For the non-handloader, I think the .45-70 offers much more versatility. Factory loads range from the mild Trapdoor-safe ones at the low end, to high-end loads from Corbon, Buffalo Bore and Garrett that really maximize the .45-70' s potential. Bullet wts range from 300 to >500 gr, and come from the factory in all types of construction - soft pt, lead hard cast, partition, etc. All the major makers load for it, plus you have the speciality makers. At the top end, the .450 has little or nothing on the .45-70.