Stevens 44 1/2 actions are surprisingly strong. I once bought a rifle on such an action which was chambered for the .219 Donaldson Wasp, a notoriously high pressure cartridge. To add to the equation, the barrel used had originally been a .22 rimfire, meaning that the groove diameter was probably no more than .222". The owner had been blithly shooting .224 jacketed bullets in it, and it had digested them with no evident damage.

The attraction for me was that the action was equipped with a double set trigger, which I had wanted for a Schuetzen rifle. It is now a .28-30, and no longer subjected to the horrendous pressures it suffered in its previous incarnation.

The 44 1/2 is a compact little action and in my book capable of withstanding the same pressures as the Winchester Model 1885 High Wall. I would not think that it would lend itself to cartridges larger than .30 caliber however, simply because a rifle stocked proportionately with the action would be too light for the recoil generated by the heavier bullets. For a hunting rifle, I agree that the .25-35 (6.5X52) would be an excellent choice.