Ok- glad I found this thread. I went to a local shop today to buy a revolver to hunt my own land with, and the attendant said that there's a barrel length restriction. He pulled out a hand cannon that would be pointless for me. He asked another guy in the shop and they essentially shrugged their shoulders and said that's what they understood. I wasn't going to buy the 8" barrel gun, and I didn't feel sure enough to buy the shorter barrel that would be somewhat carry(able) for me in the woods.