Campo,

I personally like the first pattern, with the Mad Max choke. We can't really compare the last pattern with anything,because you used a different load AND choke, in comparison to the first thre patterns.

I like the first pattern primarily because there are no major gaps and I believe the overall pellet count is higher. The Star Dot would be my second choice, very close, but second...

When I pattern, I actually use a 9inch pie plate and count the total number of hits. I then examine the pattern for "gaps", or areas of very low shot density. I don't like counting just the number of hits in the spine/head, simply because if the bird takes one step, I want to know that my shot is still going to take him down. Even at 10 yards, whereby my gun throws a slug pattern, there are enough stray shots outside the core (probably less than 10%) that would efficiently knock down a bird.

Remember, it only takes ONE pellet in the head/spine to kill a bird...