Craig,
I had a 12" bbl for my Encore, you should find recoil to be quite managable, I don't think the heavy bbl is necessary. For packability I'd go with the standard taper. I've never shot a Super Red Hawk but recoil was much less in the Encore than my Super Blackhawk with equivalent loads.
As far as sights are concerned go with what you are most comfortable with and used to. My recommendation would be for a Leupold 2x for what you are proposing, it would be good for close range work, precise for a little longer shot, durable and give you a single sighting plane without sacrificing portability. Jerry J
