Rock the stag is supported well at both ends with fitted micarta inserts and the hole in the stag is only large enough to allow the tang to get through. The tang is fitted to the stag prior to heat treating. This leaves the stag a little over 1/4 inch thick, the carving is well supported (no long pieces sticking out into the air) and the piercings are all fairly small though there are many of them. Stag is very tough and not brittle like ivory would be. We have several of these being used as hunting knives and it does not concern us at all. All that being said, I don't think I would recommend this type of handle for a chopping/competition knife, but they are all built to be used. Charlie has a knife of this type in his collection that we suspect to be nearly 100 years old. There are no cracks or problems with it at all and Charlie has used it himself in hunting.
As far as the blade is concerned, when we design the recasso area we try to leave more metal in the cross section than would be in the area of the tang. We would expect it to be stronger than the tang and much stronger than the blade itself.
This particular knife is destined for a display rack on a business man's desk. He did not even want a sheath with it. I seriously doubt that it will be used in any significant way, but for all practical purposes it is ready to go for whatever a bowie is suited for and will be delivered shaving sharp.