It doesn't take a lot of deformation, as I understand it, to create more drag and cause the pellet to move to the rear and/or the fringe of the shot string. I have looked at high speed photography "stills" of the shot string and it is impossible to see deformation due to the poor resolution of such photographs. Tom has very strong evidence that the roundest pellets are the ones in the front and the core of the shot string. The more deformed the pellets, the more to the rear and the fringe of the pattern are their positions.
If you disagree with his findings, and can show cause where his experiments were faulty or faked, I suggest you call him yourself. He has plenty credibility, after decades in the shotshell ballistics field, to not need my defense.
SRH
Relax. I said nothing about disagreeing with his findings nor anything about his experiments being faulty or faked.
