and then had the 7 1/2" put back on when I concluded I would rather hit the targets than look way kewl.
Kewl has nothing to do with it in my case.
See, I've had 4 3/4", 5 1/2", and 7 1/2" SAA's.
I found I still wasn't very Kewl looking with any of them.
Many moons ago, I could shoot the long barrels better.
Now, I do way better with the short barrel guns.
I even still have the S&W Model 41 I shot in the service 40 years ago.
Always shot better scores with the 7 1/2" barrel then with the 5" one when I was young.
Now, it's just the opposite.
The other thing is, a 7 1/2" SAA is just hard to carry in a belt holster unless you are on a horse or walking.
I got tired of getting poked in the ribs in the truck.
And even worse, cleaning mud out of the muzzle after setting down while coyote calling and jambing it in the ground.
rc