I didn’t say it isn’t a good gun. In fact I think they should be far more common. I used to hunt squirrels with an old single shot .410. That was a beautiful learners gun too. Your basic point and click interface.
The problem is that they’re usually choked too tight so the pattern doesn’t develop in a reasonable range, and that screws up beginners who don’t have the skills to maximize a shot charge that’s less than 1/2 of a 12 gauge.
My favorite gun is a Winchester 101 O/U choked SK/SK that absolutely chews them up on the skeet field.