The thing to keep in mind is the ability to make a "Lucky" one pellet kill does not depend upon gauge, choke, amount of shot in the load & only to a very, very small extent to the velocity of the load. What is required is that one pellet hits a vital spot with enough force to penertrate to the vital area. To reliable & consistantly make kills at a given range is a totally diferent proposition & requires a dense enough pattern to ensure a vital area being hit. Those who intentionally & habitually shoot at ranges beyond their guns patterning ability on the "Hopes" of making a one pellet kill are "PooR" sportsmen indeed. I realize most everyone who has ever gone afield has taken an occasional shot they shouldn't have. A few have been "Lucky" kills , most have been "Assumed" misses. Countless birds have flown on away with a single pellet buried in their Guts.

Miller/TN
I Didn't Say Everything I Said, Yogi Berra