I also had a .44, wood-stocked, some years back. They are solid, but do need trigger work. My .44 was very difficult to shoot well due to the trigger and the balance. A Timney or other aftermarket trigger will go a long way towards making one easier to shoot in the field.
I'm a big fan of the action and recently picked up a RSI in .22LR. It balances a bit better, but still needs trigger work. I replaced the spring, which lightened the pull, but also revealed some creep. Eventually it will probably get the Timney. I put one on another .22 years ago and it was easy, cheap, and worked like a champ.
I looked long and hard at one of the .357s not long ago, but ended up with somthing else. The trigger on that one was actually not bad.
