I find the extra two rounds worth it because sh*t happens.
Weight...Mine is an 817 alloy, at 21 oz. My old Taurus 85 steel 5-shot was 21 oz too. Fully loaded the 817 is the same weight plus the weight of 2 .38 spl bullets...I can't feel any difference at all. Keep in mind my PPK/s, which I carry very often, weights 23 oz. And my 1911 I strap on when my gut says so is as heavy as both of those together.
I could of got the 617 Titanium, 7-shot .357, and lighter at 20 oz, for twice the price. I saw no advantage in that. And I'm not trying to even act like I want to shoot .357 out of a snubby. (A Ruger 101 2.25" is 26 0z for 5-shot .38 spl, 25 oz for .357)
Size...what is the hardest part of your handgun to conceal? The grip. A factory 617/817 grip is no larger than Hogue rubber grips. From topstrap to bottom of the grip, an 817 is 0.6" longer/higher than an 85.
Width...7-shot cylinder is 0.15 wider than a 5-shot model 85. Thats about the width of a pencil. Overall the dimensions look beefy/more bulky next to a little snubby, but in the holster there's little difference.
So weight is too little to notice. Size difference from a 5-shot is less than you get when you load a grip extension in your baby-Glock, IMHO.
Two HKS 7-shot speedloaders and a nylon double loader pouch from Midway is about $30.
With my 1911, my load is 25 rnds. (3x8+1)
PPK/s load is 22 rnds. (3x7+1)
817 load is 21 rnds (3x7)
I shoot the same drills, same amount of targets, with all 3 handguns...I couldn't do so with a 5-shot.
IWB carry, If I can see the grip of the 817 in my t-shirt any given day out, I pull it out, drop in my PPK/s, slide off the loader pouch, replace with mag pouch on belt, and that's that.
Hope I didn't over explain, man. But like I said if you could conceal a .44 spl snubby, you can a 617/817 too.
p.s. S&W 7-shot 386 Nightguard price turned me away, and although it is a lightweight little heater, it's a few ounces heavier than Taurus snubs. (Basically for every $100 you pay S&W over the Taurus, you get 1 oz more weight than the Taurus 817. The 686 stainless is 7-shot, but fully as heavy as you'd expect from a steel revolver.) I like S&W but when they get my money it'll be for the Model 22/update of classic 1917 .45 acp...that's one sexy 6-shooter
