I've always liked revolvers. A few years ago, I bought a new Ruger
GP100, a stainless steel six shooter in .357/.38 Special, with a six
inch barrel. Great shooter, very nicely made, but for reasons I could
never discern, I never could balance it properly when shooting off-hand
without working at it.

The reason *may* have been the barrel was just too long for me to shoot
the way I wanted. In any event, I sold that revolver to a federal law
enforcement guy, and got a S&W 686 with a 4" barrel. That revolver
weighs about the same as the Ruger, but for me it balances better.

I don't see any qualitative differences between the two revolvers.
They're both well-made. The single action pull on the S&W is the best
I've encountered on a full-size, "heavy" ammo revolver, a tad better
than the pull on the Ruger. Double action isn't bad, either.