I don't understand balance to the level Don does, but I know what sort of balance I want in a shotgun, and it is different for different shotgun shooting venues. For example, with skeet, where precision shooting is required, I want a barrel heavy gun, or weight forward, where one can smoothly swing the shotgun and where lightning swing is rarely, if ever, required. For live bird shooting, a discipline which requires lightning speed and deadly accuracy, I prefer a barrel light gun, one which is slightly butt heavy, so I can quickly move to the appropriate box, at the time of target presentation, where quick target acquisition is a must. For a game gun, I like a gun that is balanced between the hands, which is neither butt nor barrel heavy. This is the sort of gun I prefer for trap shooting as well. Just my opinion, but I think there are specific indications for various and different balance points in terms of shotguns.
