You can have fun shooting any gun within reason but for lightweight J frames the mantra "shot a little, carried a lot" is really the order of the day. The steel J frames are more fun to shoot but I still don't like a steady diet of J frame shooting.

That is .38 Special and .357 Magnum J-frames, not to be confused with a .22 caliber J frame. Those .22s can be shot all day long.

The J frame was invented, if you check the history, as an answer to the Colt Detective Special and its progeny. It was never intended to be a target gun. There are some folks who become extremely adept at using J frames - the late Bob Munden was a wizard at long distance with a J-frame. But that's for professionals unless you simply like to abuse your hands.

That is my oft expressed opinion. YMMV works here but there are definitely folks who disagree with me. I prefer a snubby K frame to a J frame and only carry my J frames when the situation requires it, like headed to the dentist or something, where I can too easily expose a belt gun but one in my pocket is undetectable.

We have plenty of friends right here on this Forum who have fun with J-frames. I don't feel the need to practice at any kind of distance with them nor do I feel the need to shoot boxes of ammunition through them at any single range session. A few rounds down range, put them where I want them at CQB distances, time to switch to K frames and larger guns for more fun. IMHO, as stated earlier.