At the risk of sounding overly Budhist, concealed carry is an attempt to achieve balance. As a group, we can't even seem to agree on the the major factors, let alone how they should apply, and no individual would apply them in the same order, anyhoo
My criteria are Concealment, Access and Comfort. Concealment is paramount. Access is the ability to get to it, and get it out in time, whatever, whenever. Comfort is the last consideration, but without it, you might choose to leave it at home on "that day". Comfort is also very mental. The higher your confidence in a given gun, the more forgiving you will tend to be of pokes from a longer barrel or bunions on your hip from a few extra ounces (or a lot of them). I have little confidence in handguns as stoppers, anyway. I remember wiry little guys who took multiple hits from a .30 carbine, and a couple from a Garand, who didn't go down until they took a head shot. The 686 snub is capable of delivering six rounds of very destructive ammo with good control. A 4" would not be significantly better. I wouldn't carry one of the less-than-a-pound snubs unless it was absoluly the only thing available to me. I carry a back-up, even with N frame snubs in which I have more confidence than the 686. That is my "balance". Yours will certainly vary, but we're just people. What else could you expect.
MG, as I said, my hands are recoil-sensitive. Ahrends are thinner grips than standard S&W wood (the older ones). Still, to me, the 686 is NOT a killer in the recoil department. I have learned over the years that a lot depends on how you position the grip in your hand, and whether you lock your wrist (as with a 1911) or leave just a bit of "pivot" in your wrist and elbow. Rapid fire has to be locked and rigid all the way to your shoulder, and everything tires faster and aches more afterward. Causal, slow fire plinking, with a good hand grip, slightly relaxed wrist, and relaxed elbows will keep you going for a full day at the range. Before the nerve damage, I had no problems with a range day that went 300-500 rounds through an assortment of .357s.
