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.