I've owned a lot of Merkels, mostly 12ga. They tend to be stout but heavy. Also, generally speaking, I've never seen a German gun to match the ergonomics of an English gun. For grouse the 25" barrels won't be a problem. The tapered Churchill rib gives the appearance of a longer barrel. My preference is 28" barrels but I'm shooting a bespoke left hand SXS 20ga with screw chokes. It weighs 5lb 7oz pounds and the 28" barrels are perfectly balanced.
I also looked over: West German Sauer Royal 16ga, 20ga Merkel 147EL and 12ga Winchester-Parker (Olin Kodensha). I concluded that 25" Webley Scott was the best handling gun for the money spent. While I went to look over the gun to make the final selection by pure accident I found my Ole' Man upland gun. I brought home 2&3/4" 20 ga with 28" barrel. The unladen weight is 4lb5oz. Thank you very much for your generous help.
