I little explanation about my thinking here:
I enjoy shooting both of the guns that are to be used. Ruger SRH Alaskan .454 Casull and a Dan Wesson 15-2 .357 Magnum. And, I feel very comfortable with them at 25 yards.
The .357 Magnum from the 6" barrel Dan Wesson is a pleasant experience for me, no matter what I put down the barrel. With the proper bullet and good shot placement it is very capable of taking care of 99% of any concerns I, personally, may run into...people or animals.
The complication for me is this...I love my SRH Alaskan, also. Although it has some weight to it, with only a 2 1/2" barrel it is easy to handle. Anyway, for most of my needs the 360 grain round-flat nose bullet seems to be over-kill. And, even my 265 grain round-flat nose at 1,200 FPS seems to be over-kill.
I was just trying to find a happy medium where I have enough bullet to take care of the 99% without feeling I am touching of a small-cannon on each shot. And, 11 grains of Unique behind the 265 grain round-flat nose @ 1,020 FPS is fun to shoot and follow-up on.
Just some thoughts..........