LOL....Harry would probably disagree with the S&W M69.  I just can't imagine doing the same scene with a five shot revolver.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Xjr2hnOHiM  

Aloha, Mark

Take a look at what I added in red above for a .357 Mag 125 gr bullet at 2210 fps (my chronographed velocity in a 20 short rifle).  You'll note the 189 yd MPBR outranges the .44 Mag by 30 yards.  However, the zero used for the above numbers is 170 yards.  That keeps me only 3.7" high at 100 yards (the maximum mid point trajectory) and only leaves me 4" low at 200 yards.

The major advantage however over the .44 Magnum or a tier 3 loaded (32,000 psi) .45 Colt is much more reasonable recoil and much better accuracy.  With 125 gr XTP handloads and Federal 158 gr JSP factory loads I get 2 MOA accuracy with a Marbles tang sight and a Lyman 17 AHB front sight.  Accuracy with a .44 Mag or .45 Colt tends to run in the 3 MOA to 4 MOA range.

As noted above a 125 gr XTP at 2210 fps has a 189 yd 5" MPBR, but with a 170 yd zero will be +- 4" out to 200 yards and in a rifle pattern Rossi 92 and decent sights, will give 2 MOA accuracy.  That makes it the most versatile pistol class lever action cartridge in my opinion.  Out to 170 yards or so it really gives up very little to the .30-30.

I'm also a fan of the .30-30. It's available everywhere at very reasonable cost, and it's been getting the job done on deer sized game out to 200 yards since 1894, and it's been doing the job on Elk out to about 100 yards for the same length of time.  It's hard to argue with it's success and it's versatility.

That said, I'm an even bigger fan of .375 Win. and if I could only have 1 lever gun it would be a toss up between a .357 Mag and a .375 Win.  The downside is that the .375 Win is a handloading only proposition at this point and actual .375 Win brass can be hard to find as the production runs are infrequent. Similarly, jacketed bullets can also be hard to find and comparatively expensive. On the other hand, you can shoot short 2.080" .38-55 ammo and brass in it just fine and it's a great cartridge to hand load for cast bullets (at pressures appropriate to the brass being used).  During the great component shortage several years ago, I fire formed new .30-30 brass to .375 Win dimensions and they'll manage .30-30 pressure loads just fine, making it a more or less modern .38-55.    In it's full power .375 Win form, it adds about 50 yards to the .30-30's effective range while using larger bullets in the 200-250 gr range, making it much more effective on bear, elk, etc.   With cast bullets at .30-30 or .38-55 pressures it will manage bullets up to 285 grains quite well.

Not sure that it is the best, but it's definitely a worthy contender.
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Have to go classic with 30-30. I have 4 lever guns in the stable .22lr,.44mag, 45-70 and 30-30. Last year I sold my Savage 99 in 308. It was a great gun and I have killed a lot of deer with it. I just found a good deal on a 308 bolt rifle.

The original topic title is: "Is the 44 mag the best general purpose caliber for a lever gun".  I believe that the answer to the original question is a definitive no.  The 44mag is not the 'best general purpose' at anything.  Try as some posters would, 'general purpose' doesn't imply a bias for hunting.  In fact, it doesn't imply a bias for anything; hence the term 'General Purpose'.  Under the provisions of the term General Purpose, one must give equal weight to performance, cost, capacity, accuracy, commercial availability, shootability (recoil), and versatility.  A tall order for any caliber.

The truth is that the 44mag doesn't shine in any of those categories but is biased towards high grain weigh bullets with good terminal performance, not outstanding longer range performance, cost, or shootability (low recoil).  However, neither does the 357mag, 45 Colt, .223/5.56, 30-30, 303 Savage, 300 Savage, 308, 30-06 (to name just a few) either.  What we are looking for is a 'best average of all' performance, not 'best in some cases' performance.

In no particular order, cost, capacity, accuracy, commercial availability, shootability (recoil), and variability of available loads are all a fundamental parts of 'Best General Purpose Caliber.'  There is no caliber around that is great in all the categories.  Some are biased towards hunting performance, some are biased towards longer range performance, some are biased towards low cost, some are biased towards accuracy, others are not biased toward anything.

What is true is that some calibers are better than others at a 'General Purpose' role.  44 Mag isn't one of them.

Haha, I’m glad the 69 wasn’t out yet for the filming of that scene!

I say go with what ever your more confident with! I love all of my lever guns, .45 Colt, .44 mag, 25.20, 30 30, .303 brit, and 45/70.. I would carry any of them into the woods for just about any game / crack head..  

I wouldn’t say best , I would throw that to 45-70 ( if your a hand loader ) I’d give it to 44 mag for non hand loaders.

For the 45/70 I’ve got super light black powder loads ,
Medium black powder loads , duplex loads and buffalo bore and garret if you need that extra umph. Plus a huge assortment of low level smokeless loads. It’s just so versatile.

The .30-30 is a far more versatile hunting cartridge than any of the pistol cartridges.

