You're going to scope it anyway, so balance and light weight are not an issue, get the old model for strength. I shoot a hot, hot, beyond hot, hotter'n anything I'd shoot in any other gun, 14.5 grains AA#9 behind a 180 grain Hornady XTP. This load pushes near 800 ft lbs at the muzzle, 1450 fps. This bullet is 2" high at 50 and dead on at 100 and shoots under 4MOA meaning it'll put 6 rounds off the bench into under an inch at 25 yards. How far under an inch I don't know, because 1" off sandbags is about all I can do with iron sights. If I had a scope on it, it might do better, or if I had a ransom rest or something. I routinely, much to the amazement of rifle guys watching, put 6 rounds of those things into a sub 4" circle with irons on 100 yard targets. With a scope, I might even reduce that to 3" or something, no way to know. With irons, that's the best I can get out of it.
Anyway, it's more accurate than I am, put it that way. The trigger I haven't put a scale on, but I'd guess it breaks about 4 lbs or so, pretty light as is and it's crisp so I don't wanna mess with it. I don't like really light, dangerous to use triggers on a hunting/outdoor handgun that I might wanna fire with gloves on, same with rifles actually. This gun ain't just a range queen, it's a working outdoor and hunting revolver and has taken rabbits to deer, hiked all over the Guadelupe mountains, and is one of my favorite outdoor revolvers for serious work. I don't scope it so it'll be light enough to tote packing. I have a scoped Contender for most of my handgun hunting now days. I traded a Ruger Security Six straight up for this Blackhawk and I feel I got the better part of that deal, for sure. This thing is a tack driver with those 180 grain loads, equally accurate with my wadcutter 38s (for which I've marked the sight setting) and only a little less accurate with 158 grain SWCs. Those SWCs don't shoot as flat as the 180s, 14.5 grains 2400 and a Lee gas checked bullet. That's my standard hot .357 outdoor load, not overly hot for my other .357s.
IMHO, you cannot find a finer outdoor revolver SHORT of a Freedom Arms than a Blackhawk and the .357 is one strong gun that will last forever especially in stainless. Mine's a blued gun, but it's still rugged. I've got Blackhawks in both .357 and .45 Colt. The .45 I handload to .44 mag levels of power. It's a stainless 4 5/8 gun and I think the .357 is nearly as light because the grip frame is aluminum rather than the stainless steel of the stainless gun. And, I carry both guns in the same holster. I'll never sell either one of these guns, both more accurate than I am and rugged and powerful. My only quandary when I leave the house for the field is which one am I gonna carry?