I purchased a small collection back in January that included a nickel DS40 chambered in .357 Mag. I put quite a few rounds through it before the virus lockdown and was impressed with the accuracy and lack of perceived recoil. I have an accumulation of speedloaders that I picked up over the years and found that the HKS Mark 3A’s work just fine.

Firing from the 6 O-Clock position does help with muzzle climb, but it’s not without drawbacks. I will caution you to keep your fingers and thumbs well clear of the flash gap. I’ve got big hands and was trying to be very conscious of my grip, but still managed to get my support hand pointer knuckle too close to the gap. Fortunately, I was only shooting .38’s at the time. It didn’t break the skin, but it did leave a mark and got my attention. I suspect I would have needed attention if I was shooting magnums.

Since you and your gunsmith had yours apart, maybe you can advise on the best way to remove the cylinder for cleaning. I watched some video’s and looked at exploded diagrams and decided not to take mine apart, but I really prefer to remove the cylinder when cleaning my S&W’s. It looks like you can removing the small screw on the side of the yoke and just pull the cylinder, or you can remove the right side front screw and remove the cylinder/yoke assembly. That screw in the yoke is awfully small and I’m leery of removing it on a regular basis.

__________________
"I also cook."