Follow up report:
I made it to back to the range. Sight repair seems to be holding up. The first 5 or 10 rounds shot way right but after that they went more to the center. I think the rear sight may have shifted into place.
Full house .357's have a
lower point of impact (POI) than 38+p or midrange .357's. I have seen this before. Early in the recoil cycle the muzzel can push down instead of up. The heavier the recoil the lower the point of impact.
This gun performs well with the .357 Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel load. The recoil is easier to manage and the POI is closer to the .38 +p's I carry as spares. My other small frame revolvers are 38 only so the spares are all 38.
Most of my reloads are carried in speed strips.
http://www.bianchi-intl.com/product/Prod.php?TxtModelID=580
Speedloaders are available for this model. I currently own a HKS speedloader. The speedloader work best for me with 38's instead of 357's. There is very little room between the rear of the speedloader and the front of the grips and that extra 1/10 of an inch makes a differance. Changing the grips and chamfering the charge holes (cylinders) should help fix this difficulty.
I finally found my J-frame Black Widow
http://www.bianchi-intl.com/product/Prod.php?TxtModelID=5
If you own the same model gun with different barrel lengths these can be real handy. Finding this means I now have a holster with level one retention making open carry an option. Albeit an unlikely one.
Because Georgia has so many places off limits and I can't carry at work, I prefer paddle holsters for every day carry. I plan to order a Kydex one from
http://www.buybrownholsters.com.
EDIT DON'T DEAL WITH THIS GUY
Edit I was suprised today 9/26/08 this holster finally showed up. Still I won't deal with him any more.
This gun is much easier to shoot accurately than the 2" snub I currently carry as an every day gun. It also has the same controls, shoots the same ammo, has more stopping power, and adds very little weight. I am looking forward to carrying it when the weather cools off.