Been done for a few decades now by several American/other makers. Only thing Purdey has done is made one that costs more than the average US house.... Whooppeee.
“...Only thing Purdey has done is made one that costs more than the average US house.... Whooppeee.” [Manly Warrior, post 5]
They cost a bunch because of the large amounts of handwork devoted to fitting & finishing: a feature higher-end British and Continental gunmakers pride themselves on. And it’s charged at proportionately higher labor rates, supposedly justified by the level of skill required, which is part native talent and part the fruit of long apprenticeships.
Whether it’s worth it to the customer, is a different question.
Personal guns with superior fit & finish aren’t some recent trend, nor a dead-end offshoot from American practice. American approaches to gun design & manufacture are much more recent and more imaginative, bringing forth performance at least as good from mass-produced guns requiring far less handwork. As long as a customer is content with average fit & finish.