I have zero hunting experience with the 45-70 cartridge but I've downed 19 deer with my RUGER 44 MAG carbine. None got away. I've had my quickest kills shooting Hornady hollow tip bullets and weight does not seem to matter. 200 grain or 240 grain bullets hit hard within reasonable distances. All of my shots have been taken at about 100 yards or less. One year, I loaded up some 270 grain Speer Deep Curl bullets for wild hogs and found that this combo out penetrates all other bullets I've tried. It's a better choice for tougher animals than common deer in my opinion.
Ballistically speaking, the mighty 44 MAG is a fairly short range cartridge compared to .308 or 270 but this is not a handicap to a patient hunter who selects his ambush locations carefully.
Sherwood
