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The 45-70 will be the more versatile of the two. Mild, Trapdoor Springfield level 45-70's are pretty similar, ballistically to a .44 Magnum (300grn at 1300fps) but you can really get some impressive power from the top-end lever gun loads like Buffalo Bore, Double Tap, Grizzly, and Garrett. The main disadvantage to the 45-70 is the cost of ammo, it will usually run at least $30-40 per box (Winchester, Remington, and Federal) and as much as $60-100 per box for the more premium stuff (Buffalo Bore, Grizzly, Garrett). It is for this reason that most 45-70 shooters reload (this cartridge got me into reloading). If it helps allay your fears any, 45-70 is an extremely easy cartridge to load for: bullet and powder choices abound and the low pressure and lack of a bottleneck make the brass last a very, very long time.
This is not to say that the .44 Magnum is without its advantages. A .44 lever gun will have a shorter lever throw, making it quicker to cycle. Because of the shorter case, a .44 Magnum will also have a higher capacity for a similar sized gun. Some states only allow certain hunting with pistol-caliber rifles (45-70 is not a legal deer cartridge here in Indiana but .44 Magnum is). Factory .44 Magnum ammo is cheaper and somewhat easier to find (while just about any decent gunshop will have 45-70 ammo, don't expect to find it at Wal-Mart) and the .44 Magnum is also a very easy cartridge to reload.
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