This is just opinion mind you, but "perfect" barrel length has a lot to do with a man's physique. A gent with long arms will naturally hold the forend farther out toward the muzzles than a shorter armed gent. Having the front hand further out increases the leverage to swing the gun. IOW, a long armed gent might be able to swing a 30" gun just as quickly as a shorter armed fellow handling a gun with 26" barrels.
I am a proponent of long barrels. They like me, and I like them. I'm 6'2", with long arms. My 28" barreled Fox 20 ga. quail gun moves as fast as I want a gun to move. I've done fine work on quail with 30" barreled guns. I really don't care for 26" barreled bird guns. Remember, doves are considered upland birds, too. I don't think I could find a gun with barrels too long for doves. Thirty to thirty-two inch barrels are perfect for me on dove guns.
|