If you are going to survive on foot, a 223 AR platform with a 22LR chamber adapter or two would be the ideal in my opinion. 223 can take large game with head shots or multiple shots. Best at 2 legged preditor defence with range. Most hunting can be done single shot anyways so making it a single shot with a chamber adaptor would be for hunting. Also a lightweight take down recurve or long bow with arrows is a good way to get large game quietly or even a cow in the field at night for survival. Also having a group or family of like minded people would allow multiple adaptions. One with 223, one with shotgun, one with 22, one with bow, have some snares handy also for quiet survival. You can alway make jerkey out of a cow smoking it dry. If the senario is in summer, I would try to live off small game and fish, in fall or winter, then kill the larger animals and make jerkey. Learn survival plants for variety and vitamens. Also, in survival you would need to eat the livers of large animals for vitamens if you can't get enough eatable plants. The .357 and 44 mag are also good ideas, Solid lead cast bullets could take small game with head shots, you can also load them with shotshells for birds at close range. I have a take-down recurve bow that weighs only about 2 lbs. I carry it in a quiver with about 36 arrows with field points, I can put on broad heads of the same weight. Not but about 5 lbs overall. A rifle does give you much more range.