I have had some success in turning rifle hunters into handgun hunters, but not in the "strictly handgun" sense. These people now use, or at least carry, a hunting handgun with them while rifle hunting, giving them the option of either weapon. Last year my then 19 year old son took a cull buck (spike), with my FA M83 in 41 mag with a 4X Leupold on top. He made a perfect broadside shot at about 40 yds from an elevated box blind. I don't know who was more excited, but this season he has carried that FA on every trip. He still carries his Browning A-Bolt in 7-08, but has the option of the 41 mag if he feels confident in the shot. He says he likes the style of FA very much. I told him he has great taste! Every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving my family has a barbeque at "the ranch". It is a tradition dating back decades, and ever since I got into guns, I have tried to provide a redneck schutzenfest. We use various targets and I bring numerous firearms, usually handguns. This year I had quite a few fireform loads to shoot in my 7-30 Waters Contender. I set up sand bags on the hood of my truck and invited anyone to try it at 50 yds. Everyone that shot it, hit what they aimed at, much to their surprise. My cousin, who was one of the shooters, told me at Christmas that he ordered an Encore in 308 Win, with a Leu 2.5-8X scope for next season. We'll see what he bags next year. Sorry for the long post, but my New Year's resolution is to be more involved with this excellent site.

Brett