After looking through most of the posts here, I can agree with pretty much the lot of them - except - you missed my favourite - Taylor Sapergia - he's built rifles from Hawkens to the many different counties of Pennsylvania rifles and fowlers, a wonderful early Bess, hanful of English Sporting Rifles, a flint English breechloading Flinter (Ferguson), side by side shotgun, holster pistols of English to American styles to Germanic rifles and an exquisite wheelock pistol. A man who can build almost anything ordered or desired. Yup - he's my favourite - I'd have to put Jerry Huddleson next for his extraordinary chiseling and inlay work - then , the builders are in a fuzzy state, many pusing for third, with Tom Curren actually taking that spot. yeah- I may be biased, but his work really Shines!