I have a few "deep frame" guns (Superposed Brownings) and a few "shallow frame" guns. In reality, the difference is only a few millimeters. Regardless, I really can't tell any difference between them as far as shooting or handling goes. Even more, I don't really notice a difference between the O/U's and SxS's that I have. Just my personal observations. No, I am not a newbie shooter.