Don, if "the pellets act independently as fluid particles", as you said earlier, how do we explain the ruptured chokes so prevalent when steel, and especially hevi-shot, is used in conjunction with very tight chokes. We say, "because of bridging", right? Well, how can a substance acting as a fluid be subject to bridging? If all those little balls, acting so independently as fluid particles, are able to bridge, occasionally, to the point that the barrel, in the choke area, is violently ruptured, then I say we cannot use the Bernoulli Principle to predict the flow characteristics and resulting pressures, within and without the shot column.
As I understand it, even the Bernoulli Principle is subject to modification because of the difference in viscosity of the substances being examined. In it's simplest form, Bernoulli's Principle governs an inviscid flow. Where does lead shot fall, as far as viscosity is concerned, and steel shot, and tungsten/iron shot? And, could a number value for viscosity can be assigned to the different types of shot? More questions.
And, again, how does a "liquid" (or a mass acting as a liquid) bridge and burst chokes if there is a reduction in pressure? The gas pressure may have reduced, but the forces acting on the barrel at the burst point certainly have not. I can accept that there can be a reduction in pressure AFTER the shot has passed the taper, and maybe even a velocity increase because of it, but cannot yet accept that the shot exerts no strain on the tapered area of the barrel.
How in the world can we even compare the dynamics of small shot, as it passes through the taper, with that of much larger sized shot? There IS a difference in it's behavior at that point, or there wouldn't be all the burst chokes and barrels due to the larger hard shot, as compared to the smaller.
Still chewin', Stan
