Personaly I prefer SxS doubles, but due to financial reasons my first double rifle is O/U (Sabatti 8x57IRS for $1700 new). I must say I like it so far; about the only reason I plan to get a classic SxS in the future is (besides better looks) the fact that O/U must be opened more deeply in order to expose chambers for loading/unloading. My question to you gentlemen with vast experience is, what are good and bad points of one system compared to the other - SxS against O/U? By the way, I'm interested primarely in small/medium bores for European hunting, not big bore African rifles. Thank you for any input.