I don't think you can go wrong either way if you are wanting a big bore levergun.
The newer 444s with the Ballard rifling are 1/20 twist. They will handle anything up to the 400 gr stuff from Beartooth.
I've had a couple Marlin 45-70s along the way, and still have one. Never had a 444 but it has a lot of appeal to me since I load/shoot 44Mag revolver. Never had one though. But a 444 could be loaded up with a lot of stuff from 180gr JHP up to 400+ gr cast. That's a lot of latitude.
The 45-70 can go 300-500+ gr, and that's a lot of options too.
