I think Muddocktor is on the right track with his suggestion above. If some of the OP's loads were in the 200 ft/sec range they would have less recoil than a .22 LR round, which the OP didn't mention. Also, the Speer manual has data for 2 inch barrel .38 Special and +P loads, some of them using VV 3N37, which is a slower powder than HS6. Generally the fastest loads in snubbies are the same as the fastest loads in longer barreled guns (with lower velocity, of course).