I'd throw out that the real weakness of the SL is its wrist being oft too thin/fragile to sustain even a minor fall. Not saying that a BL stock's wrist cannot be broken from same, only that for some types of rough hunting that falls are not unknown & I'd consider that the BL has a slight advantage there even when both have long tangs. I have seen SL stocks cracked & even broken from being in a rack that was blown over on a concrete pad at a shoot when a freak tornadic wind gust came up. I am surprised that in seven pages of discussion there is but one mention of stocks cracking as a possible disadvantage and that was a ref to one of the older authors on the subject. I'm not speaking of cracks here though I've observered them more frequently in SL's than BL's that I've had and examined. I've seen stock wrists broken on both types of guns, but in today's world anyway, the SL buttstock is going to be a lot more expensive to repair or replace. Lots to be said for the old Broomie adage that Gunman mentions. Many a fine gun has been made to immitate what ostensibly is a W&S 700.
OTOH, wrists and all of it aside, a well made hammer gun just has a certain special kind of appeal & can be a lot of fun to both admire & use.
Its a Ford pick up or Cadillac kinda question, but fun just the same.
