I like the English style stock for the following reasons:
1. the drop at the comb, and the heel, are condusive to iron sight shooting and work well with scopes, the opposite is not the case, as you cannot get down on the irons with a true American classic except with overy high ugly irons sights. A low combed American classic is a very nice rifle with both scope and irons, but too much forend and I personally don't care for the swivel in the wood.
2. A straight stock brings all the recoil straight back into the shoulder, too much drop lifts the barrel to high in recoil and sometime into the cheek, its distrubing. A proper English stock is between the two, it can take half the recoil up and half the recoil back such as a Jack Hough (American/English crossbreed)..It is a slightly modified English style stock and works well with both irons and scope.
3. I don't buy the wide butt as a deterent to recoil, tried it with both and a properly fitting stock works as well with a narrow butt plate as those thick wide combersome ones..Most Holland and Hollands and WRs have a narrow butt plate.
4. I like a trim, slim, sleek stock, not a cumbersome chunk of wood..I like the short forearm with the sling swivel on the barrel, as I seldom use a sling for carry and have not used a sling to shoot with for years, ever since I found out I didn't really need it. I carry a 7/8" sling in my pack.
5. As to the fabled 3 point hold on a rifle, I never bought of on that, you know the shoulder, elbow, and high cheek to press down on the comb that makes for accurate shooting and it apparantly works for some or at least they believe it does, so it does...It never made one bit of differnce to me..My therory is you put the bead or the crosshair on the target and SQUEEZE,off a controlled jerk and you will hit the target..I can lift my head to the scope on a low comb rifle and it makes no difference in my shooting, thus the English style fits me fine.
6. I believe there is more hype salesmanship involved in the American classic than anything else. The English only did two things right in the history of the nation, they built the best of rifles and they had Winston Churchill!
As to the actual craftsmanship, that is another matter completely, that depends solely on the craftsman, be he English or American or German, even a martian.
7. I like the strong indestructable barrel band swivel and front sight, the quarter rib or island sight, leather covered recoil pads, control feed of the Mauser, the Mauser action, the drop box magazine on a big bore English gun, all of these are English inovations with a bit of Germany tossed in for good measure.
8. I think its a natural phenominum to progress from the American classic to the English stylel rifle with use and time as many Americans do so, and moreso today than any other time in our history..
I am not saying my ideas are for everyone, just saying the above is my reasoning on the subject. There are other options, the Weatherby type stock, the American classic, even the thumbhole if thats you choice..What you like as an individual is what you will chose and you will or may change your choice once or many times in the course of your lifetime.. but I will take you on in interesting conversation over any other design than the English stock and the Mauser action..:)
I will also respect your choick whatever it is.