Shotgunjones' story about the venerable Model 11 reminded me that I have one, a family keepsake made in 1919 and purchased by my wife's great uncle after his return from The Great War. A giant of a man, he toted that 8.5# cannon all over the West Slope from 1919 until his death in 1971. We acquired it upon my father in law's death in 1995, and I still take it out for a shoot now and again for old times' sake.
Just out of idle curiosity, I laid it across my finger and found that it balances 4.5" ahead of the trigger (unloaded). The receiver was milled from a block of steel and, with the butt, nicely balances the 28" heavy barrel and the 4-shot magazine. The old gun actually shoots pretty well, if the shooter is strong enough to carry it and can shoot "head up" to see over the receiver.
They aren't pretty to my eye. One of the local sporting clays shooters ported the barrel on his to annoy the gun snobs. That didn't help its looks.
