Well Ted . . . thanks for remembering the Darnes and higher levels of proof. I've also seen other French guns with double and triple proof (but not many with the latter). And of course a 3" gun from any CIP country is always going to have superior proof. But so are some 2 3/4" guns from CIP countries. Like Darnes.
Ted, take a look at the history of American doubles back in the 20's. The NID replaces the Flues; the Super Fox makes its appearance, as does the LC Smith Long Range Wildfowl. Those were all changes made because of what was happening with the ammo makers.
I'm mostly in agreement with you on what's needed to kill a pheasant. But Ted, we're in a minority. Look at what the ammo makers are promoting today as "premium" pheasant loads. Not stuff for which the Webley was built. Might it handle a few of them? Sure. And although I'm not particularly recoil sensitive, I wouldn't want to put very many through it. Way too light for 1 1/4 oz of shot at 1500 fps. That's a whole bunch more recoil than the same load @ 1330 fps.
You keep trying to compare the NID and the Webley. Doesn't work for a very simple reason: In this country, our doublegun makers never turned out 12ga guns built on "game gun" principles. They were all heavier than Brit 12ga game guns. But never fear . . . they didn't ignore the people who figured they could kill a pheasant (or a duck) with something less than a heavy 12ga load. Brit game guns compare nicely, in terms of weight and of the loads for which they were designed, to American 16's. Of course we didn't make as many 16's as we did 12's . . . mainly because the 12 is a more versatile gun. But more than enough of them were made to satisfy the needs of the guy who wanted a lighter pheasant/duck gun, and one that would also work for grouse and woodcock.
A NID 12ga, IMO, is a fine choice for someone who wants an American classic for trap and sporting clays. Find one with 30" barrels, and most SC shooters would prefer it to the Webley, simply based on the additional weight. And if you don't mind the weight--and a lot of people don't--it's fine for pheasants too.
Horses for courses, as they say. And the Webley was designed for different courses than a NID 12ga . . . but pretty much the same courses as a 16ga NID. More expensive than a 12, but a fine gun for general upland use . . . and at most, if we're talking Field Grade, only half the price of a Webley.
