They are fairly heavy, but I find that makes them a steady platform for off hand shooting, similar to the M1 Garand.
You have to remember the context in which they were used during their day. They were a very useful tool for hunting the eastern forests, where the shooting was not particularly far, most likely offhand and usually at running game via the deer drive. Really their best asset to the men that used them in that time in my view was their durability, their reliability and their ability to get 5 shots downrange quickly.
My first buck that I killed with my old Model 8 came boiling out of a deer drive jumping as high and running as fast as any deer can go. I swung on him like a quail and dumped him with the 3rd shot. That is what deer hunting was back then and the Model 8 fit in that role very nicely.
