I shot matches for some years with a 4" 686 and had a 10-shot 4" 617 as an understudy. I did a lot of dry fire with my 686 for gun handling skills and marksmanship (the front sight tells you everything you need to know), but still used the 617 quite a bit at the range.
Like someone else here remarked, I reload, but I consider it a necessary chore, so I use that ammo to practice stuff that I have to practice with my 686 (i.e. reloading drills, El Prez, running actual stages, etc). When it comes to practicing my basic marksmanship at the range, though (which was a part of every practice session), a .22LR is tough to beat, and my 617 saw a lot of action.