There are so many interpretations of the term Best. I choose to interpret a best-quality gun as the best that a maker offered for sale, made with the best available components. Thus there is a great similarity in a best gun offered by a lesser-known maker and that offered by a top-tier maker, though the latter could command a much higher price.
Sadly we know little about the individual craftsmen and outworkers who built and fitted the components, and whose talents were probably recognized and respected within their community. We only know the names of the firms that sold the guns, and occasionally these are one and the same.
I agree with the expression buy the gun, not the name, though with human nature, this is easier said than done!
