I have two Pro Series and they are great revolvers, very accurate. I carry one more than I do a Glock. Yeah, they're heavy but so what? You can load them fast with moon clips and pointed bullets. There have been reports, going back years ago, of problems with the cranes falling off while in shooting matches. This is supposedly because some competitors are really rough when reloading fast and the edge or "lip" of the V groove is ripped off by the spring-loaded plunger that holds the crane/cylinder assembly on the revolver. You have to send the revolver back to S&W to get a new crane fitted. Some shooters supposedly had to send theirs back many times.
On checking my 629 .44 mag I bought in the 90s and have shot the heck out of, I noticed that it has the same spring-loaded plunger and V groove design, but the old 629 has a LOT more metal left on the end past the groove, giving that groove edge or lip a lot more strength than my 627s have. In fact the edge of the groove on the 627s is so thin it's sharp. This means it's weaker there. That would explain why some competitors have ripped that lip off, leaving a notch for the sharp plunger to push though and allow the crane to fall off the gun. That's the only complaint I've heard about.
The reason I own two 627s is because I shoot the older one so much I was afraid of wearing it out. So I bought a new one to carry, and shoot the older one almost every day.
