Just listed this S&W 640-1 5 shot .357/.38 spl. if you want something like this.  Great gun, but it doesn't fit into my carry needs.  I usually only carry 5 shots as back-ups & prefer alloy frame guns.

S&W Model 640-1 .357 J Frame $565

When I got interested in revolvers I started to find web boards with "old timers" who liked/respected the snubnose revolvers, and really began to appreciate the CT grips.
I think it makes complete sense - it's a GREAT dryfire aid, you can watch the gun move or stay put - the little snubs appreciate a nice firm grip.

And I kept seeing good comments about how well they tame recoil (relative to the gun's size/weight of course) with just the smallest amount of rubber between the frame and the hand. It goes from a "don't ever do that again" experience to "not fun but tolerable for a bit" one

I think the little CT boot grip is the best "overall" grip hands down for a J-frame.
Covers the back, good trigger finger placement, it's shockingly thin, it weighs next to nothing, you can re-zero it for a new load, and after that the laser benefits.
In a face distance "OH SHIT" scenario, it's great to know where the muzzle is at that moment.

Ever fire wadcutters out of the 340 with those grips?

No, I’ve only ever fired 158gr FMJ .38s and 125gr .357 JHPs from Speer, Barnes and Buffalo. The little boot grip doesn’t do much to tame recoil from .357. It still feels like taking a sledge hammer to your hand. I did try the longer CT grip on the 340 and it was much more comfortable but like I said my 340 is for light weight deep concealment so I don’t want to give up the tiny footprint despite the hand pain.

.38 followed by .32.

Last two I bought are .32 Smith J frames, aluminum. First J was a 442 (aluminum .38). The first .32 is much more pleasant to shoot; haven’t gotten to shoot the second, but it has much nicer grips, so it should be even more pleasant. The .38 is unpleasant, except with lightly loaded wadcutters, so I ended up putting better grips on it, which help a great deal, but now the grip is notably longer, so it doesn’t conceal as well. The upside is that it’s much more pleasant with the more potent wadcutters I carry it with.

Edit: I also have a Colt Agent, but I only got that to make a Colt fanboy friend jealous, but it’s got decent grips so it’s not bad to shoot.

My favorite snubby round. LCR.

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I view snubs as guns driven by a specific purpose.  To me the whole purpose of a snub is size, weight, and concealability.  

I chose .38 Special for economics and ubiquity.  With the right loading, .38 Spec has been getting the job done for over a century.  A .38 will do anything a nine will do without easily bent moon clips.

A proper .357 needs some weight with a larger cylinder size.  It essentially needs a K Frame.  I am of the opinion much of the powder capacity of a 357 is wasted in a 2" barrel.  You still get .38 Spec ballistics with greater recoil.  An Air Weight 357 is a flinch factory.

.32 caliber flavors are a solid idea but the choices are limited.  They are a niche for which you will be paying a premium on guns and ammo.  I am saying this as a guy who often carries a .32 APC for deep concealment.  It took the higher rates of disposable income in the 1980s and late 2010s to make development of .32 H&R, .327 Fed, and 30 SC a thing.

Various types of .32 caliber handguns were common carry guns world wide for the first decades of the 20th Century.  Once improved metallurgy and manufacturing technics made handguns in higher pressure calibers more feasible, .38 calibers became the norm.  There is no reason a magnum in .32 caliber could not have been made in the 1930s.  The overall economic efficiency and effectiveness of .38s are what made them rise to the top.  

I used to own a Taurus 445.  It was a snub in .44 Special.  I was new to concealed carry.  At the time there had just been a federal court ruling that forced IL to adopt concealed carry.  It seemed like the ultimate in for reliability, "stopping power", and concealability.  I told myself, "It is snub-nose revolver with .45 APC ballistics!"

The frame was more of a K frame size.  The recoil was manageable.  However as I started to carry it I found the increased cylinder size defeated the purpose of a snub-nose.  It was to bulky for pocket carry.  It was to uncomfortable for IWB.  For OWB I could just as easily carry something with a longer barrel.

Shortly after I bought the 445, Sandyhook happened.  44 Special ammunition and brass became unobtanium.  More common calibers came back earlier with less of a price premium.  I learned a lot with that gun.  It is why I bought and carry a snub in .38 Spec.

9mm moon clips are not easily bent. 38/357 ones are.

While velocity is lower in a shorter barrel you are still way ahead of any .38 loading when shooting .357 by several hundred fps.

Those saying .357 = .38 velocity out of short barrels??

Come on, there is a LOT of crono data out there in 2024.
This one just popped up first, take a look please:

https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/snubbie-ballistics-38-special-vs-357-magnum/

.38spl snub nose revolver tried & true. But I do dig my .357mag 2 1/4" SP-101 as well.

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I don’t care for what 357 does to my ears.

My only experience in the options is .38 and .357.

I've got an old Taurus 606 2" in .357 that I love. Full power loads in .357 are terrifying, holy shit.

44 spc bulldog