The only 26" barrel 12 gauge I have is a standard Winnie 21, G2186B skeet gun made for the ubiquitous Mr. 'Stock' in 1947.
It has the long skeet style forend, and yes the barrels 'look' too short. The gun would be more at home in a rack with skeet guns of the 50's and 60's, pickles and all.
It weighs 7 and 10, so O'Connor notwithstanding it's not a 'game gun'. At least I'm not lugging it around.
But guess what... it's a darn good skeet gun.
It neither starts quickly nor stops quickly. The balance is just fine. Triggers are better than anything Browning has shipped in the last 20 years, and my scores are essentially the same as with any other gun.
The goofy 'WS-2' is easily compensated for by a BPI X-wad for doubles except of course for that Championship of the World held here frequently with doubles from 4. The gun is actually optimum for doubles from 4.
Just an example that barrel length is only a minor consideration. It's how the whole package comes together for the intended purpose that matters.
