I have seen some with absolutely horrendous trigger pulls, but I'm less of a fanatic on that subject than some. If the pull is crisp and if it's at least somewhat lighter than the weight of the gun, I can live with it.
I have only handled three (they are not common at all in the UK) and only shot my own gun. The trigger pulls are not so much heavy (I suspect about 4-5 lbs), but the right trigger is reasonably crisp, the left far from crisp. I would not disagree that the fit has a large bearing on recoil, but mine fits pretty well and with 21 grammes (12 bore) the recoil feels a
lot more than a similar English sidelock only 2 oz heavier. The fit on the Darne is a little harder to gauge since it seems shorter than it is due to the standing breech being set well back almost over the triggers. Hence for a 14 1/2" LOP to the front trigger, the eye is probably an inch, maybe a bit more nearer the standing breech compared to an English sidelock.
I have added some actual measurements below where SB/H is the distance from the standing breech to the heel;
Darne V21 LOP = 14 1/2 SB/H = 16 1/8 Diff = 1 5/8
William Powell LOP = 14 3/8 SB/H = 16 3/4 Diff = 2 3/8
Henry Atkin LOP = 14 1/2 SB/H = 17 Diff = 2 1/2
AyA No 1 LOP = 14 3/4 SB/H = 17 1/4 Diff = 2 1/2
All are double trigger 12 bore with 27 or 28" barrels. As shown above, an English gun is typically 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 more from Standing Breech to Heel than the LOP, whereas the Darne is only 1 5/8.
