You might recall, in your comparison of the UK and the Purdey, and the USA with the Parker- that Parker, until they sold the gun mfg. rights to Remington in the Depression era- also had the backing of a financially sound mfg. company- hardware, silverware, etc.
You can also make that case for the Win M21- as the other more profitable Winchester rifles and shotguns was a buffer to the high mfg. cost of the M21- at least from 1931 to 1959-- The nub of this "wind in the willows" might be- which firm employed the most highly skilled craftsmen, how were they paid- what was the "mark-up" on a bespoke Purdey- what was the financial base of customers of Parker Bros- who had the $$ to order a high grade "Old Reliable" made to their order, as were most of the customers of J. Purdey & Sons-- "back in the day" RWTF
