What's wrong with a lever gun for self defense? They've been in continuous use in that role since approximately 1860.
Only in movies and on TV. In the real world there are several disadvantages to using a lever action.
The military evaluated lever guns but briefly chose a single shot before quickly moving to bolt rifles. Lever guns were issued to some National Guard units but were never used as a front-line military rifle.
If for some reason a semi-auto was not an option, I'd choose a compact "scout style" bolt rifle for exactly the same reasons the military chose bolt guns over levers.
Comparing bolt guns to levers a bolt rifle is:
Cheaper
Lighter, if in the same barrel length
More accurate
More reliable
Shoots more powerful cartridges
Greater effective range
Can be reloaded faster
Can easily be shot prone, supported and from behind cover. To operate a lever action requires the shooter to expose himself to return fire
The only minor edge a lever gun has is rate of fire. If you're goal is to simply fire 5 or 6 rounds in a hurry, you can do that faster with a lever action. But if there is a requirement that all 5 or 6 rounds actually hit a target it is a draw.
But between a lever in 44 mag or 30-30 my 1st choice is one of the Marlins made with a straight grip. Those are somewhat hard to come by so my 2nd choice is a Winchester. Those tend to be lighter and more compact than the pistol gripped Marlins.
Compared to 44 mag recoil is about the same. The 44 usually holds a few more rounds, but it isn't worth giving up the better accuracy and longer range capability of 30-30 to me. Rifles in 30-30 are a lot more common and at better prices too.