There is also the looks factor as well. What I mean by that is, most leverguns, at least a couple of decades ago anyway, were a good deal less expensive than a good bolt action thereby leverguns were being called "brush guns". Now there are some out there that are under the illusion that being a brush gun was caliber/cartridge driven. They thought that the leverguns were chambered with big heavy bullets that would "go through brush" better than your fast movers. They were actually called brush guns because most didn't mind taking that much less expensive lever gun into thick cover and getting it a little scratched up. Most of your good bolt actions back then tended to have fine looking wood stocks and you didn't want to get it dinged up. It had absolutely nothing to do with cartridge/bullet. A tiny unseen limb will throw a big 30+ caliber bullet off track just about as easily as it will a .243.