What you're describing is really not uncommon. Most firearms companies don't even sell directly to RETAILERS, let alone consumers (example: Mfg sells to davidsons/lipseys/etc, who in turn sell to your LGS). Per their warranties, you're never supposed to press your own bow, such that you wouldn't be able to install new limbs even if you could buy them, just like how Ruger won't sell their SP101 triggers or hammers and require that they're factory install only. Getting your transmission serviced on a Ford by anyone other than a Ford approved service center would void your drivetrain warranty (at least used to). Mfg regulated pricing isn't anything uncommon either, Remington controls the retail price you're allowed to mark up, OR DOWN, on their products, Foxpro does for their electronic predator calls as well. Ruger doesn't release (and I'm not sure if they actually know themselves) how many firearms of any given model that they produce in a given year. Production volume isn't something that usually gets published to customer service anyway, and with the tiered wholesaler and retailer order structure these places have, there really might not be more than 2 or 3 people within a company that have any idea how much volume they're selling.

Why is it any of your business? Operational level numbers aren't anybody's business except the company in question - Ford doesn't publish that it only costs them $3,000 to build a $13,000 economy model, Apple doesn't admit that there's only $27 dollars in hardware cost in an Iphone (making these numbers up as I go, of course), Walmart doesn't have to publish how much they pay their shift managers...

It's not deception, it's just none of your business.