Ken,
The two LeverE loads I'm the least impressed with are the 30-30, and the 44. They hit hard and do the job, but results are the same phenomenon as you described. The 44 mag loads I'm happy with, and they hit the same hole are: Hornady 240 XTP and Magtech 240 JSP. A side note is, at 25 yards, the 200gr blazer GDHP 44 special hits the exact same hole.
Its hard to make a DRT prediction with a lung shot, but they will die.
