I'm sure there is a reason to carry a handgun and not a rifle but I'll be damned if I know what it is.
I'll be happy to explain it to you.
Try chopping brush with a machete, cutting firewood with an ax, or casting spinners or flies with a rifle in one hand. Doesn't work. You can sling it on one shoulder but it'll keep falling off. You can sling it across your back but then it's too slow to get to, might as well not have it. You can set it down, but then it'll be some feet away when you need it.
If you're working outdoors, or even recreating other than hunting, you need your hands free or you might as well not be there. A handgun is really the only viable option you've got.
At least, that's how it works out for me.
Tom
