Iv'e been shooting S&W's for well over 40 years, Iv'e likely owned at least a dozen different models, along with a few Taurus's and Colt's. The Colts were pure precision and finish, but expensive, the Taurus's were reliable , but fit and finish didn't match the others and none of them shot as well as the Smith's. While living in southern California, [the desert was a two hours drive away] 90% of my shooting was at indoor ranges so if you shot a lot you tended to get good at it. The inherent accuracy of the Smith .357's and the model 29 shooting full house .44 mag loads is very good. What I'm saying is the Smith's are easy to shoot well. Spend the money and get the Smith, you won't regret it, 100% reliable and accurate, plus, they look good.........John