George, maybe so, maybe no. Just as likely it was designed for the average adult hand. Think about how well a 14" LOP works out for most people. Then again that same 14" LOP isn't the optimum for most. Same with cast and DOC/DOH that have established at none, 1 1/2" and 2 1/2" respectively for most production guns. I don't know their motivation, just a guess.

Chief