I have two 71s and I Love them. That being said, I didn't take to the 47/sheepsfoot version. I thought I would Love it and I Did love the looks of it. It took me about a year and a half to finally get one in hand and I knew immediately that it would not work. After two days of trying to like it, I just couldn't do it.
While the handle may look like an inverted 71, it is close but no cigar. The difference in shape lends to the knife being Very comfortable in a "hammer grip*" but I could not find it fit me in any other way of usage. Most of my usage comes in the form of a Sabre or a version of a pinch grip.
In these fashions of holding a knife, I could not get the 47 to rest comfortably. For informatonal purposes, while in mechanix gloves, I wear a Large length, XL width.
Edit to add: I didn't want this to come across as immediately trying to dissuade you from purchasing a knife, but I do feel that some knives just have to be held to find out if it will fit you as a user.
I am rather particular about how my knives fit my hand (part of the curse of being a Butcher I suppose), so as soon as I held it and I felt that it didn't "click" I knew it wouldn't work, but I had to give it a decent try since I loved the looks of it.
