I would normally go with the dark stock, but, in this case the blonde has my vote. Nice curvy grain and the dark bluing of the action really makes it stand out, gotta have contrast.
Hey, looks like it's starting to lean Brunette Kinetic45_ That is a whole lot funny with a touch of disturbing DavidEnoch_ Thank you. A previous owner(club guns) had sanded them with about 40 grit paper and brushed on an amber colored shellac(see pic below). I could see some interesting grain below the Yellow Yuck so to make them presentable, they were stripped, rough sanded to help restore the sharp edges, fine sanded to a smooth surface, then several coats of Royal London Oil from A.R.H. were applied.
Blinds are ok for awhile but they do not age well and tend to get expensive long term. Brunettes how ever are good for the long hall easy on the eye and very low maintenance.