45 70 hands down. The Hornady ammo works great. I prefer the Federal 300 grain factory loaded with the Speer hot cores in a factory load. Great bullet and accurate. Flatten moose and elk with authority. I do handload and load em warm and love the old caliber. Nothing on this planet is a match for this old girl. You'll love it. It is very capable of long shots if you are using a range finder and have shot longer distances with it. We do 500 yard gongs with them, and you smile as you hear that smack after firing.