I have owned a 605 now for a little while, and have shot various other 357 Magnum snubbies, and will give you my opinions and answers on your questions regarding the 605.
Accuracy/sights: Accuracy is as good or beter than the shooter is. I may not be able to cork a ferret's flatulence problem at 100 yards, but I can certainly do what I need out to 25 yards with ease and accuracy. If you have not done this, I suggest searching "Claude Werner Sights" on the internet. His sight upgrades are fantastic for any snubby, and are well worth the time and effort.
Durability: The jury is still out on that, as I have not owned the 605 for a long time. So far, it seems durable, but I am not punishing it with Federal C357B loads, or any Buffalo Bore hot loads. I would suggest keeping an eye on the ejector rod and it possibly backing out, causing problems. A little Lock-Tite on the threads works wonders on keeping the ejector rod from backing out.
Reviews: You have to ask the question of if the reviewer is paid to be biased on their reviews. Remember, it is advertising dollars that pay to publish magazines, and money talks. Knew a former magazine writer and editor who basically told me, "If an advertiser wants a great review, they pay for it. If they want us to trash their competition, we are their to please. It is all about the money. Honest reviews are hard to come by."
Ammunition: Here is where I can give you some great advice for snubby revolvers, especially in 357 Magnum.
In 38 Special +p, I mostly use Remington's L38S2 125 grain JHP +p load. It is inexpensive, accurate, and does what I want it to do on the intended target. I tend to keep in the 125 grain +p range for 38 Special ammunition, and rarely take a look at the "boutique" ammo sold now by many manufacturers. Also, there seems to be something about 1000 fps velocity needed to make most newer hollow point bullets expand, and that is hardly done in 38 Special loading. However, the "older style" hollow point bullets do not seem to have this problem. You will see the difference when you see some L38S2 rounds next to some American Gunner rounds with XTP bullets
In 357 Magnum, I only use two rounds in snub nosed revolvers. One is the Remington Golden Saber GS357MAB 125 grain BJHP load, and the other is Hornady American Gunner 125 grain XTP. Both of these are more "357 Medium" or "38 Special +p+" type loads than the 357 Magnum loads, and work well, with practice, in a snub nosed 357 Magnum. They do have a little more recoil than the +p 38 rounds will, but not near as bad as a Federal C357B does. They will do the job of personal defense admirably.
As far as reloading for a snub nose 357, I usually load a 357 Magnum case with a medium powder like W231, HP38, or similar pushing either a 125 grain or 140 grain bullet. I'll leave you to find the right loading for your gun yourself, as everybody has their pet load that works great for them. I generally don't load 38 Special self defense rounds any more, I usually load them as target loads.
Now don't get me wrong about the Federal C357B round. It is the round that gave us the 99% one shot stop capability, but in a 4" barrel gun. In a snub nose, it is more than a handful. And, IIRC in the same Marshall and Sanow information, it showed the Remington Golden Saber 357 Magnum round at 84% one shot stops, so it is no slouch in stopping power.
Hope this helps. Sorry if it seems long.
