Bubba or not?

louthepou

louthepou

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I posted this info on milsurps.com, but thought we could also discuss it here :)

Hi everyone,

Here is a pic of a 1942 Mosin-Nagant M91/30 (Izhevsk arsenal) that I refinished a few days ago.

2153497cc1ee70e63.jpg


I did bring it to the EOHC shoot this past Saturday, and am glad to report it's a fine shooting rifle!

Now, at some point during that day, around the gun rack behind the shooting bench, a few of us chatted briefly. I can't remember who it was, but someone said to me: "You've bubba'ed that rifle". That really got me thinking. Didn't make me angry, not to worry, far from it! For me, that was quite a valuable feedback (that got the hamster in my head running fast for quite a while) so thanks - I do appreciate.

Those who know me a bit know that I would never dare to - willfully - bubba a rifle. So the possibility of having bubba'ed one despite my best intentions kind of annoyed a few of my few braincells.

For me, bubba'ing a rifle means: doing something to a rifle that will cause the permanent loss of historical, or heritage, information.

Sanding the stamped marks on a stock would fit that description. Cutting down a barrel would too. And, as we discussed at the range, refinishing a Russian-captured rifle could also - potentially - fit that description. I know the jury could be considered to still be out about that one, in another thread somewhere in this forum...

So last night, as I enjoyed a much-deserved (room-temperature) Grolsch, I submitted my rifle to this bubba jury in my head.

The "victim"
- The rifle is non matching (different bolt number, forced-matched magazine floorplate, came without a bayonet).
- The shellac that was on it before I acquired the rifle was, essentially, prettyl much all gone.

The "witness statement"
- My intended use of the rifle is to shoot occasionally with it in all types of conditions: rain or shine, warm or ridiculously cold like yesterday.
- I can't see any marks on the wood, but still I did not sand anything or steam out any dent.
- I want to protect the wood otherwise in my opinion some damage may occur to it in the future. (A wise old man once told me, when I was a teen, that "You should protect your wood if you're going to stick in in a variety of hazardous environments").
- I used the shellac I could find at my local hardware store even if it wasn't the correct orange-coloured kind - I intend to do a few coats with that colour when I get some. At least on one discoloured spot on the left side of the butt.

So, all that to say I considered initially what I did to the rifle as: Required Maintenance, not as something that would cause the loss of historical value. Still, I reserve the right to change my mind...

Thanks again for any comment!

Lou
 
There are many who believe firmly that any modification to a military firearm constitutes a "bubba-job." That includes removing the "patina of age" (read: rust) because it is part of that firearm's history.

Let's be realistic here. It is mismatched refurbished rifle and one of 3, 026,000 91/30 rifles manufactured in 1942. You simply touched up the stock with the same type of shellac that was applied with a 4" brush when refurbished. Hardly a crime against humanity.

Enjoy what you have.
 
It's your rifle and you can do what you want with it Lou, I do know that you have never sold a refurbed rifle without letting the buyer know of its history.
Every bubba gun that I restore to original turns the tide a bit against bubba and his legions of plunderers.
Your restoration work doesn't go unappreciated.......:)
 
I am not a military rifle collector and maybe my definition is too simple but to me the term "Bubba" equates to the term "Sporterized" meaning that the rifle has been altered to make it better for hunting.
 
You're definitely not Bubba Lou! If you wanted to get *REALLY* technical would you call someone who returned a sporterized rifle to it's original state a bubba? Afterall, at some point in that rifles history it was sporterized and that's now part of its precious originality!

What you did helped preserve the rifle which is probably the best thing you can do to make sure it continues to have a history.

You do good work and once again, you are DEFINITELY not Bubba!
 
Do not let the misguided words of an uncaring, super military , firearm "offidianado" interfere with your outstanding work. Obvious , not only yourself but to anyone around you when the words were said, is the lack of courtesy the man possessed. He could think as he wanted but to show that he knew all and his opinion counted most was certainly overstepping his boundries.

i have 2 of your finest works and at our range, they are looked at and often I am asked who did the refurbish, but never it is a "bubba'd" gun. " looks good, is it a DP gun, did you do the work yourself......is so much more appropriate.


