Do you shoot 4 5/8 inch as well as 5.5, 6.5 or longer ?

I have a old 3 screw 357 I shoot ok, but not as well as a 7.5 I once had , in your 41,s 45,s or what ever , can you shoot about as good a group with the 4 5/8 as longer barrels ? I love the looks and feel of the shorter ones , they just look right to me at least , but sometimes ill be a little hesitant when thinking of buying a new one for worrying about accuracy .

Different calibers, but I do just as well with my 4 5/8" .357 as I do with my 6 1/2" .41mag.

Bother shoot very well.

Aqualung

All else being the same , I shoot longer barreled guns better. Some not by much but better just the same.
Example, I have all three barrel length Single Sevens .327 Fed. Groups with the 7 1/2" gun are allways half the size of the 4.6" gun but just a little better than the 5 1/2" gun.

Yes, a longer barrel has a longer sight plane........BUT a longer barrel is heavier and therefore harder to hold steady in many cases offhand. Personally I shoot best with 4 5/8 barrels offhand, because that's comfortable for me and feels naturally balanced

I think you're asking 2 separate questions.

One: Are the different barrel lengths inherently the same accuracy wise? Theoretically they should be, in real life there are other factors that enter into besides barrel length.

Two: Is the shooter capable enough to take full advantage of the inherent accuracy of the gun? A big maybe there. Sight radius being the big factor, as well as balance, recoil, etc. being factors that can be overcome with practice.

There are 3 things that a shooter should be focused on: Accuracy, Precision, and Consistency. Consistency (of hold, stance, breathing, trigger control, etc.) should be the first concern; Precision (tight groups) is second, and flows from Consistency; Accuracy (POI=POA) is the last concern. If the first 2 are conquered, Accuracy is easily achieved thru sight adjustment.

I simple shoot longer barreled revolvers a little better, but ... the longer the barrel the more clumsy it is to carry. So I've settled on 5 1/2" myself as a reasonable compromise.... Feels good in the hand. Plus a SA in 5 1/2" simply look good . Personal preference on that score...

Personally, I don't know. All of mine are 4.562" barrels (except for one 3.5" quasi sheriffs model) - and I shoot 'em pretty decent.

I want them to be carry-able; must be comfortable to sit on the ground, in a vehicle, etc.

All pretty much the same, but I tend to shoot best with two of them, '73 4-5/8 .45 and a '58 6-1/2 .44, it could just be they are my favorites this year...

First,,, it all depends upon the shooter. If the guns were identical,,, which is technically impossible due to machining differences, even in identical models, even customs, the human factor is the determing factor.
But, in general, the longer barrels enjoy an overall edge in accuracy. Just look at all the serious long range shooters in the various competitions. Steel silhouette shooting was never won with a short bbl unless all the shooters were using a short bbl.

Outside of 50 yards and from a rest (bench, blind, sitting, etc) I shoot marginally better with the longer barrels.

However inside 50 yards there isn't much difference and I definitely shoot better freehand or leaning with the shorter 4 5/8" barrel at any range. That is how 95% of my handgun action takes place so the 4 5/8" BH rules the roost around here.

Action shots (moving game, vermin, rolling cans, etc) are also where the shorter barrel shines.

Can't say I'm much different regardless of barrel length.

Because of the slightly longer sight plane, I do shoot longer barrels better than shorter barrels. In spite of that, I seldom shoot longer barreled guns. 4-5/8" is my favorite compromise, but more and more I'm likely to be caught shooting 3-3/4" SA's.

WAYNO.