I am in Southern California, but lived in Texas as a child. Got my first Ruger for Xmas at 6 years old. A Bearcat. As a kid my parents took us out to the desert and shot targets. After moving to California, the guns landed in a closet in my dads home. After his death, I took them in and stored them properly. After a year in storage, I bought a Ruger MKIV, and took the Bearcat, a Single Six and the MkIV target shooting at an indoor range. I have interested my adult daughter in target shooting as well. On Friday I bought the GP100 and my daughter bought a Browning Buckmark. She doesn't like to shoot the MkIV since i put a red dot on it and wanted to buy something different although she likes the MKIV with the iron sights. Now when we to to the range, she can shoot her own gun!
I have no interest in carrying a weapon, and I live in a safe neighborhood so I think the chance of needing home protection is beyond slim. In the event I do, I hate to be presenting with a 22... I think a fire is more likely than a break-in so I won't store a round in a cylinder or chamber. I have no issues with keeping rounds in a magazine outside the gun or soon to be in a speed loader for my GP100. They are stored in a California approved gun case that would stop a .22, but not a .357. I have neighbors on each side and a discharge at ground level would have to exit my home, pass through a block wall and penetrate their home before potentially hitting anyone. There are no kids in my home. I am very trajectory aware and a round cooking off in a chamber during a fire is my biggest and easily avoidable fear.
I am aware of how powerful the 357 magnum is but found the 6 inch GP100 and 686 easy to control on the range. My daughter who has become quite the shot also did very well with these guns. My choice between the two boiled down to simple things. I prefer the finish of the SS on the Ruger., I have a handful of Rugers ( all .22 ), the local dealer had the GP100 in 6 round, while the 686 was the plus with a 7 round cylinder. All my revolvers are 6 shot and wanted to stay with the program, and the DA action on both that I tried out were comparable and they both felt good in my hand.