As I remember it, the .357 Maximum was created specifically for silhouette shooters as the .357 Mag didn't quite have enough power to reliably knock down the rams.

It wasn't long before the gas cutting problem surfaced and the cartridge kind of faded into oblivion. It should still work fine in anything that doesn't have a gap. I'd think it would make a pretty good deer cartridge in a Marlin 1894.