If I want to shoot .357 Magnum ammunition in a 5-shot short-barreled revolver, I use my 2.25" SP-101 DAO. Yes, it weighs more than an Airlite Magnum, and it's not ever going to replace my Airweights as 'pocket holstered' off-duty weapons. Aside from fitting into the exterior cargo pocket of an insulated vest, it's almost always a 'belt gun' for me.
It's also been Quad-Ported, which introduces some considerations when it comes to defensive application ... the vented gasses and potential shaved jacket fragments can present a safety hazard ... but which also makes it very controllable and makes for fast recovery between shots. The felt recoil is still present, delivered into the palm of my hand, but the muzzle rise is virtually nil, allowing me to keep the sight picture on target and cycle the trigger as fast as necessary.
FWIW, when running it through the qualification course (designed around service pistols) during night sessions, passing in & out of light & shadow, the muzzle flash directed upward through the vents, from the full power Remington 125gr SJHP Magnum rounds I generally use, occurs so quickly I barely see it. The combination of the back lighting and directed light sources seem to mitigate,
for me, any potential night vision disadvantages ...
while negotiating and completing the course of fire. Might be different if I were expected to suddenly test my vision in near darkness ... but so would it likely also be if I'd simply exposed my eyes to a bright light source, like any of my flashlights.
Anyway, there are a number of considerations involved in the use of short-barreled revolvers for lawful defensive carry and usage, of which overall weight and felt recoil are only a couple. Important ones, obviously, but there are others ...
Regardless of caliber, most of the attributes often considered as advantages in short-barreled revolvers are also potential disadvantages.
Short barrel? Ease of concealment carry, draw and presentation ... but short sight radius and difficult to discern and see rudimentary fixed sights.
Small grip? Again, ease of carry & lawful concealment ... but difficult to consistently grasp, especially depending on mode of carry, and it can make for some controllability issues for folks with larger hands.
"Safer" DAO trigger? Sure, the trigger stroke is heavier and longer than some other handguns, and it's often mentioned by some folks as being inherently less likely to be involved in a negligent/unintentional discharge situation ... but it also makes for a potentially more difficult intentional trigger stroke when needed.
I've often felt that safely, accurately and effectively shooting a short-barreled revolver requires some refined revolver skills. Developing such skills is one thing, and maintaining them through proper, frequent training and practice is another ...
Over the years I've seen enough results from various chronograph testing to be confident that many .357 Magnum loads offer increased velocities over .38 Spl +P loadings. Velocity is only part of the story, though, and bullet design and construction is perhaps even more important from some perspectives. I happen to prefer Remington's excellent 125gr SJHP, as well as their more difficult to find 140gr SJHP and the excellent Winchester 145gr STHP (which is more of mid-range load, velocity-wise, anyway, but which offers a nicely done cavity design).
That being said, however ... I don't often carry my SP-101 anymore. Why? Simple. My 642-1 & 37-2 Airweights are more convenient to carry, and they offer me the overall balance of features I desire in a diminutive off-duty revolver ... as long as I maintain my skills and do my part. They aren't 'easy' to accurately and effective use. Never said or meant to imply that they were. Takes a reasonable amount of range time to keep my skills sharp enough for me to feel confident carrying them ... but I've spent a fair number of years developing DA revolver skills, and carried a DA .357 as an issued revolver for a number of years, as well.
The bright orange paint I keep on my J-frame front sights seems to make it much easier for me to acquire them under various light conditions, even when moving in & out of shadow and in some reduced light conditions, as long as enough light is available to reflect off them. Practicing to pick them up in reduced light situations involving silhouetted/back-lighting (of threat target) helps, too.
I've handled and fired several of the S&W Airlite J-frame Magnums, too. I've demonstrated I can perform accurate, fast doubles & triples out to 10 yards, using full power Magnum ammunition ... but's never going to be anything I'd consider enjoyable, that's for sure. I have no desire to personally own an Airlite Magnum J-frame for the exclusive use of Magnum ammunition, either. (Aside from the felt recoil & controllability issues involved, I also happen to dislike titanium cylinders because of the potential for increased erosion from hot gasses in some loads, and maintenance issues revolving around taking care not to damage the surface hardening, but those are other issues.)
After dancing all around the issue ...
Yes, I'd say that depending on someone's specific preferences, anticipated needs and desires ... a snub-nosed revolver chambered in .357 magnum can 'be worth it'.
For some folks this may mean going from ultra-light frames to steel frames, and/or from 5-shot platforms to 6-shot platforms.
Being able to safely, accurately, consistently and effectively shoot whatever platform is involved is important, after all ... right?
If I had it to do over again, I'd opt for the 3" SP-101 in traditional DA (for the benefit of the 3" tube's advantages), and/or a 3" GP-100 ... since they quit making the Speed-Six.
I know another instructor who's been involved in a couple of lawful shooting situations, using semiauto pistols, and his favored off-duty weapon is a vintage 2 ½" model 19 revolver ... although he's expressed more than a little interest in picking up a basic .38Spl caliber J-frame after watching me run through our courses of fire with my J-frames, and trying one of mine.
Practice, practice, practice ...
But they aren’t for everybody ...