For a novice more oriented towards revolvers, depending on their price range and product availability, I am recommending a three inch Taurus 856 or Ruger SP-101.
I don't see the 3" SP101s very often. I have yet to see one of the 3 inch Taurus Defender 856-s, and don't see too many reports of people actually having them.
But I would say not the small snub nose revolver but one a little larger. Maybe a 357 mag revolver shooting 38 special. I guess there are other options like 327 mag.
Ruger and S&W have snub nose revolvers that have an 8 round 22 LR cylinder. Not ideal, but it goes bang and puts holes in stuff.
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I have a .38 LCR that I am fond of. But due to the light weight, I don't think of it as a first choice for the novice. I have both SP-101s and Taurus 85s and think the triggers are fine for the intended use.
I picked up an LCRx .38 in February. Have had it out to shoot a couple times. Nice piece. In a bunch of ways I think it's better made than my S&W 642. The sole downside so far is that the Safariland speedloaders that work for the j-frame and small frame Taurus, don't work for the LCR.
Soo, for this use, LCRx, 3", in .357. Gets you the longer sight radius, adjustable sight, a bit of extra weight (steel frame vs. aluminum), and a longer soft rubber grip than the snubby. The DA pull is nice, but you have a manually cockable hammer if needed. Shoot your .38 of choice through it. Mild shooting target wadcutters are getting much love these days for this purpose, in some circles.
Federal makes an interesting variant of that, but good luck finding any right now.
A Smith hammerless Airweight (not the scandium one) .38 SPL with a laser sight on it.... but practice using the iron sights.
And if you got the money for it, add the lasergrip. The laser can be a huge help with dry fire practice. Learn to run the trigger without moving the dot.