A standard Model 12 3" Heavy Duck with lead weighted 13 5/8" stock is not butt heavy. The Duck barrel is a special barrel, made way heavier than a standard Model 12 barrel. This is in contrast to the Model 21 Duck, which has a non weighted stock and standard Model 21 barrels. Some Model 21 Ducks are as light as 7 1/2 pounds. As an aside, I have never had a bad shooting day in the field that had anything to do with a shotgun, as long as it fired when asked. But, of course, I've only been doing this stuff for fifty years now. Maybe next year I'll have a bad day because of a shotgun.