Not having a 45/70, but having a 444 Marlin since 1981, I'd tend to lean toward it...
after I bought mine, my buddy who always had to "one up me", bought a 45/70 Marlin....
within 150 yds hunting range in the woods...I never saw anything Keith did with his 45/70, that my 444 couldn't do also....
Having handloaded since the mid 90s....my 444 gets fed a diet of SR 4759 for powder with a 300 gr XTP at 1750 fps MV....
That load will pull the rug out from underneath, about anything hit in the right spot out to 150 yds.... since that is fine, as its always been a woods hunting rig...
the boys in the Scout troop and friends of my son, have always enjoyed shooting it when I load 180 or 200 grain XTPs at about 1000 fps out of it....
mega low recoil, but blows the crap out of saplings and stuff, which the kids seem to love..
and I'm sitting on enough brass to out last me, so that isn't an issue either...
nothing wrong with a 45/70.... but nothing wrong with a 444 either...
