Buzz;
This discussion has been flogged to bloody death and beyond on this forum. And to put a merciful end to this thread, OWD has it pretty much correct. "Best" was the best that any particular British maker offered. No finer gun was available from that particular firm. All the bells and whistles were part of the order. Nothing left out. Sidelock or boxlock, no matter. Bar action or back action, no matter.
The only codicil to "Best", is that Continental guns don't get to play in the classic sense. British guns are a realm unto themselves. And although Italian, German and (cough) Spanish guns pretend to be in the same arena, they are not. I shant go further, but that's just the way it is.
Best (in a relative sense of course), Kensal
