I've handled a few Midland sidelocks and hammer guns (maybe not their best guns)....but I'd argue they were well below some of the other English makers.
And there you have it! You keep trying to extend your experience to all of a maker's product. Midland made a complete range of original quality - farmer/colonial to best. The bulk of their production was in mid to lower end (that is where they were able to make money). But, that does not mean they didn't know how to make best guns or didn't make best guns. Surely they did. The intended original quality grade of the gun is what defines its quality, not the maker's name. Generalizations of a maker's quality will lead to errors that simply are not necessary.
