HandgunHTR
Steelringin' Mod
... would choosing a handgun that looks like a miniature rifle without a shoulder stock really give the hunter the same feel?
A break-open Contender with a 14" barrel and wearing a magnifying crosshair-reticle scope, chambered in a traditional rifle-only caliber like .30-30.... that's getting pretty darn close in look and feel and performance to a real rifle.
At least an 8" barreled double-action revolver looks and feels more like a handgun, even if it also wears a scope.
It's just food for thought.
Interesting observation.
I offer as a counterpoint the fact that while a Contender/Encore with a 14" or 15" barrel, shooting a "rifle" round and wearing a scope may look like a mini rifle, they are decidedly harder to shoot accurately than their rifle counterparts.
I shoot handguns and rifles a lot. I would say that I am in the top 5% of firearms owners in terms of how often I am practicing. For that reason, I am extremely comfortable taking a 400 yard shot with a rifle. For a pistol, I limit myself to about 200 yards. Mostly because of the increase in the number of variables that have to be met for an accurate shot. Given perfect conditions and a solid benchrest, I can stretch that handgun shot to the limit of the round, just like I can with a rifle. However, the field very rarely lends itself to perfect conditions.
Therefore, even though I am using a "mini-rifle" the challenge is still much greater than if I was actually using a rifle and because of that, I enjoy it more.