I have researched this topic for quite some time, well as soon as I heard that they might pass it. I'm a huge Winchester Model 94 fan and I havea model 94 chambered in 44 magnum that I'll carry this year. If Winchester would've made a model 94 454 Casull I would probably spend my wad trying to buy one of those! Winchester did make a Model 94 in the 480 Ruger for a very short period of time but I'll be damned if I can find one of them anywhere, at any price! I have played around with the Legacy Puma Model 92 in the 454, it's a nice gun but I'd have to shoot one before I'd buy it. NEF does sell their Handi Rifle chambered in the 500 S&W with fiber optic sights for around $275-$300 which would be an awesome deer set up. I've also considered buying a Katahdin 500 S&W barrel for my Encore as well, I can get one of those for about the same price as the NEF rifle.

I think the NEF 500 S&W rifle and the lever action 454's are going to be pretty popular, but I think you'll see the 44 mag carried most often. A lot of us care about the cost of ammo and some people won't care for the recoil that the 500 brings.

Hope this helps!
Happy hunting,