mrboreland has a great point. hot hot 357 most suitable for deer is not very pleasant out of a revolver. 38's have almost no recoil out of the gun.
that said, my 1894c is probably my favorite gun. everybody loves it. loves working the action, loves the light recoil, loves how handy it is. If you plan on scoping it, I recommend against a 3x9x40 typical deer rifle scope. you will ruin the handy balance of the gun, be tempted to take long range shots the 357 isn't very good for, and it looks funny. But it's versatile and fun. what more could you want? 357 is a good easy choice to start reloading for if it interests you and you don't already.
new marlin's are pretty rough from the factory. an action job does wonders for them. If you're handy, there are some good instructions on how to do your own online. mostly polishing and lightening springs.
I got rid of my 30/30 because recoil was about double what the 357 felt like and it just wan't much fun to shoot. better hunting gun and significantly cheaper though.