why can’t the market determine which is best?
They have, both have their merits, the market has determined this and both types are produced.
It depends on what you want. CRF generally costs more and under extreme conditions will always be more rugged and reliable. But not for the reasons most people mistakenly believe. Generally speaking PF is less expensive to produce and it is a little easier to produce better accuracy with a PF rifle.
Both action types are just as reliable when it comes to "FEEDING". Both will reliably feed upside down or from any other position. Lots of guys mistakenly believe that CRF will feed more reliably, that is not so. Where CRF has an advantage is a more rugged and reliable extraction and ejection system. Both types work equally well if the rifle is reasonably clean and well maintained. But a CRF rifle is far more likely to function if the rifle has been neglected, or is filthy. It doesn't take much dirt, sand, snow, or ice in the right spot to render a PF rifle's extractor and ejector useless.
This could make a huge difference for the guys who hunt into remote areas and hunt in extreme conditions where snow, mud, sand and dirt could easily get into the rifle. Think of the guys hunting Alaska out of boats in mud flats, or on horseback hunts at higher altitude where snow and ice are common. Especially when multi-day camping trips are involved. And the more dangerous the game hunted the more valuable a reliable rifle is.
Years ago many hunting trips were expeditions. Multi day, even multi-week hunting trips into remote regions with no way to go back and get another rifle if the one you had failed. Today most hunters take a clean rifle out of the safe and return it back into the same safe at the end of the day.
I have and use both types. Most of the time I don't care much. But my most accurate rifles are PF. If I'm backpacking into a remote region and staying outside for days in the weather I take my CRF rifles. Next month when I travel to Colorado to elk hunt at higher altitude I'm taking my CRF rifles. After driving 1700 miles one way and spending $700 for a tag I'm not taking any chances on a rifle not working when I need it to work.