I have to be honest. I'm a 1911 guy. I've owned a few S&W revolvers in the past including a 28 w/6" barrel, a pre-lock 686 w/4" barrel, & a 686 with the lock & 4" barrel. I really liked the 28, but this 19 is by far my favorite. Balance is wonderful, fits my hand perfectly, and it's just plain gorgeous. In my opinion, it doesn't get any better than old school S&W bluing.