Mike, while your patterns are not part of the original question or theory they are quite interesting, and show the ability to change patterns and chokes in a fixed choke gun by load manipulation. Please share how this was accomplished.
Well, I see only one question in the original post, calling for a "yes" or "no" answer which nobody gave. After awhile, these things morph from a survey into a conversation.
As to my patterns, Larry nailed it.
I'm guessing the middle one is a factory Polywad SpredR; the right one maybe a Mike Campbell spreader reload.
He and I have shared the topic of spreader loads several times....though never on Shotgunworld. I've had some meaningful discussions on Trapshooters, but far fewer lately since Neil Winston has been gone. Otherwise, I've shared my spreader load experiments and techniques here and on 16ga Society.
What I find most interesting about spreaders is that I can, in fact, exert some predictable control over what is otherwise a completely random event. It's that randomness in a "normal" shotgun pattern that allows for statistical analysis.
Pattern # one is a conventional load of 1 ounce of 8's fired through a conventional barrel. Patterns 2 & 3 are still 1 ounce of 8's, same powder charge and same nominal velocity. The difference is #2 utilizes a spreader insert loaded in a certain way and #3 utilizes an insert loaded differently. I'd venture I could further modify the loads to give
in somewhat predictable fashion other patterns that vary in width between #1 and #2.
