There is not much to add to FishingRod's reply. My shotgun doesn't shot a tight pattern either. I occasionally do/did get pellets in dove and quail. Just deal with that when it happens. Actually haven't been hunting for dove for about 6 years and for quail even longer. On the incoming shots where you black them out with the muzzle the barrel is moving when the trigger is pulled and one is aiming in front of a bird where the bird flies into the path of some of the shot. Not uncommon to only get one or two pellets in the head and neck area that downs the bird. Not all birds downed are dead. Sometimes you have to finish them off by hand.
