That's not strange at all doctors of philosophy are drawn to the pump like Teddy is to honey. One Ole' Prof shot 981,000+ cartridges out of Remi 31 which he bought 2nd hand in 1933.
When it comes to the 1897 it's not that it was a truly great design, but the fact that it's competion (Burgess and Spencer) were truly horrendous. It will always the the "missing link" between double barrel or lever action and the great Model 12 repeater.