 40 yards. I assumed that this would have been understood. Yes, all loads will pattern 80% at some distances and heavier shot charges will have more pellets in their 80% patterns than lighter shot charges will. So what?
I guess my attempt to make my point was unclear. Smaller pattern percentages DO NOT necessarily indicate smaller pattern diameters. Zutz demonstrates this fact when he compared modified and full choke patterns and "Gough Thomas" takes this to comparisons between IC and FC patterns. Differences between patterns thrown by various chokes are very often differences in the densities of pattern cores rather than pattern diameters.
[Full disclosure: My computation of the relative pattern per centages for 3/4 ounce loads should have been 53.33%, not 60%. To extend my analysis, if 85% patterns are used as a baseline, 1-ounce loads "score" 75.55%, 7/8-ounce loads "score" 66.11%, and 3/4-ounce loads "score" 63.75%, relative to 1 1/8-ounce loads.]
There is not a "core" to patterns? Really? This would be news to a whole lot of shooters who patterned their guns and were able to detect and analyze often large variations in pattern center density. The "aiming error" comment is accurate.
