carry gun is ...
M-649 (not updated i.e. M-649-2, etc), 2" loaded with standard pressure .38 W-W Silvertips and two Bianchi Speed Strips or two HKS speedloaders. I carry this gun more than anything else I own.
I occasionally carry a Taurus 431 (which I bought new for $149 when the firm was phasing these out). This is a blue-steel 4" 5-shot .44 Special revolver converted by my gunsmith to DAO (like the 649). It is loaded with Blazer 200-grain gold dot HP. The gun is about the size of a 4" K-frame and carries pretty well in a fanny pack. The trigger pull will NEVER be as good as a S&W, but the gun is reliable and pleasant to shoot and the bore is awe-inspiring when viewed from the wrong end.