Well, I favor a Smith M60 with the longer 3" bbl., but I carry OWB and that length might not work as well AIWB. Too, I like fully adj. sights for easy sight in and far better longer range accuracy. I carry mine frequently into town, CC, but also a great deal here on our farm. With moderate loads, say up to the old FBI 900+ fps with a 158 gr LSWC, it'll handle just about any chore and still be fun to shoot . BTW, CC ammo choice is Speer Gold Dot .38 +P Specials.
As a back packing gun, when you're not willing to tote a 4" bbl.'d revolver in a bigger caliber, it's about right for my use. In practical terms, I find it just about as accurate as my 4" bbl'd, M66, 67, & 69...out to say 30-40 yds. One difficulty however is that it's tough to find a Smith J frame with a good DA trigger pull...and tougher still to find a gunsmith to tune it for you. Mine's improved steadily with over 1200 rounds through it & considerable dry-fire practice.
For an all purpose handgun, if you can live with the smaller J frame, the M60'd be a good choice, & might be cheaper than trying to find a M66 etc with a 3" tube. And while I personally prefer a 4" Smith, I do find that the 3" M60 is strapped on a lot more often.
Best Regards, Rod