A lot of you guys are shooting deer with these big boys. Not quite sure what the argument between the two is about if you're shooting deer. Likely at modest range, where a handgun-weight bullet at handgun speed would work just as well.
The utility of both the 444 and 45-70 is in the big and heavy bullets for big and heavy game. Short-range? For some. Most arguments about range on the fire would call 300 yds unethical for a scoped bolt gun. Shooting a 400gr 44 cal bullet in the middle teens will take BIG game at half a mile. Put a 500+ in the 45-70, and you can stretch much farther than that. Not that it would be today's version of ethical, but it would be effective.
For the uninitiated, these are brush guns for modest ungulates. For the enlightened, these are hunt-the-globe-and-yes-even-dangerous-African-game-guns.
