I just moved to western PA. It is the land of the hardware store gun. LOTS of Crescents with a variety of brand names on them. Also Belgian imports. I have seem many "W. Richards" guns. But it makes perfect sense. In the day these guns were purchased, far from the "big city", the local feed and hardware store was the center for everything including sporting goods. More like survival gear here.
Some were mail ordered, or catalog ordered. Not having a affluent or "showy" type of buyer, the field grade was king here. Most guns here are used to death, or not at all, but not at all is rare. The 12 ga . is a given, We are right on the fringe of Ithaca country, so I see the occasional Ithaca and a few Nitro specials, all field grade of course. Actually this is rifle country with the giant deer we have here.