Love mine. 1 ftf during the first mag through the gun. After that it has been flawless for the last 400 rounds. Very accurate for a 3 inch comes with 2 extra recoil springs and 2 mags. Only thing I can complain about is the trigger is a little sloppy in my opinion but that is something that can be corrected ( two of my buddies have the same slop in their triggers as well) smith would most likely take care of it under warranty but I'm thinking of installing a Wilson so it doesn't really matter that much to me.
no firsthand experience with the 3 inch SW; however, SW has always had great CS in my dealings with them so I would be comfortable taking the risk on a SW 3 incher.