Since you don't mind spending the extra $$$.
I would have said........go for the correct grade (from CMP)........late M1s. They're practically NEW....(almost anyway)......have great out of the box collectability and probably won't need to be re-finished. BUT, it'll still be GI. Probably, not what you're looking for. Hummm, since you were planning on replacing parts and refinishing it..........don't bother. It'll be WASTED.....on you.
If, I was rich like: You, Donald Trump, Bill Gates or The Royal Prince of Saudi Arabia.......maybe I'd have it finished in Gold Plate. How's that for a refinish job? And, since........you got all that extra $$$$ laying around. Go talk to your gunsmith.....ask: How can YOU spend MY $$$$ to get me, exactly what I want?
Here........you'll only get "free advice," from folks, who aren't trying, to skin you.
Then, there are some folks who believe: "Free advice, can't be worth much, since it's free."
Aloha, Mark
PS...........
Now a question from one of the previous posts, what makes the Winchester Arms recievers more valuable or expensive than the PA version?
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Assuming that PA meant SA. Come on.....what makes a blonde prettier (more valuable?) than a brunette? Or NOT? To each his own.
As for, a collector item? Well, some folks are willing to pay more, for an item that is the same (made to the same spec.), but made by a different mfn (even when thousands were made)........so, it's "a collector item." It's a matter of: What I want and how much I’ll pay to get it. And, since I paid more then the going rate. I can justify the purchase price, by calling it, "a collector item."
O.K., since we were talking about a shooting grade, M1.....IMHO, GI is, as GI does.