Have you checked your Holley's float levels?

Some Holley's - especially the Pinto Holley 2 bbl - have nitrocellulouse floats.
With today's gasoline they tend to deteriorate and sink which raises fuel bowl levels to an unacceptable point.

Fire the engine, the excess fuel washes down the cylinder walls and some of it finds it's way into the pan.

Another point of fuel ingress is a mechanical fuel pump with a ruptured diaphragm that still pumps gas, but leaks some into the pan.

Far as which carb - Holley or Carter/Edelbrock - is easier to tune, I think it has to do with which one you're most familiar with.

I do ok with Holley's, but seem to do a little better with Carter/Edelbrocks.

Either brand is simple as long as you keep to the basics and have a carb that's close to the factory baseline.