Personally I would and did go with a 35 Rem over a 30-30 Win. Yes some of the ballistics charts you'llsee will list the 30-30 as having a little bit more energy.I wouldn't take that as gospel you're notcomparing the same caliber. The 35 Rem. uses a .358" caliber bullet. The 30-30 Win uses a .308" caliber bullet. The 35 Rem. is .050" of an inch bigger and the bullet is usually 30 to 50 gr. heavier, and thats just factory ammo. I know how well the 35 Rem. work on white-tail deer, its just awesome. If you handload you can get even more power out of the 35 Rem., I don't think you're going to get much if anymore power out of the 30-30 Win.

I also have a 444 Mar. Ibought it touse for black bear, wild boar and anything larger then deer that I'll be hunting in the woods.

I also think a Remington model 7600 in 35 Whelen would be a good choice. If you have to have a lever action check out the Browning BLR in 358 Win..