I have had S&W 66, 586, 686, and a few 629's. I only have a short barrel 66 left and the rest are 629's. 8 3/8 inch and 4 inch. Nine grains of Unique behind a 240 is 1157 fps and a joy to shoot. You can hunt cottontail without much meat damage with the slow big bullets, and add a couple of grains powder to shoot deer with much more effect on deer than the stoutest 357. I believe the 44 is more versatile.
I also prefer the S&W because I shoot a lot of cast bullets and they have a smoother bore than the Ruger with the result of much less lead collecting in the bore.