While I cannot justify the money for one compared to other things for which I am saving, there is little doubt in my mind that the 5" 27 is pretty much the best of that .357 bunch. (I wish there was a clone in stainless; I dislike that full lug barrel for most purposes.) The barrel is long enough to get most of the performance out of the round; short enough to be pretty handy in a decent holster. Admittedly, my revolver days are winding down for most purposes, as my eyes really prefer a good red dot. It is not hard to get or set up an auto pistol with a red dot, but even to a pure function freak such as I, it seems a bit wrong to put a red dot on a revolver.