I've heard this one a thousand times before, and always from Americans.

I think you have some study ahead before you're ready for a British gun. Again, British doubles aren't Winchesters, Colts, Marlins, LCs, Lefevers, or any other cheap, mass produced American gun. The uniquely American mental aberration called "Colt/Winchester Psychosis", which you have come by honestly, simply can't be applied to British guns because they're so totally different.

I have a gun that is probably one you would like. It's been meticulously maintained, but has hunted quite a bit. Black is maybe 75%, case colors are 40%, vivid 100% on the top tang and table. Metal is perfect, with no discoloration from corrosion anywhere, let alone pitting. Ejectorwork and lockwork look like the day it was made and it has excellent bores.

I bought it in that condition many years ago and, like you, I like the character, and I hunt a lot with it. It needs refinishing, but I'll probably never do it. Has it already been refinished? It's 80 years old and British, so chances are fair to middlin' that it has. That's just the way it was done.

For what that boxlock cost in the 20's, you could have bought a new car and had enough change left over for a nice trip. For that reason they were expected to last, and refinishing when needed was part of REGULAR maintenance. At the same time, the quality standard of the British version of "refinishing" was never done in the US, as it would have cost more than a mass produced American gun cost to replace. What I meant by correct vs poor with respect to British guns is that correct means that the original maker probably won't be able to detect it absent wear that refinishing doesn't alter, such as visible bore wear. Keeping in mind that a solid 70+% of the British DRs on the market today were made before WWI, most have been correctly refinished at one time or another, but some haven't. Aside from the exception mentioned, Americans that think they can tell the difference are kidding themselves.

I recently handled a Purdey "best" SLE from the '20s that I actually did assume was in the midst of being refinished. The barrel black was worn through in places, as was that on the guard tang, and the wood, while nice, had a few work marks. The case colors were intense, stunning, and 100%, so I assumed that it had been sent out for re-color, and was now back for re-black and a light refinish of the wood. I think 100% of American "experts" would have instantly branded it as a re-case. It turned out that the original owner had used the gun, but was killed in WWII. The gun had been in storage since then, and the family had just sold it. The lacquer on the action and fore-end iron had degraded and was flaking badly, but had done it's job and the original colors were perfect. The gunmaker had simply removed the old lacquer and applied fresh.

If you "can't stand" refinished guns, you might want to give the British guns a wide berth, unless you're able to buy new.