I really, really tried to like the classic models. I have a nickeled Model 21 .44 Special. Out of the box the cylinder throats were about .005" undersize. Accuracy was decent but leading was horrible, and the modern rifling they are using in these guns is essentially impossible to de-lead. Opening up the throats helped, but again, even "normal" amounts of leading are impossible to completely remove. Also, some of the nickel plating built up on the chamber mouths, so fired cases couldn't be ejected with anything less than a hammer. Not too hard to fix with a file, but this sort of thing shouldn't happen on a thousand dollar gun.
I also have a Model 22 in .45 ACP. Still not an appropriate gun for lead bullets, but this doesn't bother me much in a .45 Auto. But headspace is too small, and case heads bind against the recoil shield regardless of brand. Auto Rim cases make it even worse. I took it to the local warranty repair center, which spent a month with the gun and didn't completely fix it. Then I sent it back to S&W and they didn't fix it either. As long as I shoot it single action it's find, but the DA pull stacks up badly depending upon how high each individual case head sits. Dunno if I'll send it back again or just trade it off to some sucker.
Uh, you interested in it?