Man, it bugs the heck out of me when the "purists" get upset with someone "Bubba-ing" a cheap, disposeable rifle that could easily be replaced for under $200 in to something the owner actually wants. Be it a Mosin or SKS, once its in my hands, MY history with it is all I'm really concerned about. Its not as if I'm destroying the last of its kind. When there are millions of rifles like mine out there, I'm not going to feel the least bit bad about modifying the one I own to my liking. I get theres a finite number of those rifles out there....but when that number of several million, rarity isn't something I'll concern myself with too much. I "Bubba-ed" my Norinco SKS back in 1993 when I got it....and turned it into a gun that fits me that I actually enjoy shooting, as opposed to what it was in its original format. I've had absolutely ZERO desire to return it to original, because I REALLY disliked the original stock. It simply was uncomfortable for me to shoot properly in its original condition, so when I did shoot it, I shot it rather poorly. The addition of a decent stock improved the weapon 10x in my opinion....history be damned.