coosbaycreep
Member
I now own three sporterized milsurps, and after checking prices and finding out that all three of them would cost more to return to original condition (although finding some of the parts is not only expensive, but almost impossible too), I can't help but wonder why everyone bubba'd up so many cool guns way back when.
I can understand someone drilling/tapping for a scope. I can even understand some of them being cut down to make "carbines", because a lot of those old school guns are more like logs than rifles. What I can't understand though, is why so many people have butchered up the stocks.
Of the three I have, all of them are just as ugly sporterized as they would have been if original. Unless you put a really nice custom stock on one, then you're probably not doing anything to improve ergonomics either, because pretty much all of the milsurps I own or have handled had less than stellar ergonomics before or after bubba'ing. The weight savings from cutting off part of the stock, removing steel bands, etc., is probably negligible too.
Same thing with removing parts of the sights. What's the benefit to grinding the ears (or whatever you call them) off of the front sight? I thought that was there to protect it?
Why grind off a bayonet lug? I think bayo lugs should be mandatory on all long guns, so why remove something that weighs basically nothing, especially when it's not going to help the gun look or perform any better? That's like trying to polish a turd.
I know commercial hunting rifles use to be too expensive for most folks, and since milsurps were everywhere and dirt cheap, that's what led to most of the sporterizing, but judging from a lot of the guns I've seen, I can't for the life of me see how they thought they were making an improvement.
I can understand someone drilling/tapping for a scope. I can even understand some of them being cut down to make "carbines", because a lot of those old school guns are more like logs than rifles. What I can't understand though, is why so many people have butchered up the stocks.
Of the three I have, all of them are just as ugly sporterized as they would have been if original. Unless you put a really nice custom stock on one, then you're probably not doing anything to improve ergonomics either, because pretty much all of the milsurps I own or have handled had less than stellar ergonomics before or after bubba'ing. The weight savings from cutting off part of the stock, removing steel bands, etc., is probably negligible too.
Same thing with removing parts of the sights. What's the benefit to grinding the ears (or whatever you call them) off of the front sight? I thought that was there to protect it?
Why grind off a bayonet lug? I think bayo lugs should be mandatory on all long guns, so why remove something that weighs basically nothing, especially when it's not going to help the gun look or perform any better? That's like trying to polish a turd.
I know commercial hunting rifles use to be too expensive for most folks, and since milsurps were everywhere and dirt cheap, that's what led to most of the sporterizing, but judging from a lot of the guns I've seen, I can't for the life of me see how they thought they were making an improvement.