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If you already owned a 45-70 I'd say take it, but if you were to buy a rifle specifically for the trip go with the 375 magnum. Water Buffalo grow a little larger than Cape Buffalo but are regarded as easier to drop.
The big bulls will charge, so I would personally prefer a repeating rifle over a single shot. Your guide will have a back up rifle, but then you have to rely on the guide. Some guides are good and some are not.
I have been on many hunting & fishing trips in the top end of Australia, the first being in the early 1980's when the Australian government decided to cull water buffalo throughout the top end. The government thought the thousands of feral water buffalo posed a threat of transmitting foot & mouth , or tuberculousis to the cattle industry & commenced a culling program that wiped out the majority of the buffalo.
I was invited along on a few of the culls & we mainly used 308 bolt action rifles, although I did drop a buffalo with a "behind the ear" shot with my 22-250. I also shot & dropped 4 water buffalo in under 10 seconds with a Browning A5 semi auto shotgun firing rifled Brenekke slugs. We accounted for 18 water buffalo but could have easily shot hundreds.
Well that was over 25 years ago & these days everone seems to recommend a magnum caliber for water buffalo hunting, but back then 308's were common.
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