There's a flip side here, too. At the beginning of the 20th century, when most of the designs were all, very roughly, equal, the differences were largely in the cost to produce. Which affected the cost down at the hardware store general store, or outfitter.
Then, as now, the selling price often would outweigh any sort of other concerns.
Versus a nice simple bolt action--or a single-shot--that pump would be some amount more expensive. How much? Probably only a trifle, but enough to have people buy some other firearm instead. Eventually, the lack of market demand would affect factory production.
Once they were not available to buy, the 'habit' of buying them also "went away" too.
And, the practical side, as noted above, matters, too. They can be finicky to run. They are not hugely tolerant of changes in ammo presentation, but need some "slop" just to function. And, the "how much" matters. Too loose, and the buyers go "too cheap for me"; too tight, and the thing binds up, or needs to be racked "just right" (and 'no sale' on that one, either).
Our "gun community" can be fickle in so many ways.
Shoot Annie Oakley used to rock the world with a slide-action .22--and that was not enough for them to "catch on."
