Handling ......... that's a nebulous subject when it comes to shotguns. Having been a shotgunner for 61 years I know no more about it than I did at age 8, ground swatting doves with my .410 S X S around Grandad's cattle troughs.
I have visited with Don Amos and had him spin guns to get the hard and fast numbers on moment of inertia and swing effort. I've gone the route from short barrels to long barrels, with no foolproof answer as to why some guns are easier to shoot well than others. But, I have an opinion.....
I shoot a big 32" barreled HE Fox the weighs 9 lbs. 7 oz., AIR, for ducks. I also shoot .410 doubles at doves and quail that weigh under 5 lbs. I shoot them all well. Some decry super lightweight guns as "whippy", or heavyweights as "sluggish". Three years ago I went 6 for 6 on ducks with the HE. I have shot on the north side of 70% on doves with the .410s.
It is much more important that the gun fits, so that it shoots where I am looking, than how it actually handles .......... what the MOI is. Also, weight does not determine handling. Where that weight is distributed in the gun does. I have a 4 lb. 14 oz. .410 double that handles almost exactly like a 6.5 lb. ,12 ga., English game gun. The numbers from Don's turntable verify this.
Make sure your gun fits you, almost perfectly, so that it shoots exactly where you are looking. Shoot it enough to build "muscle memory". Then, next time you pick it up it will not feel alien to you, regardless that it is two thirds the weight of your other guns, but like an old friend. "Muscle memory" (actually, your subconscious controlling your muscles) will take over after swinging it a few times at an imaginary bird.
Is there fly in the ointment? Yes, there's one. Ever shot a gun that was loaned to you, for the first time, and shot it "lights out"? I mean, it seemed that you couldn't miss with it? Then, you either bought it or bought one exactly like it and couldn't shoot it worth a crap? I've had this happen, and seen it happen with others, so many times that it boggles the mind. I can't explain it, but it happens, and it defies all logic. That is why I say I haven't learned a thing, in all these years, about handling.
JMO, YMV.
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