I would rather shoot about anything, rather than practice with full loads in a .38 J frame, up to and including the big 500!

I am a big fan of a Smith .22 revolver for teaching new shooters the fundamentals of marksmanship, then moving them up to target loads in a .38 (as suggested in earlier posts) Once mastered, practicing with serious self defense loads is warranted.

Trying to learn marksmanship with painful loads just seems to induce bad habits that are really hard to unlearn later. It is cheaper, and more fun, to buy a good Smith .22 and shoot lots of relatively more inexpensive ammo than to try to master the handgun with full load .38s in a 442.

Welcome to the shooting community. I hope you have lots of fun and master the handgun. The trail is difficult, but very rewarding as well. I have been shooting for 50 years and still have fun!

__________________
Richard Gillespie
FBINA 102