Just need to realistically combine wants, needs, and performance, and that's always an individual thing.
My Rossi 16-inch .45 Colt 92 ringlever's the most totable centerfire longgun I have.
Light, short, can handle some decent loads, receiver's perfectly rounded, and it's possible to run that oversized lever reasonably quick if I need too, once you adapt your technique.
The old Winchester 92 carbine design was about the best-carryin' carbine ever made.
I wouldn't take on a bear, certainly not a moose, with it, though.
Might with the 24-inch Marlin .45 Colt, with a heavier load.
I understand the Keith bullet feeding issue. My .44 Marlin feeds 270-grain Speer Gold Dot jacketed softpoints every bit as well as my handguns, and I'll be tinkering with some Cast Performance lead flatpoints in the .357 Marlin in a few weeks to see how well they feed there.
Sometimes it's as much finding the right bullet as it is tweaking the gun.
Denis