Originally posted by lazs2 
yep... you never take a handgun when you can take a rifle or shotgun but the old 44 40 or 45 colt was still a very good manstopper if you hit the guy..
What lever actions did then they can still do.  very good gun in a practiced hand for carbine ranges...  the old 45-70 is still unbeatable for penetration.   ........................
lazs 
 I just picked up a Springfield trapdoor carbine in .45-70, looking forward to many fun matches with it.  Dang thing sounds and feels like a cannon going off every time you shoot it.  Leaves a big grin on my face every time.  

  Paying for reloading those big bastiges isnt cheap though.
I've decided my next purchase is going to be a pair of S&W Model 3s in .44 Russian.  I got to shoot one recently and fell in love.  The break top action is kind of awkward, and they look a little goofy at first, but man are they sweet shooters.  Lots of folks back in the late 1800s called the .44 Russian the finest handgun ever made.  I can see why.