Which Lever Action in Which Chambering

As stated above you will need HOT .44 mag loads.

The 454 Casull out of the Rossi model 92 will have a lot more that 1700 foot pounds with the 18 or 20 inch barrel with some loads.

I killed a couple hogs with the Magtech load 260 gr SJSPF from my Rossi 92.
The load is rated at 1800 fps out of a 7.5 inch barrel and 1800 foot pounds.
My guesstimate is over 2000 foot pounds out of my 20 inch barrel.


The 454 has 30 percent more energy then the 44 mag.

Check the numbers on the link for the 7.5 inch barrel.
http://www.ballistics101.com/454_casull.php

The hottest published handloads for the .44 magnum will launch a 240 gr. JHP with about 1788 fps muzzle velocity from a 20" rifle barrel (Speer #12 - Marlin 1894). The 240 gr. bullet travelling at 1800 fps has a muzzle energy of 1727 ft. lbs. You are very close to your minimum energy requirements with the .44 magnum. Other bullet weights do not fare as well as the 240 in the .44 magnum.

In my experience, the .44 magnum Marlin 1894 shooting a 240 gr. JHP is indeed adequate for deer.

Get a Rossi Puma Legacy in .454 casull and shoot 45 colt out of it at the range.

Sorry, again citing Speer #12, the hottest .44 mag. handload for a 200 gr. JHP will launch from a 20" rifle barrel at 2116 fps muzzle velocity. From the manual's ballistic tables, 2100 fps yields 9.79 ft. lbs. energy per grain...or 1958 ft. lbs.

Apparently, at the muzzle, the 200 gr. JHP does do better than the 240. It appears your energy requirement can be easily met.

Apparently, at the muzzle, the 200 gr. JHP does do better than the 240. It appears your energy requirement can be easily met.

Click to expand...

IF you handload.

In your gun selection it might be wise to approach the .44 Marlin 1894 with caution. The gun has had a design flaw throughout its history, well known and documented over the years as "the Marlin jam". Basically, it has trouble feeding .44 Mag ammo reliably and can jam tighter than a bank vault, frozen solid. The longer/heavier the round, the more likely the jam.

Please don't take this as a criticism of Marlins in general -- I love them, the older the better -- but that particular model is flawed. There's a fix, but it requires a little knowledge and skill.

My recommendation is too expensive and too difficult to consider, but find a gun in 7-30 waters. It's the super-30-30 faster, flatter, etc. For a hand loader (I load it for contender pistol) you can wring it out for about 30 cents a shot and be good to 300 yards.

Of course we could think outside the box and consider a Model 99 Savage. You'd have to find a used rifle, but they were manufactured in .300 Savage, which is more powerful than the .30-30, and .308 Winchester, which is more powerful still.

Vern Humphrey said:

Of course we could think outside the box and consider a Model 99 Savage. You'd have to find a used rifle, but they were manufactured in .300 Savage, which is more powerful than the .30-30, and .308 Winchester, which is more powerful still.

Click to expand...

He said it MUST shoot pistol cartridges in order for him to shoot at his range

It's not a lever action, but Thompson Center does make an Encore in both .460 S&W and .500 S&W mag. Both of those will break the 1700 mark with factory ammo, if it can be found in the UK.

With the .460, casual plinking could be done with .45 LC rounds.