I have an FE grade Lefever with both its original 30" Damascus barrels & a set of 26 " Bohler Steel barrels fitted in Italy. The 26" ones have thicker walls & weigh virtually identical to the 30" originals. Total gun weight is 7 lbs. It has been my main gun since around 1970/71 with the 26" barrels. I shoot it as well as I shoot most any other gun. Chokes are .012"/.024".
Over these years I have used it to kill quail, woodcock, dove, duck & Turkey as well as rabbits & a few squirrels, though I always did the bulk of my squirrel hunting with a Standard Velocity .22 LR. It was not "Ideal" for all of these uses but was/is a very versatile gun. Until fairly recent times carrying a 7lb gun was not a big deal for me. Just walking empty handed over the terrain I spent a lot of time hunting then would indeed be a Big deal today.
For a few seasons I did a considerable amount of my shotgun hunting with a J P Clabrough, 28" Damascus back action sidelock. (plates look like a bar action but internals are back action) This gun weighed 6lb 14oz & was choked about .010" in both barrels. I shot this gun as well as any I ever shot & better than most. This was in the late 70's & I was still not fully convinced it was "Alright" to be shooting Damascus so I sold it. Later it came back home to roost, but was late enough I haven't put it to a lot of use since.
