If you reload or not, the .45-70 is more versatile. It was my first and still a favorite Handi. As has been said, there's a wider range of bullets and ammo available, and easier to find. I have 15 Handis now and have had as many as 20. Yes, I've had a couple of minor problems, but they were easy to fix. I had one .22-250 that wouldn't group. H&R put a new barrel on it and did a trigger job, free of charge. I had it back in two weeks. Now it shoots MOA at 300 yards. I have had nothing but very positive dealings with H&R factory service.
I don't own a .444 because my .45-70 will do more.
Pete