Agreed! I've just never shot .357 very well OP. I shoot 9mm, .38Special & +P's, .40caliber, .45acp/super, .44Special & Magnum all really well. I carry "J frames" a lot recently and have carried them a significant amount of times over the last 3 years or so. Buffalo Bore 158grain soft cast LHP's and 158 Hard Cast full wad cutters are what I carry. Front strong side pocket in a Desantis "Nemesis" and a NY reload on my strong side in a Bianchi M58 holster is my preferred set-up. I can dump a cylinder fast into the 9 and 10 rings @ 10 yards into a silhouette. It's up to you... but you really can't argue with the pop of a .357magnum whether out of a 2" barrel or not. I would NOT want to be hit in the navel or lower abdomen with one lets just put it that way. I think heavy for caliber, 158 grain .38Special+P's are a great compromise between a good/solid standard pressure .38Special and a .357mag. It really depends on how much practice are you willing to put into training with the gun and carry load to get proficient. I know for me under stress my groups open up 2-2.5 times compared to that of unstressed fire. YMMV...

To answer your question though, I would carry a Model 60 Smith with Magna's and a Tyler-T grip adapter loaded with a heavy .38Special+P from Buffalo Bore or Underwood if I went the route you are thinking OP.