That's coming from a guy whose first Centerfire rifle was in 1894 Marlin 357 mag.

My little 16-inch Rossi 44 Mag is far more handy than any  30-30 or similar rifle cartridge lever gun.  Does that make is the "best general purpose" lever gun?  I have no fucking clue.  But for what I use a lever gun for, as a truck/UTV gun and brush hunting gun I have yet to find a gun as light, maneuverable, and easy to point as my little M92.  Given the steep terrain and heavy cover I hunt I am rarely given a shot longer that is longer than I can shoot my little M92.  If I am in a stand where I have longer shots I have a long range gun but for general utility and stalking thick cover around the hunting property I am hard pressed to name a better gun.

Honestly I like them all, but I settled on .357 and a .45 colt.

I hand load, and I can get the .45 colt up to shoulder bruising power or as soft as a bad-mitten puff.

The .357 is my suppressed lever gun, the suppressor fits my 9mm pistols as well.

Both are easy to load. I would get a .44 mag except it won't do anything my two guns that I have won't do.

I suppose if I were to do it all over again I would get the .44 mag, but I have what I have and I'm happy with what I got.

308 is better at long rang, terminal performance(at any range) and accuracy  availability and cost are pretty close.  Only thing the 44 mag is better than the 308 would be capacity and less recoil.

What the hell is a “general purpose” gun?

I like my rifles to be rifles. .30-30 for me.

Pole?

I wouldn't say a lot less recoil.  My 1894 gets a bit tiresome after twenty rounds or so firing full-power stuff.  In fact I can say I have fired more than one .308 that I thought kicked less.

Ok I am new to lever guns.  I don’t know what I am looking at but that is sexy!!!    Someone tell me what that is and how much that will set me back.  I am looking for a Christmas present to myself and think I just found it.

Tag, I need something beside my model 94 30/30

I think everyone is forgetting the OP's original question, "Is the 44 mag the best general purpose caliber for a lever gun ."  I appreciate the insight many of you have in using your one or two calibers but the question may better be analyzed by those of us who have leverguns in many different calibers.  I, myself have leverguns in 22lr, 38spl/.357mag, 45 Colt, 30-30, 300 Savage, and .308.  While I don't have all levergun calibers, I do have a representative sample of both pistol and rifle calibers from small and light 22lr, medium power pistol weighs, thru medium shorter range rifle, to full power, long range rifle calibers.

All of them excel at some aspects but the term, 'general purpose caliber' is too vague to address clearly.  Is it 'general purpose' plinking? Is it 'general purpose' CASS?  Is it 'general purpose' light game hunting? Is it 'general purpose' medium game hunting? Is it 'general purpose' larger North American game hunting? Is it 'general purpose' something else?  Until we know the criteria of what 'general purpose' means to the OP, the answers are meaningless.

I would argue .357 is the best all around Carbine cartridge. Load it with 180s and it will perform just fine on deer. It’s much cheaper to shoot than the .44 or 30-30.

I currently have a 336 Texan 30-30, and 1895(22 inch) 45-70 and a Savage 99 .308. I have a large stash of .44 ammo, but I really don’t enjoy shooting 44 pistols anymore. I’ll probably get a .357 for my next lever gun.

I have a Winchester "Packer" carbine chambered in .44 magnum. It makes a great companion to my Ruger SBH. right now it wears a Williams peep sight, but I may opt to go with a scout scope down the road:

30-30 for me, longest shot I ever took with one was this year, 240yds hammered a nice doe, bullet went through both shoulders, never found the bullet.

Did it with a new Marlin SS 336. It would be nothing to take a 250yd shot with one, maybe even a little more. Nobody here could believe the damage done for the range

it was taken at. I new where to hold at 250, crosshairs a little below it topline. The New Hornady bullets could get it done at 300 I think, try that with your 44mag.LOL

I also have a Winchester 30-30 trapper, handy little gun, but never would have even thought to take that shot with the Winchester.

When I think "general purpose" I think of hunting everything from fox squirrels to medium game such as deer and hogs. Therefore IMHO, a .357 lever has no peer; it's not great at any one situation, but it is more than acceptable for most situations.  With .38 Specials it's light enough for the small stuff, and with heavy .357's, it's just fine for the medium stuff.

Agree 100%

HD as well.   Low recoil. Fast follow up shots. Fantastic bullet performance in a wide variety of options.

148 wadcutters. To 200gr WFN.

And a my 16in 92 is slighlty bigger than a standard 10/22. Both in length and weight.

If the question is " most versatile", 357. You have the gamut from mild 38s to the heaviest 357s. Not as powerful as the 44, but that wasn't the question I don't think.

Love my 44
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It is hard to argue against the .357 magnum. It is quite versatile and also quite lethal when fired from a carbine or rifle length barrel. Just look at this wound track left by a lowly, inexpensive American Eagle 158 grain JSP...



The first deer hunt I went on as a kid (probably 11 or 12 years old), I was toting a Marlin 1894c .357 magnum with that load in it. The very first day of rifle season, I managed to knock a nice buck's dick in the dirt with that combo.

