Your rationale is sound, but you do need to clean the chambers out regularly and vigorously after shooting .38 Spl to prevent residue buildup that would prevent full case loading of the slightly longer .357 Mag.
Stranger
I’ll add another recommendation for the SP-101. I needed to add a Hougue (sp?) grip to mine, as I have very large hands. Mine is SS. While several makers offer alloy and titanium revolvers, a short barreled 5 shot .357 is fairly brutal to shoot without going to weight reducing alloys. (The aftermarket grip is also a big help with recoil management)
The engineer in me really appreciates the design of this gun. Exactly ONE threaded fastener used. (it holds the grips on). I also highly approve of the extra latch on the front of the cylinder crane that Ruger DAs use.
A lot of auto guys tend to go for the 7 shot models. In a revolver, this adds a lot of weight and bulk, more so than the extra grip length you’d get with an auto. 5 shot capacity makes huge sense in a snub nosed revolver. The 6th shot adds a lot on it’s own, as you need extra material for strength as the bolt notches then fall on the thin part of the chamber walls.
That is my opinion as well. My automatics are short for better concealment, and as I am not a hunter I prefer practical weapons (not that a 4" is impractical, it’s just bigger than I’m looking for).
That is exactly correct. I like the flexibility. I like the idea of being able to step up or down depending upon my abilities. If I can’t handle .357 Magnum I can step down. If I think .38 Special is too weak, I can step up.
In addition, it will make it easier to get Robin out to the range again if I can use lighter loads than what I shoot. She enjoyed herself the last time (and only time so far) we went out to the range, but she still has a gun phobia/anti-gun bias. I’d like to try to break her of that. Right now she’s indulging my habit. If I can help her to enjoy it she might actually come around. 
Quality is excellent. Also check this out.
You might want to consider an inexpensive .22 for Robin. Something like a used Ruger Mk1 - farirly cheap, decent accuracy, 10 round mag, hardly any recoil. Simple design, too, so they’re reliable as well.
Heh - the thread you linked to was a real mixed bag, but based on overall comments including yours and danceswithcats’ I will probably take a better look at Tauruses next time I’m shopping for a handgun.
I have a S&W 686-2 (2" barrel), and I want another with a 4". Great gun…
Who doesn’t do this? Cleaning guns is damned near as fun as shooting them. Bring on the Hoppes #9…
It can be, but when you get a guy who is super anal about it like me it takes a LONG time to get it exactly right. It took me an hour to clean a gun that others told me was already better than the cleaning they give theirs before I even started.
Ahhhhh… now that makes perfect sense… my wife (Jennifer) is still pretty much afraid of GUNS… I’ve gotten her to shoot a .22 rifle, but yeah, I can definitely see that angle.
Cheers.
I second that. I bought mine used for around $300 and it handles very well. It doesn’t kick too bad (especially with .38 ammo) and it’s quite accurate.
I’m sure you can pick one up fairly easily at any gun store that sells used guns or at a gun show. You can probably do better than the $300 I paid, since I live in a state that does all it can to run gun stores out of business and thus have few choices when gun shopping.
I’ll chime in with another vote for the SP-101. I bought one (3" barrel, fixed sights) for my wife and she lost interest in it. I’ve been surprised how tight it groups and how well it hits where you point for a fixed-sight gun. I’ve considered carrying it more often, but I have separation anxiety when I think about leaving the Redhawk behind.
I have it in the 4" 686. It really Does do it all, consistently & reliably. I had a thing against running .38 ammo though it, as it always seemed to get severely dirty after 100-200 rounds (more so than .357 ammo, which didn’t make sense to me). A friend recently told me about some really clean-burning .38 ammo (Russian? Czech?) that doesn’t have that issue and I might go in with him on some on his next order.
I know its not what the OP ordered, but he’d have fun with one. Really.
Another shout-out for Taurus. I have a wheelgun in .44 Special from them that has digested over 700 rounds with nary a problem.
Former gunsalesman here. I would recommend any of the S&W L-frames. In a 2 inch, I think you’d appreciate the extra weight but of course it may be too bulky for you. The heavier frame allows even more loading options if you’re interested in hotter loads.
I would echo the sentiment about avoiding Colts. At our store, approximately 25% of the used guns had timing problems. This is really a shame because I think the Python is probably the prettiest revolver ever made.
My dad has a 6" 686 and he’s shot thousands of rounds through it (15K a year for a while). Mainly .38 SP, but quite a bit of .357. It’s a sound piece.
Update:
I found something that looks promising at a Gander Mountain, of all places: a Taurus Model 605, for MUCH less than the “list price”.
I’m not settled on it by any means, and I still want to check out some of the ones suggested in this thread, but I haven’t had the chance to go to a few of the local gun shops (local being within an hour’s driving). There’s a place about 45 minutes ago that I particularly want to check out- it’s where I got my Glock, but I haven’t been there in a few years, mostly because I haven’t had the coin to seriously go shopping in a few years.
That looks nice! With proper feeding and watering, it might grow to be like mine some day. 
Seriously-when you get your best number-shoot me an email, and I’ll check it against some of the places I have dealt with in the Philly area.
Also worthy of mention is the patented Taurus Security System. My revolver was purchased prior to that development, but I consider it to be an outstanding feature, particularly for households with children.
If you will buy a gun with a built-in lock (I hate them and won’t buy a firearm with that feature), I’d suggest a Smith and Wesson. They have awesome warranty service. Taurus’ reputation isn’t stellar in that regard. Personally, I like the Rugers, they’re a really tough, durable firearm. If you ignore Ruger’s New Vaquero line, their single actions are pretty darn nice too, especially the Bisley models.
Update Number 2:
I went to Bass Pro, only to find that they sell no handguns with a barrel length less than 4 inches, and they will not order one for you with that specification. I did, however, see a S&W .500 Magnum 4-inch compensated for a mere $700, which I will have to keep in mind. It looks like fun.
I went to another local shop and they had some nice Smiths, but they were going for $200+ more than that Taurus I was looking at. Based upon the recommendations in this thread I think I’m going to go with that Taurus, if I haven’t already been beaten to it.
The last word:
I went down to Gander Mountain, and much to my disappointment the Taurus was already sold. You snooze, you lose and all that. So I looked at what they had, and wouldn’t you know it, they had a 2.25 inch Ruger SP-101 at a pretty good price. I recalled the recommendations made by Uvula Donor, Bobtheoptimist, Stranger On A Train and Kevbo and ended up buying it, along with a few boxes of .38 Special and .357 Magnum.
I can’t wait to shoot it. I like the weight and it feels good. Which leads me to another question: should I just go for broke and shoot the full-house magnum load or ease into it with the milder .38 loads?