I'm trying to get the 45 Colt loaded to levels that my wife will feel comfortable shooting it. (Think more along the lines of a 15 year old female being able to handle it. My wife has some horse riding injuries that affect the strength in both wrists.) However, I don't want to go so low that the same load can't be used for hunting elk.

What is the lightest load you would use for elk, and how close would we need to get to make a clean shot with that load? Oh, the bullets I have are the 335gr WFNGC from Cast Performance. I'm not opposed to buying different bullets if it helps the situation. If you recommend a cast bullet load, that's fine, but PLEASE don't turn this into a cast/jacketed thread.

We've been there done that...

Thanks.