Let me preface my remarks by saying that I am a long time 348 WCF fan and I still hunt my grandfather's old Model 71. If you have a 45-70 (which I'm also a big fan of) is there any thing to be gained by going with a 444 Marlin? The 348 WCF common bullet range from 180 - 250 grains work on just about anything you care to hunt in NA and the 45-70 with 300 to 405 grain bullets will as well. Heck get a Winchester/Browning Model 71 in 348 WCF and find a nice Marlin "WaffleTop" in 30-30 WCF or 32 Win. Special to go with your 45-70 and you have your bases covered.
You can never have too many great lever guns.
StarchedCover
My recently acquired waffle top 32 Special and Browning 71 are the last two levers I'd part with. There are a few still to go down the road but these two will stick around. At least until I change my mind.
