I'm considering adding a revolver/lever-action combo and was looking for something a little stouter than my current .357 combo. I had considered 454 Cassul, but I don't think I quite want to go there. Some of the pro/cons I'm looking into are reloading/buying ammo costs, recoil, B.C., versatility, and real-life hunting performance.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or experiences.

460magnum

Buy the 460XVR and shoot 454 and 45LC

Or buy the Ruger 454 Casull and shoot 45LC

If it's only between the 2 calibers listed then I would choose 44mag

Between the two you listed, I would go with the .44 Mag and not think twice.

Thanks guys. As to the firearms I'll be considering: a Ruger ***Hawk, whichever I come across; and a Rossi M92 20 lever action.

.44 and don't look back.

I have a customer of mine selling a Ruger Blackhawk 44 mag. I'll give you his info if your interested. He's wanting $600 with a Burris 2x scope on it. It's in great shape.

Haven't done the 44 revolver yet, but I've got a Marlin 1894 cowboy 44mag.. Use the 44mag Leverevolution for hunting & 44spl for target loads.. Also have the .357 Marlin 1894 and while I love the 38 lrn's in it, the pigs die more better w/ the 44mag.. Recoil on the 44 is a little stouter than the 357 but still very manageable...

Both great hunting rounds but I put the 44Mag in a class above the 45.

I have also noticed there is far more 44Mag ammo on the shelves lately than 45. Ammo cost is the same so why not buy the one with better performance. About the only thing that the 45 has over the 44 is when it comes to cast lead factory ammo. Far more of that out there in 45 than 44 but I have always been a JHP guy anyway.

If you buy a Blackhawk, the .45 can be pushed to the same levels as a .44. They're also much lighter than a Super Blackhawk. Also, you can buy one with a .45 acp cylinder, if you wanted it.

It all depends on what you intend to do with it.

I'm a huge fan of the 45 Colt. However, I'm a reloader which really helps to bring the most out of this cartridge.

True

I've got both 45LC and 44mag. I'd go with a Henry big boy and a Taurus tracker. I know a lot of folks do not like Taurus but I have had one for 8 years and never had a failure to fire or any other issue. I fire about 300 rounds per most months both shotshell and lead. It also has porting which reduces the recoil substantially

Yep, and with the Ruger and the conversion cylinder for the 45acp it opens the adaptibility to two different cartridges rather than 44 mag/special which is only big and little brother.

I would pick which revolver you like first. You may pick up SAA or Blackhawk and realize you hate the grips or you may pick up modern double action and fall in love. If that is the case, you probably wont find a lot of the later in 45 Colt. The single actions come in everything, so I wouldn't worry. Both are adequate in my opinion.

Not sure what you are trying to do, but have you tried 180gr bullets in your 357 combo?

My experience with combos are 357 and 44 magnums. The 44 does provide a big step up in energy and larger diameter for larger diameter wound canals. In the carbines I have never felt under gunned with the 357 when using 180gr bullets but have when using lighter weight ones like 125 and the leverevolution loads, for hunting loads in the 357 I like 158 and heavier.

The 44Mag provides enough thump for anything I will ever hunt be it with a rife or handgun within the effective range of a straight walled cartridge.

Combos I have and have tried.

357 bandguns S@W 686, Ruger Blackhawk and Security six, Beretta Stampede, TC Contender 14 incn barre, and a 357Max Ruger.

357 Rifles have all been Marlin 1894s and tried 3 before getting the one that is one of my favorite hunting guns a Stainless Trapper.

44 Mag Handguns Ruger Super Blackhawk and S@W 629 PC hunter package (amazing handgun to me)

44 Mag carbines Ruger deer slayer, Winchester 94 Trapper, Remington 788 and a custom bolt action

For the 44 Mag I like bullet 240gr to 300gr and most have worked well for deer and hogs.

44 Mag, easy. And if you don't reload, 44 Mag for sure. 45 Colt factory ammo very mild. 44 Mag is loaded to Mag specs. If you reload, the gap is much closer between the 2. But I love my 44 Mag lever gun.

To answer the above replies, I do reload. My .357 combo is a Ruger Security Six and a Rossi M92 trapper. I generally load 158gr lead SWC with Hodgdon CFE 6.5gr.

I have a 45 colt Blackhawk. Its done everything I needed it to. Plinking to full power in the same case. I would like to add a lever gun in the same caliber some day.

That said I think the 44 would be great as well. Kinda splitting hairs to me.

44 Mag all the way. Even during the panic I could still find bullets and powder.
From the light 180gr for plinking to the 310gr for any large North American game.
For the heavy loads I wouldn't recommend using an older lighter gun. New Rugers Blakhawk or RedHawk will be the way to go.
300gr and 1200fps might not be that fun to shoot.

If you reload, then the 44 Mag and 45 Colt can be loaded to almost identical pressures and speed with similar bullet weights.

I started with a SAA clone in 45 and then paired it with a 94 Winnie. Started hotrodding the levergun and got rid of the SAA for safety's sake. Not mine, I know better than to shoot hot loads in one but you never know. I'd hate to die and someone get all my handloads and run them through a weak pistol. I still haven't picked up a Ruger in 45 yet.

I guess it boils down to which revolver you want. Dragoon style grip then it's 44 Mag. If you want a 5-1/2" Bisley, 45 Colt. The rifles all pretty much look the same.

I would go with a 45LC convertible in a 5 1/2 inch stainless.

Look and see what components you have access to, also, to make sure you can feed it with the right brass and bullets.

^^^ This.. If you reload and study up a bit about LBT philosophy you will understand the difference between a .43 caliber and a .45 caliber revolver cartridge. I had used .44 mags. For many decades until I started reading Ross Sigfried articles. This led to Veral Smith's book and I started in on .45 Colt experimentation. The .45 is in another league on terminal performance. All that said the .357 and the .44 mag. Are great until you get to the really big bad stuff. My favorite .45 is a 5" barrel RedHawk in stainless. It's a hoss with 320 gr. LFN. Try H110 (WW296) LBT lube and Mag. Primers.