, Hello brother Ron, I feel your pain, which to buy, which to buy? I have pig hunted in Texas before and hope to return someday. Looking at what you have for Handis and other calibers in other guns I would say get the 45-70 for now and satisfiy that initial itch you have for it. Texas has a proud history with guns and old calibers and that matches the 45-70. For the area I hunted pigs, in and around "Carpenters Gap", pigs could reach 300+ pounds and a nice 45-70 Handi, either synthetic or wood stocked would be just the ticket. I know it's a single shot so you must have already picked out a nearby sturdy tree just in case, but the truth be known I was hunting them with my traditional longbow and handmade wooden arrows, probably not the wisest of choices but boy what fun!! I would do it all over again but the 45-70 really reaches out to me as the perfect pig gun, also good for those Texas deer in the woods and brush out to about 150 yards. If you are looking for something else and reload (to keep ammo costs down) look into the 7mm-08, a great .284 round. Seems as if you have everthing else covered, except of course the rimfires, .17 HMR, .22 Mag and .22LR, great fun all. My .17 HMR is a tackdriver and my .22 Mag for coyotes should be in any day now, they could call today and it's off to pick it up!! I love my .223 for coyotes but it is a bit heavy with the bull barrel, laminated stock and 6.5-20x50 Scope, I usually carry it for miles on snowshoes through some pretty thick woods and the shots are almost all under 75 yards so I'm setting up a lightweight .22 Mag to try for just that purpose, it's wonderful to have a valid (?) reason to buy another gun!!! Come to think of it, just buy the 45-70 barrel now. Then for about a total of $200.00 you could buy a Sportster in .17 HMR and then order a .22 Mag barrel for it, the .17 HMR would be just just the ticket for P-dogs out to 200 yards. OK, thats my suggestion, a Sportster with a .17 HMR with an additional .22 Mag barrel, OR, better still, both rifles, a 17 HMR and a .22Mag, only about $40.00 more (appx $240-$250 plus tax) than one gun and an additional barrel after you figure in the shipping!!!....<><.... :grin: