My 29-2 (1974 issue) had a 6/5" barrel. It was very well balanced, extremely accurate, and carried well, especially in a shoulder rig. I used to shoot it a lot, and it was very accurate to something over 100 yards (that will vary with the shooter). I really loved that gun, carried it for years - sadly, it was amongst a large number of guns stolen about 10-12 years ago, none of which was recovered. Overall, I would recommend the 6.5" barrel on a 29 (it is also, IMHO, the most aesthetically pleasing version of the 29). That being said, I bought an 8 3/8" 27-2 a year or two ago, and the longer barrel has really grown on me. Great accuracy, and pretty nice aesthetics. The only drawback is that it is a bit awkward to carry; however, I haven't really had any problems with it in a belt holster, and there is no real difference between handling the barrel lengths if you use a good shoulder rig. I still plan to buy a 6.5" 29-2 one of these days to fill the vacancy in my old one's presentation case; however, I am seriously thinking of getting one in 8 3/8", also. BTW, back in the '70s (when nobody, including dealers, could obtain 29s in any barrel length without an act of God), the most highly sought after (and rarest) barrel length was 8 3/8", even after Dirty Harry came out. Almost nobody wanted a 4" 29 back then, interesting how things change.