I love shooting my St. Etienne. It's light and swings like a prom queen. Problem is the bores are badly pitted but it patterns great, go figure. It never looks clean inside no matter how many times I scrub it. Maybe if I had it retubed. I'd wanna use my rib and flats cause everything is engraved. I could have the bores honed but I think that would take it outta proof.
If it is a typical French gun, you would have a bunch of money into it, and it wouldn't necessarily pattern any better, or be worth any moe money. I've seen bores like gas pipes throw spectacular patterns. I don't know why, but, some do.
I'd suggest you leave it be.
I guess a "classic" to me is something I shoot well, and that is simply very reliable, needing little consideration to how or with what ammunition it is used. A lot of the German, Japanese, French and English guns fall into that area with me, but, the English guns are more expensive considering what you actually get.
I can't warm up to any American guns as "classics". If you get enough alcohol in some of the better gunsmiths, they will confess to making way more money on those guns than continental or English guns.
A lot of the really good gunsmiths won't even touch American double guns anymore.
That should tell you something.
I wish you the very best of luck, and, take a minute to show us what you end up with.
Best,
Ted
