The older Smiths are great, but can be pretty expensive, and you have to look hard for a deal on one with low miles.
The older Ruger's are nice, but I've read of people having trouble because they've long been out of production, and Ruger has largely stopped supporting them (prefering to give you a deal on a newer pistol, if they're unrepairable, from what I've read).
As for the newer Smiths, though most are assuredly ok, I've read lots of complaints, for years, about the fit,finish, and quality control of a lot of these newer ones.
So, in my opinion, if money is a factor (as the OP hints that it is), I believe the "best" .357 for the money, would be a 4" Ruger GP100.
Some folks prefer others, and some folks don't like them for strictly subjective reasons, but the fact is that it is fairly difficult to find anything but glowing reports on them, which I can personally concur with.
They are fantasic revolvers, that are built like tanks,at very reasonable prices, from a company with stellar customer support. It's hard to go wrong here.