44 Mag vs 45-70
Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2016 12:33 pm
several friends have asked why anyone would want both a Henry 44 Mag and a 45-70 .. 
.. to me the best answer because we wanted them .... over time I've learned to expect a followup question along the lines of --- Why? .... in thinking about it, while physically they are very similar, in capability they are very different firearms .... I know some folks will disagree but to us the gap between them is on par with the gap between a 22 and 44 .... in looking at each, commonly firing bullets from 180 to 240 grains the 44 Mag is a very capable 100+ yard big game (note I didn't say dangerous) hunting caliber .... from deer/bear/boar hunting with a 44 Mag since the mid 1960's, I have never seen one of them fight off a 240 grain JHP …. in addition, a light loaded 44 Mag is truly a fun caliber to shoot .... in a single session we can and do fire hundreds of rounds of 240 grain lead bullets with a muzzle velocity of 1050 FPS when pushed by 7.2 grains of Bullseye .... also, full power hunting loads fired from a Henry can't be classified as punishing …. as with most calibers, we do find reloading 44's to be reasonably economical .... with a 45-70, everything from bullet size, impact, recoil, and cost is higher/larger …. being rated for all of Africa's Big 6, the capability of a well placed bullet from a 45-70 to take any land animal on our planet is without question .... it fires bullets ranging from 300 to well over 400 grains, our favorite is 405 .... its recoil with Cowboy Action level ammo is considerably more than a full power 44 Mag but that isn't to say it is punishing .... the recoil from full power dangerous game loads significant .... in a hunting setting I don't see it as a problem but I wouldn't want to sit at a bench and shoot very many at a session .... with the elevation in bullet weight and powder requirements, it does cost more to reload for a 45-70 .... for our use, our 44 Mag leans more toward recreational paper punching and our use for our 45-70 leans more toward big game hunting .... if we could only have one it would probably be a 45-70 because there is nothing a 44 Mag can do that a 45-70 can't take to the next level .... and lastly, as a point of preference, we do enjoy being able to say we do have an “Elephant Gun” that we actually shoot … 
.. to me the best answer because we wanted them .... over time I've learned to expect a followup question along the lines of --- Why? .... in thinking about it, while physically they are very similar, in capability they are very different firearms .... I know some folks will disagree but to us the gap between them is on par with the gap between a 22 and 44 .... in looking at each, commonly firing bullets from 180 to 240 grains the 44 Mag is a very capable 100+ yard big game (note I didn't say dangerous) hunting caliber .... from deer/bear/boar hunting with a 44 Mag since the mid 1960's, I have never seen one of them fight off a 240 grain JHP …. in addition, a light loaded 44 Mag is truly a fun caliber to shoot .... in a single session we can and do fire hundreds of rounds of 240 grain lead bullets with a muzzle velocity of 1050 FPS when pushed by 7.2 grains of Bullseye .... also, full power hunting loads fired from a Henry can't be classified as punishing …. as with most calibers, we do find reloading 44's to be reasonably economical .... with a 45-70, everything from bullet size, impact, recoil, and cost is higher/larger …. being rated for all of Africa's Big 6, the capability of a well placed bullet from a 45-70 to take any land animal on our planet is without question .... it fires bullets ranging from 300 to well over 400 grains, our favorite is 405 .... its recoil with Cowboy Action level ammo is considerably more than a full power 44 Mag but that isn't to say it is punishing .... the recoil from full power dangerous game loads significant .... in a hunting setting I don't see it as a problem but I wouldn't want to sit at a bench and shoot very many at a session .... with the elevation in bullet weight and powder requirements, it does cost more to reload for a 45-70 .... for our use, our 44 Mag leans more toward recreational paper punching and our use for our 45-70 leans more toward big game hunting .... if we could only have one it would probably be a 45-70 because there is nothing a 44 Mag can do that a 45-70 can't take to the next level .... and lastly, as a point of preference, we do enjoy being able to say we do have an “Elephant Gun” that we actually shoot … 
