Nomercy448

If you're looking at a .45-70, then the Marlin Guide Gun 1895 would get my nod. Factory loadings are quite tame out of the short barrel, but still pack a ton of punch. My wife is 5'3" and 125lbs and she says her Marlin 1895 Guide Gun "recoils like butter" with factory loads. It's short and compact, so it's handy for a smaller shooter to manage in the field also. The Marlin 1895 Cowboy is a fantastic option for hunting as well, with a lot more barrel and a lot more sex appeal.

The H&R Buffalo Classic is a fun one, but having owned one for CAS competition, I'd probably pass on it. It really exists because cowboy action shooters wanted a low cost alternative to the other "period correct" competition rifles for Cowboy Action long range shoots. KEEP IN MIND --> The H&R Buffalo Classic has a 14" pull, and with the crescent butt plate, it's not a straight forward hacksaw job to shorten the pull. It may be far too long for a shorter shooter (i.e. female huntress). I paid a good amount to get the stock shortened on mine for CAS to maintain the factory styling and buttplate because it was too long for me, and I'm 5'10".

But as others have mentioned, there are a lot of other cartridges out there that are appropriate for buffalo. The .45-70 is the "classic buffalo cartridge", but I don't think it really has much of a following among bison hunters these days other than out of nostalgia (which is as good of reason as any). Standard deer hunting cartridges, with the right bullet, will do just fine on bison, I've killed a few over 2,000lbs with a .30-30win. Given the choice, I'd opt for something 8mm and larger, 338wm, or .375H&H would likely get my nod, but they may recoil pretty severely for a lighter built shooter. That IS a distinct advantage for the heavy bullets of the .45-70 for lighter shooters; very manageable recoil, but tons of momentum at the business end to penetrate and kill.