Fun read, thanks - and very familiar where many folks have no clue about the TC's.
Started seeing the same in very early 1968 when I got my first Contender with a 8 3/4" octagon 38SPL barrel ... "what is that?" I often went to the range with a 5 gallon bucket of reloads for it, in part because so many wanted to give it a try. That never stopped right up until I stopped shooting my TC's a few years ago. Bu tit was way more fun with the cannon barrels, often in effect shutting down the entire firing line except by me with a crowd gathered to see what could roar and spit fire like that in a handgun and the endless questions.
At the last private GC I belonged to the BR crowd was a pretty smug bunch, thought "their" range was only their range even during non-match practice time 7 days a week. They would even run off any not in their click if the person wouldn't stand up to them. First time I decided to use it on a free day there were four of them already there shooting what looked like unlimited class rifles between bull sessions. As was typical on the first 4 benches right next to the two track they could drive out to set/check their targets (were at 100/200 yards). I got the evil eye as I unloaded my cases to the end bench #35 on the opposite end of the range, but one of them had crossed me before at a club membership meeting so nothing was said to me (lucky for them). When the range went cold I walked out and set my target at 300 yards. Walking back I saw I was again getting the evil eye, some probably as they were already back to the line after driving to/from shorter ranges. I decided to start with the 375JDJ just to liven things up as I had 100 loaded full boat with 300gr pills I knew would get their attention more than the 200 with 270gr. They were eying me when I got out a handgun, even more so when I stepped to the line and fired shot #1 one hand off hand. Not only startled them from the looks on their faces when I looked down to them, the dust it off the roof timbers was still raining down all over them and their prized super rifles. After the "what the f", like little tin soldiers they filed in a line down to me. What the f was that? "You got dirt all over our.... you SOB." I simply turned to them and handed them a loaded cartridge. None of them had seen a 375JDJ before, only one recognized it as a wildcat after checking the case head stamp. Their demeanor changed immediately. Instead of B&Ming they wanted to know more, from how can such be shot in a handgun, how can the recoil be tolerated to a little ridicule that it can't be very accurate at the range my target was at. Got even more ridicule when told them twice that range easy enough. To offset that ridicule I said there are cartridges for boys and some for real men only, then invited them to look through my spotting scope I had already set on my target. The shot felt good so I knew it was in there at least close, and I was from the comments that followed. I as winning them over. One Doubting Nellie still wasn't convinced about the long range though. So I told them to plug their ears for shot #2 with them standing there was just off a bipod on the bench at the 600 yard gong. There was dead silence long after the ring faded away. And to add insult to injury I told them I had one Contender set up for the 1000 yard fun matches at the other main GC. I also offered to move my target to either the 100 or 200 yards they were shooting their choice, shoot with just the bipod and catch as many X's or close to it as their race rifles with much higher X target scopes and mechanical rests. No takers. Three of the four eventually started shooting IHMSA as well, with TC's. Eventually the BR crowd got more forgiving of anyone who tried to shoot even just hunting rifles or handguns on "their" range. So it turned into a win/win for all.
