I have a couple of types of old style factory loads (Federal Hydra-shoks are 129 gr., I think, and Winchester or Federal 158 gr. LSWCHPs) that I can keep in the gun when away from home. For everyday use the 36 gets handloads with 160 LSWCs with a light charge of 231, or something similar with Bullseye, AA2, 700X, WST, or whatever I have available.
I too have a terrible time with the sights on my older J-frames these days. The ones with the thin front sight I more or less have been forced to reduce to "point & squirt" operations. The 340PD is available with a red ramp, which does help some. It would be nice to see S&W make us a "Geezer's J-frame" with some serious sights, but of course with the current flood of compact 9s, I doubt S&W is too interested in spending money on the Chief's Special-type product line.