Old codgers. Wait, I'm one myself. Cancel that remark.

Actually, when someone is shooting a hand cannon on the range, it always takes me a while to become accustomed to the noise they make. I have yet to become accustomed to someone shooting a shotgun on the range--no matter how long we're there.

Hey I'm a short person! And I happen to like big guns and big trucks too. Am I subconsciously compensating for something? Maybe I am. But you know what? I don't care and neither should you.... But as for shooting the big guns in an indoor range, I think I would be too embarrassed to do it.

I'm sorry but I don't get it, you pay your $20.00 and you have the same rights on that range as everyone else. I personally use the noise and waving targets as simulation as to what you may actually encounter during a confrontation-- with the exception of golf courses and tennis matches.
What is the embarassment about? Are you going to draw the line at full load 357 or 44 magnum. This is foolish.

P.S. I'm short also, that is why I knew I could pull that off.

We shoot outdoors and everything is welcome, even .50BMGs and full autos.

Quite simply, some folks are more courteous than others.

A cynical man would say your reply clearly shows you're the model of decorum and tact we should all emulate. I've been accused of that myself

is it discourteous of me to shoot in my assigned lane to your immediate left when you're shooting a revolver and no one else is there?

Personally, I make every effort to be polite, including swapping lanes so I don't shower people with brass but I think the workers at the range should take some portion of the flak for shooter placement.

Well believe it or not, I've only shot at an indoor range once in my life, and that was nearly 20 years ago. My second or third handgun I bought after I had turned 21 was a SW 29 (of course....) and a buddy asked me to bring it along when I went visiting him. I am a truly shy and quiet guy, and when I touched that first round off, it was like OMG!!! Everyone around me kinda gave those glances, and I felt like I wanted to crawl in a hole. I can't even imagine what it would be like to shoot a SW500 inside. Ya it's probably foolish I totally understand where you are coming from. It's just that I really don't like to draw attention to myself. Nothing to do at all with being courteous...

Sure enough right after I hit the submit button on that last post I realized I lied. A few years ago I shot at an indoor range to qualify for a class I took from the late Daryl Mullroy (sp?).. So I guess I've shot twice at an indoor range. Ya, I know, I don't get out much.

Well of course you need 'em! You guys are up there in the north woods with all those marauding, garbage stealin' bears & porcupines. It's only prudent to pack one of those big orange 4" .500 S&W Bear Guns with 'ya! Down here in sunny Iowa we can get by with somethin' a bit lighter, all we've got to defend ourselves against is Senator Tom Harkin!

All this rumpus about loud report and recoil reminds me of the first time I shot in a German hunting pistol competition.

The whole German hunting thing is very stylized and traditional and being a freshly minted Jagdschein (hunting permit) holder I thought I’d go along and shoot to see what it was all about. In the classes that are required for the Jagdschein we’d discussed the competition, but only the long gun parts. I assumed that the pistol competition would require a suitable hunting caliber gun, so I took my 44 Redhawk.

When I went to my assigned bay in the range and took out the Redhawk, I didn’t quite understand why everyone wanted me to change bays to the far left one, but I wanted to be nice so I did as I was asked, no problem. We load up and wait for the targets to turn and when they do, I sight and touch off the first round…..BOOM. Then all the other shooters fire….plink..plink..plink.plink. They’re all shooting .22s, Bummer I’m not going to win anything today. The targets turn again and BOOM….. plink..plink..plink.plink.
All of a sudden I have this evil idea…. When the targets turn the third time I begin counting 1001, 1002, 1003, 1004, 100BOOM and that targets turn away before any one else gets a shot off.
I do this 2 more times in the first of 5 strings and these guys are visibly ticked when we step back and score.
So the remaining 4 strings I mix it up when I’m going to fire and at the end of the day I score well enough to be classified in the Silver class, and none of the other (Experienced) shooters shoots their class minimum. So I end up winning my class and the match. The Range Master took me aside and told me I’d best shoot a 22 next time, so I never did, I kept on going back with the 44, and made friends and influenced people…LOL

I read your first post and was going to jump in and remind you of Plus P Technologies.

Recently, I have seriously been thinking about picking up a .454, either a Ruger Alaskan or the Taurus Raging Bull in that caliber and 2 1/4" barrel ... . Yup, looking at a big fricken bore snubbie. For my next handgun purchase, I was thinking I want a big revolver I could load with fun to shoot cowboy loads in (be it .45 colt or .44 special) for range happy plinking, yet still load (for demi-open carry) and do enough "familiarization shooting" with truly diabolical bear stoppers . . . that the gun could be carried in certain social settings. Where I find my 4” .40 Springfield XD truly difficult to call fully concealed (outside of motorcycle leathers and a shoulder holster), if we open the door to mostly concealed, it is hard to not grab for a higher level of firepower.

So, that is just where I am at & regardless of which I opt for. . . a Ruger Alaskan, a Taurus Raging Bull in .454 with a short barrel or a Taurus Ultralite .44 in 2 ¼”. .. I hope people will be tolerant of me practicing.

What am I compensating for? The desire to not have to take a second shot to drop somebody who puts me in a place I really, really, feel is threatening to my safety or other innocents. When it comes down to the harsh realities, I hope to never have to shoot anyone in defense of my self or another. If I am put in that place I really don’t want to be, I want to drop my target in the most efficient manner possible, to minimize the threat to human life that individual has already asserted. If the least loss of innocents means I have to splatter the aggressor more thoroughly, I am okay with that. I am not okay with that because I get off on big splatter marks, I am okay with that because all splatter marks signify tragedy to me and if some splatter marks are needed, I’d prefer them to come from the aggressor rather than the victim.

That said & adequate implied disclaimers in force, I am looking for a revolver I could carry with conceal-ability being secondary to effectiveness, without discreetness being wholly disregarded, which in the majority of scenarios would be enough to inspire bad people to surrender to proper authorities (being else than me) having been hole punched as their actions dictated. Of course I assume that a .44 or greater will create a desire to surrender or learn the harp, not without anecdotal proof.

So as to big bores . . . I am looking. As to their place on the range . .. . I hope there is one when I get there.

You're a very sick puppy Selurcspi

Try 6 shots rapid fire from this puppy while still hitting your target. This is a .44 mag. I wouldn't want to try anything bigger unless I could count on the first shot doing the job. I can keep all my hits on target with this gun but not nearly as fast as with a .45 auto.