For a while, I carried a 3” barrel J-Frame loaded with Remington .357 Magnum 125 gr semi-jacketed hollow points. Those things make more than 1400fps out of a 4” barrel, and even out of a 2” barrel are plenty fast enough to turn those soft hollow points into quarters. But the recoil was insane, especially when I put bantam grips on for better concealment.
Ah, yes, recoil! Why do you think I load what I did? Standard load/pressure .38 Special LEAD full wadcutters/standard non-HP semiwadcutters offer good all-around performance, low flash (good in the dark), and low recoil. Besides, my snubbie is not made for +P rounds.
The gun guru Clint Smith once said that carrying a .357 snubnose, ya best hope ya never have to use t!
After the end of the OSS, and when the CIA was being formed, the organization went through a series of carry arms tests. It came down to either the S and W J-frame, or the Browning Hi-Power. They chose the J-frame, because it worked every time the trigger was pulled! I owned both. I sold the Brownings. No more ftf’s, fte’s, tap rack booms.
My 2nd loads are on strips. No magazines to strip and clean, either.