I've measured some earlier, pre 28,000 serial number Lefever guns that measure a small fraction over an exact 28", 30", or 32" and they were very obviously uncut. I never measured an uncut earlier gun that was even slightly under these even number lengths. But all of the later guns I've measured that were uncut were dead nuts on 26", 28", and 30". Still, I wouldn't absolutely say that later barrels measuring 26 1/8" were cut without examining all of the evidence. There was an article in a recent LACA newsletter that dealt with this subject. 26" original Lefever barrels were fairly rare so they are always a bit suspect, and 26" was a popular number for folks trying to turn an 8lb. 4 oz. full choked gun into a grouse slayer. Same goes for any that are cylinder or very open choked, since the common complaint about vintage doubles is that they are frequently too tightly choked for modern shot cup ammo. Unfortunately, the knee jerk reaction is to cut or hone when there are other options that don't affect originality. One way to tell is by checking the choke taper length by measuring barrel I.D. in the last few inches of the barrels. It should have at least 2 inches of taper. Anything less is probably cut. The muzzles on uncut barrels should touch and many had a keel that was actually part of the top rib. Others had a separate top and bottom keel. Another clue is the location of the front bead. Many barrel hackers seem to replace it further back on the rib than it was originally. Or they get sloppy and don't get it centered. Close up pics would certainly help, but pics alone wouldn't be definitive.
