Welcome!! If your two choices are between the Taurus and the S&W my advice would be to go with the Smith. They have been building quatlity revolvers for a LONG time. If your open to other brand suggestions then I would recomend (like many others) you take a hard look at what Ruger has to offer. They build tough, hard use handguns. In terms of caliber....since you are a bowhunter you understand limits. Like the bow, the 357 has them and they are about the same as your bow. That said the 357 has alot going for it. Its a great caliber for the beginner in my opinion. Easy to master the recoil. Handy to buy quality ammo over the counter. Cheap to practice with. raptortrapper gave some very good advice that I will echo here.....consider the 22lr. If you dont have a 22 handgun they are alot of fun and VERY cheap to shoot. They also open up your ability to hunt small game in the off season. Its great practice for big game and also a fun and rewarding experience.