Howdy All -
Please bear with me as this is my first post. While you are interested in CB,s for elk using a handgun, this may be of some interest. Several years ago I cast some 405 gr. bullets for my son-in-law to use in a Sharps replica .45-70. Said bullets were cast of WW and air-cooled. Due to the comparative weakness of the action, loads (using 4759) were restricted to <1400 fps. To make a long story "short", he was able to bag a nice 5 point bull at approximately 60 yards. He hit him on the near side shoulder with the bullet being recovered under the skin after plowing thru ribs and the offside shoulder. His comment was, "It literaly knocked all the dust off the bull and he never stepped out of his tracks, going down nose first". Jeff (my son-in-law) has taken quite a number of elk and indicated he had never witnessed a more spectacular demise. Incidentally, the recovered bullet exhibited classic expansion and measured >90 cal. while losing only 21 grs. of weight. Plain old WW's are kind of tough to beat and you can "eat right up to the hole" as the old-timers used to say.

I can't make out what boolit you are using. What is the nose shape and meplat? I use 320 gr. LBT WLNGC's or my 330 gr. homemade molds of the same style. I mix 25# of WW with 1/2# of antimony and .4# of tin. They water drop to about 18 Brinnel. I have never had one shatter on large bone and have never recovered one. Deer either drop at the shot or die within 30 yds. Internal damage is massive and meat damage is small. I use this style boolit in my .44, .45 and 45-70 BFR and can not tell the difference in killing effect. The big flat meplat DOES NOT HAVE TO EXPAND and transfers tremendous shock to an animal.
Any other nose shape will need to expand however. The ideal killing machine would be a big heavy wadcutter, but they don't shoot good at distance.

grandpa,

that doesn't surprise me one bit. I load gaschecked pure lead 405's (RCBS mold)in my 45-70 at around 1500 fps (41.5 grains Re7). There is no leading and it is a 'kick-ass' load when it hits home. I killed a whitetail buck a couple years ago and har har....I shot threw a 3" beech tree before hitting the deer! Now, a whitetail ain't no elk, but a 3 inch beech sapling is hard as hell and it was no deterrent to that soft lead bullet....which was never found.

It never seems to dawn on folks who yap about using .44 mag pistols with 240 grain bullets at 1200 fps and brag about what dragon slayers they are, yet seem afraid of using a rifle launching a 400+ grain bullet at 1300-1600 fps...afraid it may be inadequate for the job. Go figure.

Jumptrap, I never understood that either. There is nothing more effective then what you describe. Same as muzzle loaders and guys using pistol bullets in a plastic piece of junk that refuses to go down the barrel after it gets fouled. The old round ball kills better! The problem with pure lead comes in if it is driven TOO fast. Big, heavy and slow is the way to go. But some guys HAVE to have a muzzle loader that shoots 200 yds. Thats not hunting!
The only reason I have to use hard lead in revolvers is they will lead bad because of the cylinder gap and forcing cone. I make up for it by shooting a big, heavy, slow flat nose boolit. 240 grs. is not big enough as far as I am concerned. I use 320 and 330 gr. boolits. Then there are guys that have to get their revolvers up to 1800 fps even though they can't hit a thing with them. I am of the old school like you, I just don't want to hunt with a rifle anymore because there is no thrill at all and is just too easy. Making my revolvers kill as fast as your 45-70 is my idea of sport. Heavy and slow, I just can't use pure lead. I would if I could though.
I am the same way with archery. I use the heaviest arrow I can shoot out of my bows. I don't care how fast they are.
Two things gripe me. One is the guy with a 300 mag. shooting deer at 50 yds and the other is the archer shooting a toothpick at over 300 fps to make up for bad range estimation. The mag guts, skins and turns the deer into hamburger (carry a bowl) and the toothpick can't even go through a deer, it deflects on bone or justs stops against a bone.
We think alike and yes, I have killed a deer with a 240 gr. bullet but I sure got away from them fast. I use soft boolits in my 45-70 rifle but I aint a goin to hunt with that thing! TOO EASY! I could stack up deer like cord wood with a rifle. I would rather sneak up on or jump a deer from it's bed and shoot it at 20 or 30 yds. with a revolver. Thats hunting! If I don't get a shot, SO WHAT! I even use a .22 pistol for squirrels and get more then my friends do with rifles. Just have to pick the shot and pass up what can't be hit.
You made a good post, I liked it. (Oh, I use black powder in my 45-70, your a little too modern for me.)