black bears matter,
i live in alaska, hunt in alaska and guide in alaska. i have owned multiple blued/wood guns. i don't buy them anymore. i have converted most of my working guns to stainless/synthetic.
that said, i have a few double rifles 9.3x74r, 450-400 (all o/u guns) and they are blue/wood. i have carried the 450-400 the last couple seasons for moose/brown bear. i love the gun, but....wish it was stainless! on coastal brown bear hunts, i am constantly cleaning/oiling it. it gets 5x the attention that my stainless 375 ruger gets during the same hunt.
if not hunting in a wet environment then blue/wood is a great choice. the stainless/synthetic is nowhere near a pretty or as "classy". but, stainless guns work just a good as a blued gun anywhere and will work much better in some places.
i do agree with the "heirloom gun" thoughts above. africa (my ONLY trip there) was kind to the blued gun i rented. just needed to wipe the dust off it every so often. if you are going to go with wood, then spend a few extra bucks and get a really NICE one. won't shoot any better, but you will smile every time you look at it.