I'd look for a really clean M-66 with four-inch barrel. If I could have only one revolver, that'd probably be it. You can do most of what a handgun needs to do with varying .38 ammo, reserving .357's for when they're really needed. The gun is quite a bit handier and more concealable than the M-686.

I do fire some .357 ammo in mine, to stay familiar with it, and I'd load that in open country or where large animals are a threat.

But I use a Ruger GP-100 for most .357 use. The M-66 is lighter on the belt for daily wear. I use Federal's 158 grain Hydra-Shok ammo when I want magnum power.

I once published an entire magazine article on the need to avoid 125 grain and lighter bullets. That was the universal opinion of the S&W personnel whom I interviewed, as well as that of engineers at three ammo companies to whom I had access as a writer. It is not just Internet rumor!