NE450No2, you have hit the nail squarely on the head IMHO.

Take a contempory modern-made American double, shave a pound of steel off the muzzles, add a couple of pounds between the hands, and take those damn mercury recoil-reducers out of the buttstock and toss 'em into the nearest trash-can. Then you will have the 'feel' (or pointability, or liveliness) approaching a good Brit double.

American double-rifle customers are their own worst enemy here: they demand slim actions, light-weight guns for carrying, yet expect low recoil, and are scared of thin barrel-walls at the muzzles. The result is a fore-gone conclusion!