If I were to take anything away from this thread, I will venture to say that "best" means that particular maker's best quality. Would this be an accurate interpretation? I don't think that is quite accurate, Chuck. I think that at any given point in time there were fairly commonly accepted quality grades based on price point and the trade masters knew who did the best work in each of the gun making steps. If a small shop was lucky enough to snag a best gun commission, the shop master would have to make decisions as to how much in-shop work was to be done, how much out-work would have to be hired, if the gun would be bought-in in the white and finished, or simply ordered from Birmingham finished and with the shop's name on it. The master's job, reguardless of how much work he may or may not have put into a gun, was to make sure all guns were of quality that met the selling point.
I see "best" tossed out there by dealers more often lately, it seems. Sales hype for the unwary/uneducated.
