Im guess its similar, have never bought much 44. Dollar a pop for either would be normal.

That’s correct. I was just wondering if Dan realized how close in price they are.

He might have looked it up, but compare Federal blue box to the high end defense loads in 44 mag which are more than $1 a pop and not needed for hogs. Standard old 240gr JHP or hollow point will work on hogs.

I shoot almost exclusively hard cast which cost a lot less than defense rounds, especially in 45-70 only Bullet I shoot is a 405 grain Oregon trail laser cast

With out a doubt it’s one of the most owned, no arguments there. It’s a great medium weight caliber.
I have been in many gun shops, several ranges and even on some notifications list for several flavors of ammo and even my favorite range I go to which has a pretty healthy supply of ammo doesn’t have any 30-30 and hasn’t seen a box of it in over a year.

The have all the pistol calibers, 223, 7.62x39, 308, 6 cm, 6.5cm, 300 mag, 300 prc, 45-70, 450 bushy..
haven’t seen any 270, and 30’06 either in quite a while also two of the most prolific hunting rounds..

I hand load so no real issues here for me personally but to start from scratch might be hard even if you did hand load.

I would go with the 30-30, Ive had both, the 30-30 and 44, the 30-30 jams less or jammed less than the other. Both are easy to reload if your into reloading, the other one kicks like an army mule.

So far.....

30-30 - 9 votes

44 mag - 4 votes

I’m following

I have taken several animals with a 30/30 and a 44mag

I’ve also never had an animal tack another step when shot with either caliber

I really wish I could say that about a bunch of other popular calibers including a 300wm.

.30-30 is a better choice than the .429 magnum in my opinion. Smoother feeding and slightly less cost if you cast and load your own.

I have owned both 30-30 and 45/70, but not a .44. I'll be the 2nd vote for 45/70. My definition of a brush gun is short and handy with the power to drop them right there. Tracking in heavy brush sucks. Ammo cost is high, but I reload, and 45/70 is cheap and easy to reload. I'd probably put the .44 2nd as hot 44 loads will get similar ballistics as mild 45/70 loads. I would also recommend a nice coushy recoil pad for the 45/70.

.30-30 gets my vote. I have no desire to shoot a short, light .45-70, and .44 Mag ammo is a little harder to find than .30-30. If you are set up for handloading, pick whichever one tickles your fancy.

I would do either the 30-30 or the 45-70.

Ive shot a good bit of factory loaded 45-70 that is safe for the old trapdoor and weaker actions. The Remington 405 grain loading isnt punishing to shoot to me at all and still packs a lot of killing power down range.

A short, light 45/70 with factory ammo really isn't much of a kicker. When you get to handloading the "only for strong, modern actions" loads is when it will start to really kick.

Agree. My brothers I believe it was a Marlin 1895 with the octagonal barrel in 45-70 was a joy to shoot with the watered down factory ammo. 405 over 2000 fps and it is no longer pleasant!

Yep, 45 Colt if you are a handloader. 44 mag if you are not.

45-70 with trapdoor loads or cowboy loads is pretty easy to shoot my boy when he was 12 was wearing out my guide gun in fact he sawed down a tree with it when we lived out in the sticks..

It still blows my mind you guys keep saying 30/30 is easier to come by because out of the 20 or so gun shops, ranges etc that I visit regularly all say the same thing they ain’t seen a single box of 30/30 in over a year. I’ve been looking because my mother in law passed on a 1894 Winchester that was her grandfathers made in the 1930’s I’ve been looking to pick up a few boxes just to have some. I do have some hand loads but they may not be so good due to I found them in my dads garage no telling how long they say there subject to heat and cold..

I have had 2 45-70 lever actions, both 1895s. Neither fit the short, light weight handy "brush gun" That I like. The shortest ine was the 20 inch barreled cowboy action model. Still it was 5+ inches longer and noticably heavier than the Winchester and Marlin trappers in 44 and 357 mags I personally like for close quaters hunting.

Good luck findinf one of the old Rughr deerslayer 44 mag semi autos but that is a very good one also

I'd go .30-30 due to:

Ammo availability during "normal" times
Ammo cost
Number of good bullet choices
Overall more accurate than a .44

This said, I really like the .35 Remington in lever guns and would look seriously at a Ruger Ranch carbine in .350 Legend, the 170gr Hornady Interlock load kills hogs like lightning. Right now .350 Legend ammo is the easiest to find.

Ive only shot 2, both my brothers. The first was the carbine model, it was a very handy rifle. He since sold it and replaced it with the full length version and while i like the full size version better it is not handy.

Well, thanks to a fellow member, I acquired a Henry Big Boy in .44 Mag. 16.5" barrel. Fit the bill perfectly. I'll report back after I break it in and hopefully be able to attach some pics of downed pigs. Thanks for all of the advice. It was a tough decision, but I think either caliber will drop 'em dead just fine. I'll have to buy a couple more in 30-30 and 45-70 eventually and compare.

You've made a good choice...technically, you couldn't have gone wrong with any of the 3.

One thing not discussed is the price of the rifles. Typically with used marlins you're gonna pay $3 - 500 more for an 1894 in 44 mag than you will for a 336 in 30-30. Both excellent classic calibers.

My vote is .44 mag. More in the tube and more in the box.

Solid choice.

Good idea