Let's say you wanted to carry a 16" lever gun for general self-defense on a backpacking trip because: a. it is light, and b. let's say you were someplace south of the border where 'hunting' rifles are OK under certain circumstances.
Is there any reason to think that a .357 might be flatter shooting than a .44 over distance because of the smaller diameter? If someone unpleasant were inclined to use a firearm to threaten you while down south, they would likely have something in a military self-loader, so you would want to be able to return fire rapidly without reloading (hence the pistol-caliber), but also be able to shoot accurately to 200 yards without worrying too much about trajectory.
There is also 30-30, but the magazines are smaller, and I have never tried to shoot one of the short ones. But I imagined that the follow-up is tougher because the recoil would be greater in a lighter gun.
My first guess is that the .44 is the best compromise, but I am curious about comparisons in performance out at ~150 yards and beyond. I tried the Remington ballistic calculator, but there is no info. on .357 from a rifle.
Is there any reason to think that a .357 might be flatter shooting than a .44 over distance because of the smaller diameter? If someone unpleasant were inclined to use a firearm to threaten you while down south, they would likely have something in a military self-loader, so you would want to be able to return fire rapidly without reloading (hence the pistol-caliber), but also be able to shoot accurately to 200 yards without worrying too much about trajectory.
There is also 30-30, but the magazines are smaller, and I have never tried to shoot one of the short ones. But I imagined that the follow-up is tougher because the recoil would be greater in a lighter gun.
My first guess is that the .44 is the best compromise, but I am curious about comparisons in performance out at ~150 yards and beyond. I tried the Remington ballistic calculator, but there is no info. on .357 from a rifle.