You have a good point about the 357 Magnum revolver being a fine all around sdearm. I don't see the great fascination with the auto pistol for field use. (Please, no rants, feeding a revolver is a lot more flexible than an autoloader.)
My one comment concerns using the Speer 357 shotshells: they are not a reliabile game getter except at extremly close range, say ten feet. Try wadcutter loads or semi-wadcutters for small game. In my S&W, 158 gr semi-wadcutters hit the same POI as a hot 125 gr hollow point soft nose.
Except for someone hunting Black Bear, the chance of a mauling in North Carolina is probably on the same order as being hit by a meteorite, but.... the question was asked.

"There is nothing so frightening as ignorance in action"