My 2 cents worth....


Keep up the great work.......
 
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Thanks guys. I do have to add here that contrary tp my usual habbit, this one didn't come to me sporterized, it did have the correct furniture on it.

Hmm, makes me wonder how aweful a sporterized M91/30 would look. EEk!

Lou
 
I view touching up of shellac on Russian guns to be maintenance, not bubba's work. The Russians added more shellac to their guns regularly in servide, much like troopies in Canada lavished linseed oil onto their Enfields.

As for locally available shellac, the Orange shellac from Lee Valley is pretty close, the best is garnet flake from shellac.net

I personally do touch up the shellac on my shooter 91/30 (a 1940 Izhevsk refurb). My collector guns, however, don't see any abuse and wear original shellac.

I would sleep easy if I were you. Just don;t use a non-shellac finish - then you ARE a bubba!
 
Pay no attention to the critics, Lou.

Some collectors are so incredibly anal when it comes to collecting that they won't even clean or shoot their rifles. That all seems rather pointless to me. All a finish is is a protective coating, nothing more, nothing less. As long as a finish is true to its original form, then I see no problem with it. Wood is organic and deteriorates with time and use, so it needs a fresh coat of finish, unless its going to be sealed up in some airtight environment, hidden away in some private collection for all eternity.

A rifle in a safe is as useless as a car in a garage. Would people still judge you the same way for giving a worn 57 Chevy a fresh coat of paint, the same colour as it came out of the factory? Sure, maybe some purists would frown, but to most you are preserving or restoring an otherwise worn piece of history and giving it new life.

Had I been there at the shoot, I would have laughed at that guy.

Pay him no mind.
 
Any collector that would give you grief for refinising that stock, wouldn't have bought it anyway before you did the work so don't sweat it. On that particular rifle, you didn't harm anything.
 
alexD92 said:
So you refurbished a refurb. C'est comme monter en haut.
Click to expand...

I like that one! :) Thanks Alex.

Thanks everyone for an interesting thread. Many good opinions and advices...

Added precision, I was not called directly a Bubba, but the work I did might have been perceived by one person as a bubba'izing. Close but not exactly the same...

Lou
 
X2 Claven, I have and have seen several lee enfields of all marks that have been loaded and rubbed down with linseed oil so many times by loving troopers, that the stocks are actually smoother than the finest sanding and pumice wiping done by a furniture specialist can do. That is just plain good maintenance by the user.

On the other hand, I have a POF No4 Mkll that I have been in a quandry over. For the same reasons Lou mentions. It has a rather rough finish but is in otherwise better than usual shape than most (pristine bore and lack of the usual dents). The quandry is, do I remove the rather rough and dirty exterior finish or do I clean it up? I've washed the exterior with warm soapy water but the finish seems to be purposely applied to have a rough exterior.

I've posed this question here and on the Millsurp site. Does anyone know if this is the appropriate finish or is it just a very dried out protective coating applied for storage?

bearhunter
 
Hard core purists are the minority anyway.
Although they can be the loudest , they're just put into the same catagory as my ex-wife...;)

The majority has spoken ...keep up the good work Lou !
 
Taking the time to preserve an old Un-remarkable Mil-surp is the way some of us show respect to the piece and it's history. Some would prefer to leave it untouched in a show of respect. What's important is that we do respect them and take the time to enjoy them. Whatever we do with them, we are now part of their history.
 
Looks good. Most guys want shooters (me included). Their are a few serious collectors but they usually get their nose out of joint once they hear the words 'arsenal refurbished' anyhow! As stated before you have done nothing more than routine maintenance to that rifle. Fight Bubba where ever he stands!:p
 
Also there's the matter of preserving it. If the gun is going to be used, it should have a finish that's going to at least impede water from swelling the wood, raising the grain etc. Because of that, some pre-emptive shellac in the right places keeps it looking good and keeps it from getting damaged.

My mosin started to develop a vertical crack running lengthwise down the gun, so I pinned it. Was that bubba'ing? Probably. Would I forego the repair to keep it orgininal, and have the stock split? Definitely not.
 
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