I think the real point of Small Bore is that the more original the gun the higher the price. As the gun goes away from original condition it takes a ever increasing hit on value. The most worn or thinnest barreled guns retain 10-20% value max and then only to a few buyers.

If you had 10K to buy a gun with you would try to get as much original condition as possible. The trick is to know what is a value and what is a money pit. For that you need the have the gun evaluated by an expert.