It would be really fascinating if somehow we could get real copies of the strategic planning reports done by the marketing departments of various gun makers. Really see who they believe they're able to sell the most product to, or the range of buyers they believe they should be targeting.
"Give the customer what they want!" is a great plan, but which customer(s) are actually likely to buy from us? How many of whatever it is they "really want" are they likely to actually buy? How many repeat customers do we really get? What products will bring us those repeat customers? How can we make the legacy products at a lower cost? What will the effects of those changes be? Are our legacy products starting to look dated and/or less brilliant in light of competitors' more accurate, durable or ... ha, more "tactical" ... products? What products could we make which would bring us new customers? What are the risks of trying new products and are those risks potentially more damaging than the business they'd bring in is worth? Etc. etc.
Unfortunately (probably) the really interesting product manufacturers I can think of (across many industries) seem to make most of their money off of what the enthusiast would consider boring, low end, uninspiring product lines. It may be in the final analysis that Remington, Winchester, Colt, etc. just couldn't survive making elegant hand-fitted rifles and shotguns that operate with smoothness and the "quality feel" we all remember from previous generations. Without "value" lines buoying up their bottom line, at whatever cost to their reputation for quality, they can't keep the doors open.