Not at all to be argumentative here, just offering up a different perspective on the topic. This is how I came to my recommendations, which way any given shooter goes is up to them...
I understand the
theory of matching your practice 22lr handgun to your primary hunting handgun, but the application in PRACTICE is pretty hard to justify for me.
The idea is that your muscle memory develops so you are 100% familiar with your firearms functions. I'm fairly certain this theory actually dates back to the NRA youth shooting programs, where they used 22lr versions of military bolt action rifles to train kids to shoot. The idea was that they'd know how to shoot, and be familiar with the weapons by the time they got old enough to enlist, or be drafted. The weapons included should give you an idea of how old that theory is, since it's been more than a couple weeks since we issued bolt action rifles to our soldiers.
But I'll offer a few counter points as to why I don't necessarily encourage the new handgunners I've instructed over the last decade to follow that "match-em-up" rule:
- Biggest hurdle: Price. You won't find a .22lr revolver that matches your hunting revolver of the same quality as a Ruger Mark III for the same price. A Mark III can be had new for $250-350, whereas the Single Six goes for $450-700, Taurus Tracker is $500, S&W is $600+. The Charter, Rossi, cheap Taurus's, Braztech, Puma, Heritage, etc Imports are all cheap POS's.
- Size/Balance: The theory of matching your practice .22lr with your hunting handgun is great, but they don't really match. I have a Single Six Hunter .22lr that's 10oz (20%) lighter than my Super Blackhawk, and has a smaller grip frame. We just picked up an SP-101 .22lr for my wife to practice with, in place of her .357mag. But it's actually heavier, has different sights, and balances WAY more forward than her 2.25" snubby, and 3 extra shots kinda messes with your head (she automatically thinks she's out after 5 from previous training). Function on them are the same as their bigger counterparts, but function is easy to remember with minimal practice. Unfortunately, the feel and balance are still different, so why did we spend an extra $200 trying to match it?
- Counterpoint: If I only ever drive an automatic car, I may not be able to drive a stickshift should the need arise (can't help but think about my sister here). But if I practice regularly on both an automatic and a manual vehicle, I'm more diverse. If a new shooter gets only single action revolvers, they'll never have an opportunity to practice safe clear techniques for a semiauto pistol. Owning both makes them a more diversely experienced handgunner, and therefore by extension, a safer handgunner.
Value of following the rule:
For me, is next to nothing.
The value of having a .22lr to practice with is 1) the affordability of ammunition to practice with, and 2) the lack of recoil to let you develop good shooting habits, without developing bad ones. It's like running bump-off plays at football practice in school, or making test laps at a race track. A hunting pistol doesn't have a "take it easy" button to let you focus on your trigger control.
In this case, we're talking about HUNTING. If you're a competitive shooter, then matching up muscle memory for speed reloads on the clock is an entirely different ballgame, but that's not what we're talking about.
We're also talking about OWNING both weapons. Not owning one, practicing with it, then picking up the other one as he drove out to go hunting. The shooter will be familiar and practiced with both weapons, just have more trigger time on the lighter recoiling version.
Here are a few parallel examples:
I learned how to ride a single speed, pedal brake bike as a kid. When I got a 10spd with handbrakes, I had to learn new controls, but 90% of what I knew about riding a bike transferred over.
I learned how to drive in an old stickshift GMC pick up. Sure, when I jumped in an automatic the first time, I instinctively tried to press the clutch and reached for the empty floorboard, until I realized the controls were different, but I still knew how to drive it, 90% of what I knew about driving transferred over.
I have ridden sportbikes for over a decade. When I had to ride my father-in-law's Harley Electroglide 780miles to Sturgis for him a few years ago (while he drove the follow truck with my sportbike in the bed), he had to show me how the radio worked, but I still knew how to ride it. 90% of what I knew about riding motorcycles transferred over.
And as an exact example, I learned how to shoot handguns with a Ruger Mark II semiauto pistol. When I swapped over to shooting a 1911, or that Ruger Super Blackhawk, I had to pay attention to cock the hammer before I fired, and had to learn a different way to release the mag, or empty the cylinder. But 90% of what I knew about shooting handguns accurately and safely transferred over.
So ultimately those are the reasons I don't coach new handgunners that I've instructed over the years to paint themselves into a corner and end up spending an extra $200 or more for a practice 22lr revolver, or buying a low grade revolver, just to make it match my hunting revolver.