To answer that question accurately, one would have to know what those barrels looked like when they left the maker or factory. Bluing oxidizes over time. Protective gun oils or waxes can dramatically slow down that oxidation by providing a barrier to atmospheric oxygen and moisture. I have a couple hot blued guns in near unfired condition that have receivers turning plum color due to their high nickel content. They are totally original, but do not have the same color they had when produced. Another thing to consider with British guns is the fact that so many of them were routinely returned for service and reblacking/refinishing, while Americans value original condition.
I totally agree with Miller on what constitutes an accurate restoration. Doug certainly knew that some of his refinishing projects went well beyond factory polish, but sometimes he desired that. He made the loading gate on that 1894 .38-55 a plum color for contrast, but knew it wasn't originally done that way. This question of accurate restorations goes way beyond the level of metal polishing to also include stock finishes that have every pore completely filled... something that wasn't the norm on most vintage doubles. Looking at pores and finish oxidation is one of the clues I rely on to know if a gun has been refinished. The Sterlingworth barrels I mentioned bluing with Doug's process was intentionally taken to a higher than factory level of polish, just to see if I could actually do it. Prior to that, none of my rust blue jobs would have spooked any game due to reflective glare, no matter what formulas or methods I tried. I was on the verge of trying some formulas from Angier's that contained the dreaded mercuric chloride, something that many of the best British barrel blackers used in the past.
