If this had been asked last year, I would have said .30-06, since there is a wide variety of ammo out there for it and I grew up shooting it. But now that I have a .45-70, I would have to go with that. You can get bullets from 200 grain all the way up to 540 grain, and they all pack a big punch. Also, if you are out for moose or elk, most of those places have bears and if I get crossways of one of those again, I want at least a .45-70 in my hand.