Douglass: Think hard and ask yourself why you are commissioning a new British best gun.

If it's for a status object primarily, Purdeys is unquestionably the way to go. The best (i.e. most prestigious) name in the business and new ones are of stupendous quality. Bear in mind, though, that new Purdeys are in many respects products of a high-tech modern factory with state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities, albeit being assembled and hand-finished to very very very high standards. Super guns but not your Grandad's Purdey ... For many that may not matter and if it doesn't, it doesn't matter.

If it's innovation you wish to patronize, Mike Louca of Watson Bros arguably leads the pack (in Britain anyhow), particularly with his over/under. He has a unique vision for his guns and a desire to set them apart from London competitors, aesthetically and mechanically. Very sleek lines, contemporary yet still recognizably British.

Greeners are the new darlings of the collector's set, with damascus-barrel sidelocks, G-grade Facile Princeps and even a new hammergun returning. Their guns also have a distinct aesthetic that harkens back to best-quality Greeners of old, and the two craftsmen in charge of gun production are considered the equals of PV Nelson. Only side-by-sides offered, though.

AA Brown's are for traditionalists (absolutely no CNC here) who value old-time craftsmanship and perhap real pride in ye olde Birmingham gunmaking traditions from a family that's made guns in Brum going back centuries (though the firm is not that old).

If you're Scottish and proud of it, you'll likely be interested in a DM Brown.

The list goes on...

It's fine food for thought.