IMO the balance and dynamics of the gun are more important than the barrel length.
Totally agree, But, consider that the balance and dynamics may better for a person,
with longer barrels. A person with long arms, like myself (35" sleeve) naturally places the front hand farther out on the forend, which means it's farther out from the center of balance. By doing so the perceived MOI is changed and a 30" barrel may feel the same to that person as a 26" might to a shorter armed individual.
Shorter barrels are not exclusively indicative of quick (or good) handling. There are many other factors that go into that, only one of which I just indicated above.
