This is
JUST the thread for which I had hoped to read!!! I too am considering the exact same question!
My needs for carry are not an all day situation. I basically would carry when I go hiking or out shopping. Once I get home, I can remove my carry piece and just keep a gun in each of the main rooms I frequent. It is not as if I have to have a carry weapon on me from the time I get dressed until the time I hit the sack. So for a situation where I would carry 4 hours at a time maximum, I am thinking the SP101 would be a good choice. While at a trapshooting range, I carry 2 boxes of shells in a belt pouch quite often and the weight of 2 boxes of shells was very tolerable. When walking around with one box of shells, it was barely noticeable. So I feel the weight of the SP101 is not a concern. I have mexican and pocket carried my P90 (full mag, empty chamber) around the house and it never bothered me.
I have fired the S&W 642 and had no problems with recoil in that. So I know the LCR 357 would not be a problem with 38 +P loads. But my reasoning for stepping up to the SP101 would be even faster followup shots. If I go to the LCR 357, it would be mainly for 38 +P., or even the +P+ loads. But for instances where 357 rounds would be a better choice, the SP101 would probably be better for me, especially if I have to get a faster followup against a rabid coyote or the like.
People mention pocket carry with a SP101. Have you pocket carried with loose pants such as dress slacks or Dockers?
Also, is the hammer spur on the standard SP101 snag easily on a shirt? That said, I probably would be more likely to get the DAO version. If I am going to get my carry license and use the SP101 for possible defense of my life, it may be more beneficial to me to only fire it DA so I am 100% used to it.
edit: I wonder why Ruger does not make shrouded hammer varieties like the S&W 638? Also, what I think would be a good compromise for those wanting a fully exposed hammer that does not snag on clothing would be to have a rounded hammer not unlike a P-series or a 1911 with a skeletonized hammer. Yes, it may look goofy on a revolver. But it would be far less likely to snag yet be easier to cock for SA firing than the aforementioned 638.