Down and dirty
The Ruger LCR would be my first choice. I have the 357 model, and I really like it. I also have a Smith 638, and a Charter Arms 44 spcl, and they are both great guns. The LCR, IMHO, just seems to be the roughest, toughest, "down and dirty" of the bunch. It is lite, rugged, and dependable. I carry a LCP at work because ultimate concealment is essential for me there. Any other time, I prefer the 357 snub stoked with critical defense loads. I will add this, strictly as my own opinion, I would stay away from Taurus, if at all possible. I had an 85 in 38, and I never had a single problem out it. HOWEVER, I have had several other Taurus, and I used to defend them. Buuuut, every Taurus I had, other than the 85, eventually failed. This includes another 85 I had in 9mm that was actually having the slugs hit paper sideways as close as 7 yards. YMMV, but I eventually traded them all off for better guns because the failure of all the other Taurus guns made me distrustful of the 85 in 38.