It is really going to depend on your mode of carry. If you are going to choose pocket carry, I believe the J-frame would be the way to go. My J-frame sneaks in and out of a pocket faster and smoother than even my LCP which is considerably smaller. On an ankle, I believe the snub wins as well. If you are going with belt carry, I believe the semi's come into their own. For me they just seem to carry easier in that mode. A semi to keep in mind in this size range would be the Kahr PM9: thin, flat, powerful, and more controllable (too me) than the snubs with good defensive ammo.
If you decide to go the snub route, may I advocate for the M&P 340. Lots of folks talk about the expense and not wanting to shoot .357's in a gun this light. Both valid points. My points are:
1) It is omnivorous. ANY .38SPL or .357MAG of factory spec is safe to load and fire. Some guns, like the 342, have bullet weight restrictions or recommend against lead loads. Not so the M&P. With the current state of the ammo market, beggars can't be choosers and this is a real plus.
2) The Express Big Dot, for me, pushes the usable distance from 15 yards out to 25 yards. The sight makes that much difference. One of my first off-duty guns was an old Model 36 and my accuracy degenerated considerably outside 10 yards. I fire off-duty courses occasionally with the M&P now and have little trouble all the way out.
3) That PVD finish shrugs off rust and corrosion. Even stainless gets the occasional orange flakes if not wiped down regularly, especially given pocket carry in the south Florida sun. Nuff said.
