Improve your aiming/marksman skills

[*Buzzsaw*]

Salute

Here's another point.

Where ever you have your convergence at, and whether it is a larger area or a point, it will only match the pattern you create at exactly the distance set.

At shorter and longer ranges, the dispersal is going to be different.

If you have created a pattern which is less concentrated, then at distances less than convergence, you will have a more widely scattered pattern. And the same will hold true for distances greater than convergence.

You can end up with a pattern which is quite widely dispersed at ranges which are not exactly at convergence.

Again, you may see some benefit from the shotgun effect of a dispersed convergence, if you get a lucky hit on a critical part, but you will not get the type of concentrated effect required for serious damage of non critical points in an aircraft.

In my experience, you need to put a lot of bullets into an aircraft section in order for it to break away, a single bullet won't do it.

Also, I believe there is some modelling of penetration of pilot armour by the .303 AP rounds, since I do get kills from dead astern at closer ranges. (under 100 meters) And the more rounds you can put into the cockpit area, the better the chance of a penetration. In my experience, the only times I get pilot kills are when I pour a concentrated stream into the cockpit.

Of course, this is in relation to the .303 rounds, in the case of the German ammunition, a single M-Geschoss round hitting will have a significant effect on a non critical point.

As I said in my first response, the decision as whether to adopt a 'shotgun' pattern, or a 'point' pattern, probably should be a function of your confidence and ability to hit. Less experienced, less effective shooters will probably do better with a more dispersed pattern, that's why the USAF drew up the pattern you have shown as a standard for newer pilots.