Rocketman,
The term Balance over in Europe covers what you call handling in the US plus a fair share of general ergonomics.
"Balance" is used similarly in USA. Would you ever try to sum up stock fit in one dimension? I think not. So, why try to do so with handling when the characteristics are easily measured?
Gough Thomas coined the term Eumatics to cover these qualities. He also described a dynamometric contraption to measure swing dynamics, which a physicist friend copied and the results were fascinating.
Said contraption was a torsional pendulum which was used to measure moment of inertia (MOI) at center of gravity (balance point). Thomas correctly used his results for one measure of handling but did not, to my recollection, calculate MOI at butt from MOI at CG; and so, missed the fourth characteristic of handling. I'm glad you find his finding fascinating. I have built a much larger database which I share with those interested.
Best guns inocrporate these characteristics.
Makers were careful to control weight and teeter-totter balance, but had only intuition to guide them on swing characteristics.
They feel lively, despite the weight (the more or less standard game pattern gun has low enough swing efforts to be taken as you describe), are easy to manipulate, and are pleasant to touch too. I would say they do not fight you when you use them (higher swing effort guns could be described as "fighting you" but are better understood as having a smoother swing)and offer sensory pleasure in all phases of use. At the risk of being denounced by a SXS crowd, I found the same tactile qualities in some smooth pump guns (as could any gun that happened to have the handling profile you describe).
Yes you can get these qualities in a "lesser" gun, but you expect them in a best, if for no other reason than you are being royally charged for them.
Personally I pay little attention to the balance point etc. From experience with many (possibly thousands) of guns I found that when each major part is center heavy, in the disassembled state, the assembled gun tends to be a lively handling one (the more compact the gun, the lower the swing effort). By adding weight to the right place it is possible to alter the feel up to a point. Yes.
Darne doubles, regardless of quirkiness or not, are among the best handling doubles because the design favors center heavy parts, and the absence of a bottom rib helps too. Darne R-15 Sliding Breech SxS Weight - 6# 6oz, Balance - 3 1/2" to front trigger, Unmouinted swing - 1.27, Mounted swing - 5.72, Bore - 12, Barrel length - 27 3/4", LOP - 14 1/2", Compactness - 9.61
I am eager to handle an Alex Martin Ribless some day, to see how the absence of ribs affects its handling.
Martin BLE Ribless SXS Weight - 6# 2oz, Balance to front trigger - 4", Unmounted swing - 1.19, Mounted swing - 5.96, Bore - 12, Barrel length - 27", LOP - 15", Compactness - 9.49.
Average British Pattern Game Gun Weight - 6# 8 oz, Balance to trigger - 4 1/2", Unmounted swing - 1.45, Mounted swing - 6.38, Bore - 12, Barrel length - 28", LOP - 14 1/4", Compactness 10.17.
DDA
