Why I Bought S&W

Instead of a much cheaper revolver for my .22.

Sure. I could have looked around for a .22 revolver at half or even a quarter the price.

Harrington and Richardson, Iver Johnson. I've seen those out there. Some German knockoffs of same. Pretty cheap too. Kinda old, but I like old. But what of their quality and ability to be handed down to great grandchildren. I only have diaphanous information on those brands.

Ruger is ok, I guess, but a bit harder to load. A Colt Sidewinder is very nice, but another level higher in price for a like new version.

Charter Arms or Taurus... meh. I hear about mechanical flaws and malfunctions with those a lot more than with Smiths. And I've only experienced a screw that came loose, allowing the S&W cylinder to slide out of place. That flaw I can fix.

No one ever says they bought a S&W and wish they had bought something better. Well, they do, but they are often collectors or specialist much more talented at shooting revolver than I, or they wanted gold plating and genuine Ivory grips.

I won't shoot out this Smith. Even if I shot it a lot it will last longer than an off brand or pot metal cheapy. And who knows what's already been through the used one you are looking at. Could be 1000 rounds or 10,000. Presumably, even I might notice the difference in wear of a pistol that shot 100,000 rounds before coming to me.

And when you come to think of it... saving too much money on a firearm doesn't matter very much. Sure you can save $200 with some work, but I will have this pistol for decades. Amortize the price difference over that time, at least in your head, and it is easier to justify. It's pretty much all that HK uses for marketing ("No compromises. How much is your LIFE worth to you? Are you willing to compromise on that?"), along with a smug superiority, and they sort of have a point. A little bit. If you can afford it, skimping may be a false economy. So no regrets on the selection. It is in the arsenal for fun and practice, after all.

And if you CAN'T afford it? There are plenty of high quality yet good value pistols out there. A Ruger revolver is competitively priced but not a quality compromise. A Glock is not. A USED Glock (from a police turn in, maybe) is even better for the budget and just as good as new. XD aren't shabby on price either and there are nothing wrong with them.

But everyone has a level. A price line they get a bit uncomfortable to cross. The Smiths didn't cross it. A $4400 basic sport utility rifle, for me, may be too much.