Picture is worth a thousand words. That one shows the spreader effect perfect.

I get some "open" spots in mine too at 15-20 yards. I don't worry about it because the clay target is rarely hit square with the shot. Crosser the target moving into the shot from the side and probably going to run into pellets before it gets to the hole. If not it's still a better bet than extra full choke at that distance.

Main thing is use them for short targets and don't expect more.

Boats