How many angels can you fit on the head of a pin? If both patterns are equal, and you stick around for them to hit you, there is no difference. I think length of shot string is one of the more useless things to worry about. It was a marketing ploy for Gods sake. Short shot strings were thought to be harder hitting, than long shot strings. But from the birds viewpoint it is not when, but if you get hit, that is important. If a fatal pellet hits you from the first or last part of the pellet stream does it matter? No. Dead is dead.
A late pellet from the end of the shot string may still be in the center of the pattern. If it is in the center of the pattern it just thickness the pattern after the fact of a target perspective. If it is on the fringes it is statically a fluke and not something you can rely on. Either way it is a fools argument.
A pattern board only shows you the total result of a shell. Not the order of the shot hitting the board. Use it to check the point of impact. Use it a a rough guide to what should happen with a certain load. It is not set on stone.
You can worry about the effects of bore scrubbing on a long shot column all you want. Fret about wad protection and buffering of shot all you want. I rather worry about how to get shot on target as fast a possible, to impart all the residual energy as possible on the target as you can. Remember speed kills and never more so true than shot on target. The rest os just foddr to argue over a cold beer or single malt.
