Originally Posted by Gatofeo

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As for the .45-70 ...
Apples to oranges when compared to a 200 gr. .40 caliber bullet at 1,500 fps. They are not comparable.

The .45-70 employs a much heavier bullet, between 300 and 600 grs. It doesn't depend upon hydraulics to expand the bullet, the soft lead bullets of the 1800s tended to widen or flatten when encountering heavy muscle or bone.
The .45-70 is a magnificent cartridge for any North American game within 200 yards (in the hands of a true marksman, but most of today's hunters aren't nearly that proficient).
The .45-70 is a far better choice than its poor imitator, the .444 Marlin, which is limited by its slow rifling and bullet weights not exceeding 265 grs or so.
The .444 was introduced a few years after the .44 Magnum, at a time when velocity impressed shooters and energy was secondary. Bullet weight was tertiary, at best. This faulty view keeps the .444 going even today, though anything it can do the .45-70 can do, and do it much better.