Barrel finish is certainly preference. That "antiqued" (rusted) looks like bloody hell to me. If I want a historic firearm that's corroded I'll buy one, but I don't want a new one to look like that before I've had the chance to put my own honest wear on it!
On the .32 SMR, which was my second build, I went with a "new" rifle. I polished all the steel excessively with Mother's and a high-speed polishing ball. I cleaned it up on a bench wheel till it was near a mirror finish before rusting the hell out of it over a steaming bathtub. I could tell right away that the rust was far more even and thick than on my first build. After dunking in the boiling water the blue/black that it came out was better than I could have hoped for. It also has an exceptionally highly figured maple stock, and instead of a traditional oil finish I wanted to keep it very light so the figure popped, and after hitting with the feric I gave it multiple coats of high gloss spar varnish. Not trad at all, but I am super happy with the way it came out. I will try to remember to take some good photos and post them.