I gather that you fired full .357 loads? Might be easier to learn to shoot with the milder recoil of .38 Special ammo. Your Registered Magnum .357 with 6.5 inch barrel is a terrific learning tool that'll always be a useful item in your handgun battery. You should have at least four handguns, and six is better. After that,you can branch out in whichever direction your interests lead. But 4-6 will suffice for most needs.
I presume that you know that one of the great advantages of a .357 is that you can fire .38 ammo for most needs.
You only need .357 for occasional familiarity firing and when you want to kill something animate. The .357 is good for that, whether your target is burglar or bear. Not that I'd deliberately hunt a bear with a .357, but the bear might start something you'd need to finish. With a knowledge of bear anatomy and precise marksmanship, the .357 will often be all that's needed.
But try to end things a little sooner than did a Montana game warden whose Model 66 .357 was used after the bear already had him down. The gun did kill the grizzly, though.
I think your next gun should be a good .22 automatic like a Ruger. It's a good learning gun that'll take most small game or snakes. Or, get a small .38 for carry, if you have a license. A big .357 is a bit large for easy concealment.
And welcome to the shooting sports! Once you learn to shoot, that RM will deliver groups at 100 yards or better, that you now shoot at 10 yards.
Try to find the late David W. Arnold's book, Shoot a Handgun. And for both general gun knowledge and for marksmanship data, get Elmer Keith's, Sixguns and Geoffrey Boothroyd's, The Handgun. Get the revised 1961 ed. of the Keith book. It tends to be expensive. The other two are modestly priced.
I think Boothroyd's book will astound you with its completeness and photos. Don't drop it on a bare toe: it's big, heavy, and wonderful. Every handgunner should own it.
I knew Keith and Arnold. They're gone now, but what they wrote is as good advice as ever. Pay attention, and they'll teach you to shoot really well, far beyond what you now believe is possible.
