If it’s going to be primarily a range gun, why do you want calibers that are gonna cost you at least a buck per, when you can go with a pistol caliber for MUCH lower operating costs?
I’ve owned lever guns in .44mag, 45/70, 30-30 that have all gone to other owners. The one that’s become my all time favourite, “go-to” bush & truck gun is my Rossi in .357mag/.38spl.
It began like as a Ranch hand, had a model 92 stock added, and now it’s a super short, light, fast little gun, surprisingly accurate out to a hundred yds, with enough oomph to drop a deer at that distance.
Really versatile caliber. You can load .38 spl nice and light for the range, that work great for rabbits, squirrels, etc. .357mags with a 180 gr hard cast bullet and it’s a deer/hog gun. A warm .357 round out of an almost 13in. Bbl delivers almost the same kinetic energy at 100yds as a .44 mag from a 6in. Revolver at the muzzle. .44 mag was the round of choice for bear defence in Alaska for decades, until some of the newer monster rounds started making headway.
That round dropped a lot of game, and a lot of big bears over the years...it, and .357mag are still common carry guns for bears in Alaska...Not everyone can afford to upgrade to a .460 or a .500, and a lot of experienced hunters see no need to.
Sure, the safety margin is greater; doesn’t mean the old stand-bys have become less capable.
For me, range trips are only fun if everyone has a good time. My wife isn’t very recoil tolerant, and even a .44 lightly loaded is a bit much for her after awhile. The 45/70 is a great round, but I start to flinch a bit from it after 20 or 30 rounds...then it’s not as enjoyable. .38 or .357, she can shoot hundreds of rounds in a day and still enjoy shooting it.
I’ve taken coyotes here with it, and hogs in S.E. Arkansas with it. It does a fine job with each, and it doesn’t destroy half the meat.
I just never really got on the bandwagon of going as big as possible, every time. I don’t get the logic of using the same gun on a 150lb whitetail as you’d use on a 1200 lb moose, especially when the cartridge is a big, honkin round designed for taking animal weighing more than a thousand pounds.
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