When one has but one gun, one shoots what one has. Wise selection of loads can help considerably with the handicaps of but one gun. Many/most shooters will buy purpose built guns as soon as they can afford to do so.
Brit "utility" (think BLNE) fowlers are generally proofed for 2 3/4" or 3" shells and, if one respects their service pressures, quite robust. They weigh, balance, and swing much like their American counterparts. Their price point was not all that different.
DDA
I agree, but a English gunmaker will build you a masterpiece to hunt waterfowl, then another masterpiece to hunt upland game, and another to hunt dangerous game, all individually hand made, whereas the American gunmaker compromised and offered a gun that can be used across the board at a price people could afford given the salaries at that time.
The used gun market today means relatively little as an used English BLNE can be purchased by someone earning even a modest income. Howver, can that same person order a new CSMC Model 21 or Fox or a new James Purdey?
Look at the current pump shotgun market and compare the price of a new Remington Express with a new Remington Wingmaster or a new Ithaca Model 37, all guns that can be used to hunt everything under the sun, what is someone going to buy earning a modest income.
