I appreciate all of the comments and insight on 357 and 44 mag. It’s good hearing first hand real world experience on those calibers. For me, personally, I’m looking for a companion rifle to my Ruger new model Blackhawk in 45 colt. But I would also love to add a couple more Lever guns down the road and 357 would be a nice addition to my other revolver.
Thr 357 in a rifle is a different animal than out of a revolver. You'll see impressive velocity increases, on the order of 35-40% with the slowest-burning powders. And for rifle-only, "+P" loads, the differences get drastic. It's easy to get 158's to 2000 fps out of a 20" bbl with Lil Gun, and 180's to 1750 fps. Easy. That's not a pop gun, and it shoots flatter than any 44 or 45 Colt lever gun load.
