Pureys will always be Purdeys and good luck to those that like them enough to pay for them.
Quality as I perceive it is illustrated by the better quality single barrel hammer guns turned out by provincial makers. These have nothing in common with the cheap and nasty "single shot". Their balance is superb, they were made to fit the client, they are a joy to handle in terms of balance and pointability. It is this kind of pleasure in handling that defines quality for me. The decoration, maker's name, figured wood etc seem irrelevant when compared to the sheer joy of a good handling gun. Perhaps modern advertising has conditioned us to purely visual judging of things, we overlook the tactile aspects.
As to ribs. Tinning will help prevent corrosion, yes, the same can be done more easily by going ribless or at least leaving out the useless bottom rib, as in Darnes, and get a better balanced gun with less hassle. The gap in the Martin ribless, if it offends the eye, can be dealt with via a detachable top rib. We made so many things detachable in shotguns, why not ribs!