I discovered that the American Eagle 158 JSP load shot great in my 1894c a long time ago.  I bought a case of it and still have most of it.

I also have a stash of Nosler 180 grain partition bullets for the 357. I’ll use those if I decide to hunt with a 357 lever gun.

As far as 44 Magnum carbines ... no one has mentioned that the 44 mag SAAMI specs are different for the revolver and the rifle.  The rifle calls for a bore diameter several thousandths larger than the revolver barrel. This leads to many 44 rifles having an oversize bore, including 2 Marlins I’ve owned previously and a Browning 92 I own now. They still do OK with jacketed bullets, but lead badly and are inaccurate with cast bullets.

The 44 Mag carbines also have a ridiculously slow twist rate, 1:38. The 45 Colt usually has a 1:20 twist.  I’d have to go look up the 357.

I have never been able to find a 44 levergun that was more accurate than a 357. I’ve only had a couple of 45 Colt levers, both Rossi 92s.  I thought I could shoot some heave, Ruger only loads in them.  The rifle can handle them fine, but the recoil is brutal in a 4 1/2 pound gun with a steel buttplate.  I’m keeping an eye open for a 45 Colt levergun, this one will be an 1866 or 1873 clone, either a carbine or a trapper.

44 Magnum is my all time favorite caliber, but it pains me to say that I’d choose either a 357 or a 45 Colt Levergun over a 44.

I can get my 158gr XTP’s to 2,000fps. 1,400ft/lb^2 Still under 44 mag.

You also didn’t add in powder charge. 357 is 4-5 grains lower than 44 mag. 20% less

A 158gr xtp BC is .206.

240gr XTP is .205

44 Mag has an edge at a cost of powder and slower rate of fire.

Yep Verg, rabidus is correct.  Using Zero 158grn bullets and a full charge (18.0grns) of Lil'Gun powder with a magnum primer my 20" Rossi 357 Mag carbine produces 1,952fps as chrono'd at my range on an 84 deg day last summer from an average of 10 shot string while my 24" Rossi 357 Mag rifle produced 2,005fps chrono'd at the same time with the same average of 10 shots.  Further, Buffalo Bore sells 158grn 357 Mag Heavy loads they claim produce 2,153fps in an 18.5" barreled Marlin.

Imagine what it would produce in a 20" or 24" Rossi.  You went to a lot of effort listing velocity comparisons between a 357 Mag load and 44 Mag that used 357 mag ammo that produces less velocities than what is attainable.  I could just as easily show a comparison using loads for the 44 Mag that only produce velocities at upper 44 Spl levels but that wouldn't be correct either. I also load some plinking 357 Mag loads at that level too (1,800fps) but you purported to show those numbers were all that the 357 Mag was capable of and your numbers are considerably lower that actual.

I didn't say that the 44 Mag was a poor choice for a levergun, it's not.  I don't think it's the best all around caliber pistol caliber as it's greater recoil, cost, blast, and shorter range in a levergun may be a disadvantage to some.  Just like the 45 Colt leverguns I have, the 44 Mag has it's advantages but neither is my favorite for an all around levergun.  The 357 Mag is my choice by a wide margin. You may not agree but to ask if I've lost my mind is insulting, especially when you're using inaccurate information to support your wild question.

For a handler 358 winchester might be better.  With some powders you can mimic 357 loads and use those bullets or load it with 250 grain Speers at 2400 fps and hunt brown bears.  Also allows 300 yard shots on elk or deer with 225 grain or 200 grain loads.  The 357 mag type loads are soft shooting so that covers plinking

Like Warhawk posted "The 44 Mag carbines also have a ridiculously slow twist rate, 1:38. The 45 Colt usually has a 1:20 twist. I’d have to go look up the 357."

I reload for my Marlin 38/357 and 44mag lever rifles.  For my rifles, the 357 is much more versatile to reload for from small 110 grain loads to big 200 grain hard cast.  From fast movers to subsonic for use with a can.  They all work well and it is a joy to shoot.  The rifle has killed many deer with loads ranging from 125 grain full power to 180 grain subsonic.  The deer all seem to get deaded without any problems.  My 44 just can't handle the heavy weight projectiles above 240 grains due to its twist rate (keyholing) and if they are loaded hot they can get uncomfortable to shoot for us manlets after not too many rounds (5'7" @160lbs) whereas I can shoot the 357 all day.

Would I shoot a bear or elk with the 357?  Nope.  But like always you need to pick the caliber according to the animal you intend to shoot.  One size doesn't fit all, but my 38/357 seems to be my favorite jack of all trades lever caliber.  That said, I would like to try a 45 Colt at some point.

Edit to add I have reloaded up to 246 grain hunters supply hard casts in the 38/357 and they shot fine and stabilized, but they would not feed from the magazine.

45 colt is best lever gun with reloads. The best over all is 30-30. Best big bear stopper is 40-70.