Instead of trying to par a couple of ounces off of a handgun, why not jump to a 629 Mountain Gun? Not much more in weight, has a 4" tube, is stainless and will handle most 'sane' .44M loads without bullets jumping crimp on heavy loads.
I have both a Ruger Alaskan and a Mountaing Gun in .44M and if you really want a snub nose .44M, go with the Alaskan. If you want a longer barrel, go with the MG. I have shot a couple of Sc hand guns and they ARE NOT pleasant to shoot, in fact, I would call them down right brutal.
The first thing I would do BEFORE shooting a MG or Backbacker is order the Hogue X frame grips from S&W (the same Hougue's they put on the 500/460 Smiths). They do a great job on felt recoil.