I have an 1890 Parker DH with 32" barrels that has never been opened, has had an unearthly number of lord knows what ammunition shot through it, and is still chugging along like it was day one. Oh, it also has Damascus barrels. Guess it could never qualify as a "best" but don't tell that to all the generations that have used it for their bread and butter.
Let's get off of this "Best" kick since it can never be defined and would be nonsensical even if it were. It is pure snobbery. A much clearer term to interject would be something like "high grade" or "high quality". Even those tags would still be available for pot shots though.
I am a real sucker though for high quality guns, those that exhibit fine workmanship. Fancy wood and/or engraving have little weight in my eyes. But it's the quality of the chosen materials and how they were assembled and finished that turn me on. For a primer on this subject a gun such as a Lindner made Charles Daly might be a useful yardstick from which to judge others.
