Dear s&w forum, I have a handgun training question that i have wrestling with. once i have purchased my s&w model 617 .22 caliber revolver how many years should i train with it before i move up to a larger caliber revolver? sincerely and respectfully mg357 a very proud member of the s&w forum.

When you are able to call your shots-I would recommend getting a larger calibers with similar trigger pull, weight, grip, and most of all sights. If a 357-try .38s first. Then when you are again able to call your shots-put some 357s into it.
To get used to trigger pull-dry fire-on a range-
Number one priority is safety.

Golfers constantly buy new clubs seeking a lower score. Fishermen (and women) buy new rods, reels, lures hoping to catch more fish.

Your S&W purchases are limited by available dollars or available credit or spousal permission (if required), and your desire to have another S&W.

Once your are comfortable with your 617, get the next S&W. Bigger holes yield better scores. Twelve 22 LR bullets in a 3/4" group at 7 yards looks good. Twelve rounds of center fire bullets in a 3" group at 12 yards is pure intimidation. You need that next S&W revolver. Center fire removes the X-ring better and faster.

This accumulation of center fire revolvers, causes reloading and bullet casting so you can save even more money for shooting.

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S&WHF 366

Number one is to get competent handgun safety and skills training. Not everyone you meet at the range will have the best advise.

Once you are comfortable with the 617, think about what you intend to do with a centerfire handgun. Informal range gun? Formal target shooting? Compitition?

The next gun should suit and follow the direction you want to take. You will know when it is time. If you have a club to attend watch what others like to shoot. make a few new friends and ask questions.

I love my S&W K-frames in .22 and .38 spec. You might think about a M14 or M15. They are great handguns. Maybe a M19 or similiar if you are thinking about 357 magnum.

Don't rush it and enjoy that 617.

LTC

Do not dry fire your 617. Snap-caps for 22's are a one time use item unless carefully rotated so the firing pin strikes a different spot. You could purchase a 38 now and dry-fire practice with it, move to live ammo whenever you're ready.

It won't take long to learn the basic grip, sight picture and trigger pull. At first you'll likely jerk the pistol downward in anticipation of the round firing, but after a while you'll become used to a gun firing in your hands and get things smooth and steady. There's an endless amount of advice on the Internet, but there's only so much you can learn from behind a keyboard. Since you've had several handguns yet have never fired one... my advice is to JUST DO IT. You'll do fine.

Depending on your wants/needs/obligations, you may never need anything other than a .22 617 to satisfy your handgun shooting requirements. You could do worse than to start, and quit, with this gun alone, in terms of practicing skills, joy of ownership, etc. Start here, advance as interest or mission requires...

I try to get my students to be able to shoot all rounds in the 10 ring at 7 yards before moving to centerfire. I'm luck if they can keep them in the 9 ring before hounding me to shoot centerfire. Keeping them in the black on a standard twenty five yard centerfire bullseye target at 7 yard double action would be a good time to move forward. If you shoot single action only, in the black at 15 yards would be about right. When you move to centerfire, the important thing is to be able to shoot rounds with flinching, or jerking the trigger. Shooting a consistent group, and handling recoil are what matters. Standard thought is to move from the .22 to a .38 special wadcutter or similar light load, then on up to the .357 Magnums and .44s. If you find yourself anticipating recoil and group sizes get larger, then go back to the .22 and work on the fundamentals. Shooting is a perishable skill and takes constant work to maintain a satisfactory level of proficiency.

Have fun is the most important thing!

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Richard Gillespie
FBINA 102