That is the section for a commercial certificate. The instrument rating
requirements are in 61.65. So where is the requirement for "hundreds of
flying hours" to obtain an instrument rating?

And if you check the cancel group you will see that I cancelled the message.
You managed to see it before tht cancel took.

There used to be a 250 hr (I think it was 250 but maybe 200) requirement for
an instrument rating. In later years the FAA has gotten more enlightened
and removed the hour requirement.