7dawg9,

I have both the 6" 686 and 8 3/8" full underlug 686. My 6" gun is unscoped, while the longer barrel gun wears a 2X Leupold. The longer barrel and added weight of the scope does soak up some of the "whip" on the sportier loads.

One things for sure, you'll like the longer barreled gun, even if she doesn't appreciate it! Get one - you can use the excuse of just being thoughtful