The process of developing Muller Chokes included years of testing. I did ALOT of shooting. Some on targets, some on game, some on patterning boards, moving patterning boards, on water, etc, etc. I have tested many different ammo's ranging in velocities from 1145 FPS to 1550 FPS. And, I've tested my competitors chokes alongside my own. Much of what I write about on this blog is a result of what I've learned.
Among other things, I developed a first hand knowledge that RECOIL IS NOT YOUR FRIEND and if you choose to shoot a fast load, well, you are going to be dealing with MORE RECOIL.
Here is the good news. The only benefit a fast load has over a slow load is when shooting a target that is close, fast, and for which you have a very small window. The farther a target is, the slower you want the load leaving the muzzle. I know it sounds backwards but let me explain.
When you shoot a high velocity load (which I consider to be anything 1300 FPS or faster), more pellets are damaged and deformed leaving the shotgun hull. BB's in the back get all beat up more than a softer load. And if thats not bad enough, when these high velocity loads exit the muzzle, the resulting forces are so much greater than a slower load that the pellets start to spread out faster and more inconsistently than a slow load. So, on a close target, faster loads may result in a slight advantage. But if the target is not very close, then a slow load is better for two major reasons:
I would much rather have less recoil, less muzzle flip, faster equilibrium recovery time and more pellets to the target by shooting a slower, less punishing load. It is a win/ win situation. Oh, and they are less expensive than the faster loads...go figure.