I agree bigcountry. The .45-70 will be here another 100+ years. I love my guide gun. This little rifle has accounted for 3 blackies with 3 shots. Its light and fast. And as for its advantages over a 44 mag, the 44 is no where close to handloaded 45-70s in a modern rifle like the Marlin or Ruger. True, it aint flat shooting, but if I'm going to be shooting over 100 - 150 yds, I will be using something else. But under 100 yds, whatever I'm shooting at, I have a pretty good feeling its going to go down hard like a fat lady on ice.
Back to the original post - I prefer the short barrel just for the handiness.