I own Smith's 26 oz .44 magnum, 24 oz .45 acp revolver, and 12 oz .357 mag snubby and have never had a bit of trouble out of any of them from a mechanical standpoint. They are all great guns for their intended purpose. They are lifetime "keepers" for me. I have taken Russian Boar with the .44 mag, have shot plenty of targets with the acp (and carried it concealed for the longest during the cooler months), and have shot the .357 the least and carried it the most (in a pocket Safariland holster). Of them, the .45 acp revolver is the easiest to shoot by far, and the .357 the most difficult to shoot...by far. In fact, it is the most painful handgun to shoot with mags that I have ever experienced (and I have fired 4" .500 mags and BFR .45/70s). About 10 rounds is all I can get through it, before the hands quake so bad I can no longer write or pull the trigger. But it was not made to shoot. It was made to carry. A lot. So I do, and every month or two put a cylinderful of mag ammo (5 rounds) downrange to ensure I still have what it takes to properly control it.
The bottom line, these are all great guns for their intended purpose, but they are not general purpose firearms....
Boarhunter