Nice guns and data, but I think you are missing some of my point. What I meant was that nothing on the 3.5" stands out too much to explain its desirability, yet it is still undeniable. It doesn't have a particularly short barrel (what I meant by snubby cool, also ensures packability), nor does it have a long barrel (better ballistics and arguably balance), but somehow the gun is more than the sum of its parts. The entire point of the post was to praise the gun, and to explain how cool it has become to me, even though it shines in no particular area. I think a lot of it is looks, mystique, and history as some have mentioned. Plus, Patton called his Registered Magnum of that length his "killing gun", what better endorsement can you have than that? The newer 8 shot sounds intriguing, does it have an internal lock?