And, if anyone is interested in just how (un)important hard vs soft shot is to the most of us, kindly read chapter 17 of Jones. The basic difference would be comparable full choke patterns for the soft at 40 yards and 44 yards for the hard. If you were shooting for big money or braggin' rights, hard is the way to go. Otherwise, don't worry about it.
Soft and hard shot both have typical Rayleigh distribution patterns. Soft shot patterns bloom quicker but at less than about one half a choke constriction difference. Choke constriction, by the way, is the control over how quickly a pattern blooms - not more, not less.
DDA