A 13 with an ejector rod shroud would, perhaps, have been even better (protecting the ejector rod from being bent), but then you introduce the potential for mud filling it in (if the gun makes contact with the ground during a struggle) and preventing closure of the cylinder, so the shroud is a wash, all things considered.
While that's a very good point about the ejector shroud and the mud, I think (especially in decades past) the more likely scenario was a bent ejector rod. I'd bet you'd have 10 bent ejector rods to every one shroud filled up with mud.
It's interesting to note that in every military test of S&W vs. Colt's DA revolver, the Colt's have proven to be more reliable in bad conditions. The internals of the Colt allow for more gunk, with things only getting tight at the last minute.
Still, I'm a S&W guy through and through. I can respect the design of the Colt's, and I'll always stick up for them when someone's trying to say they're "fragile", but S&W's are just MY kind of revolver. (with that said, I do carry a Colt's Cobra quite often).
