I've heard the 2.75" M69 can be a mule with magnum loads, but it sounds like the perfect gun to fit your needs.

The 4" version will be my graduation present to myself in a couple years. I love my 686+ and have a very nice Pachmyr grip lying around (it covers the backstrap with soft rubber and essentially duplicates the X-frame grip). Much like spare AR parts grow into extra rifles, so too will spare revolver parts.