Originally Posted by Duckford

The .357 Magnum is a great choice if one wants a pistol caliber carbine for self defense. On average, the 18 inch barrel doubles the power of .38 special and .357 magnum rounds, with very little recoil, no flash, basically the ease and handling of a big .22 magnum, with the power of a 24 inch barrel .223. The effect of a flat nosed, 158 grain jacketed soft point, full power .357 magnum load out of the carbine is absolutely destructive. You can get around 1850 fps out of a 158 grain bullet, around 1,200 ft lbs. of energy, and the bullets tend to deliver it beautifully into many objects, and especially tissue. As has been stated, I have better choices with my large arsenal, but I wouldn't feel a tiny bit out gunned if all I had was my Winchester 94 AE, knowing how lethal it is with full power rounds.

The .44 Magnum in pistol carbine doesn't have the same percentage on average upgrade in power like the .357 does, more around 60% ballpark increase instead of around 100% for the smaller magnum, but you'd be hard pressed to find someone who would doubt the killing power of a .44 Magnum rifle. The 45LC? That is another story, I suppose. Its a fine caliber for a pistol carbine, alright, but in self defense in a non auto loading long gun? I don't doubt a full house .357 Magnum, or a 44 Magnum, because they are extremely capable of stopping a fight with one center mass shot with the kind of carnage they can cause, but the lower power standard .45LC, even with the longer barrel, may not have that kind of ability.

Yes, suggesting a .223 or 30 carbine auto loader instead is good advice, but to stay more on OP's point, I think that although a pistol lever action carbine isn't the best choice, its certainly far from the worst, and far better than a handgun. If its a gun you enjoy shooting, something you use competitively and have become accustomed and well adjusted to, become "one with the gun", or find that you can more easily handle a pistol carbine, perhaps its a good choice. I still would suggest perhaps the more powerful magnum cartridges instead. If you can't shoot more than one round at a time without mechanical cycling, try to stick to a cartridge that finishes the job in one hit.

Don't worry about "black guns" giving you a bad time in a self defense situation's aftermath. The situation, not your gun or ammunition, is the problem. Lots of talk about how bullet and gun selection are potential problems, yet few cases are presented to prove the point.