Denouncing ''bubba''
- Thread starter ratherbefishin
- Start date
I gets back to the fact that a person is free to do as he chooses with his personal property, the opinions of others be damned. I've had a lot of fun restoring MILSURPs over the years, often starting with a bare receiver. I've also enjoyed sporterizing and hunting with a number of them.
Given the prices of original configuration MILSURPs these days, I think that most owners are tuned in enough to keep them as they are as a matter of economics. Besides, good sporters, MILSURP and others, are cheap relative to an unrestored MILSURP. If you look at the costs of doing a decent sporter conversion of a M98 Mauser or '03 Springfield, you are up against re-stocking, re-finishing, drilling and tapping, bolt modification, and safety, trigger and floorplate modifications. These costs just don't make sense on top of what you pay for a sound MILSURP to start with. A nice '03 Springfield is maybe $700-$800, and the modifications to sporterize it are probably in the order of $600. Suddenly that used Remington M700 .30-06 is looking pretty good for maybe $500-$550.
Given the prices of original configuration MILSURPs these days, I think that most owners are tuned in enough to keep them as they are as a matter of economics. Besides, good sporters, MILSURP and others, are cheap relative to an unrestored MILSURP. If you look at the costs of doing a decent sporter conversion of a M98 Mauser or '03 Springfield, you are up against re-stocking, re-finishing, drilling and tapping, bolt modification, and safety, trigger and floorplate modifications. These costs just don't make sense on top of what you pay for a sound MILSURP to start with. A nice '03 Springfield is maybe $700-$800, and the modifications to sporterize it are probably in the order of $600. Suddenly that used Remington M700 .30-06 is looking pretty good for maybe $500-$550.
I think the big issue on this site is the propensity of Bubba to do his work, show it off in a forum dedicated to the preservation of milsurps, and then get offended at the lack of kudos for his work.
Like I said before, post it in gun smithing where I'll never see it.
Like I said before, post it in gun smithing where I'll never see it.
Deltasilver
Regular
- Location
- Right behind you...
Reading through this again, must have missed something. I can't recall anyone getting hacked on for restoring anything on this forum(?). I can recall two instances where the asker's motivations were questioned - one fellow asked if re-blueing a k98 would increase it's value, the other wanted to know if Waff/Eagle stamps were available to restamp an R/C. Since both are common occurrences in the US and are generally seen as fraud (Mitchell's Mausers anyone), there was some booing and hissing.
I certainly can't remember Louthepou getting pestered for restoring a sporter.
And I don't recall anyone getting razzed for altering a firearm that has already been altered.
So seriously, what'd I miss?
It's allright, guys.
The virgin was sacrificed at precisely midnight, the sacred oil was set alight, the holy wine was drunk by all present and the Rite of the Eternal Execration of Bubba was performed before a cheering audience, the priests in their black robes intoning the ritual correctly and according to tradition.
We can sleep well now, at least until the next gun show. It is utterly CERTAIN to get us all upset all over again. Brandon, December 11 and 12 ought to do it.
.
The virgin was sacrificed at precisely midnight, the sacred oil was set alight, the holy wine was drunk by all present and the Rite of the Eternal Execration of Bubba was performed before a cheering audience, the priests in their black robes intoning the ritual correctly and according to tradition.
We can sleep well now, at least until the next gun show. It is utterly CERTAIN to get us all upset all over again. Brandon, December 11 and 12 ought to do it.
.
Rifleman1911
CGN Regular
- Location
- Leduc county AB
I usually dont even look at sporter LE or SMLE's as I dont like Bubba and his dumb little buddys, But I have to admit when one finds a well sportered SMLE I gotta have it.
That said I thought I would never buy one, but last sunday I went into the local range to buy targets and walked out with a wonderful parker-hale sporter SMLE for 295 with a 4X scope.
looks nice and shoots nice too. If one is gonna do it, at least do it well.
That said I thought I would never buy one, but last sunday I went into the local range to buy targets and walked out with a wonderful parker-hale sporter SMLE for 295 with a 4X scope.
looks nice and shoots nice too. If one is gonna do it, at least do it well.
Parker Hales and the swedes tradeex sells are probably some of the finest-and best value, of sporterized [bubba'd if you like] milsurps on the market.Are there hack jobs?-course there are-and they make fine ''truck guns'' you can pick up for around $100 and put behind the seat.....and the deer or moose you shot with it is just as dead and your freezer is just as full....I guess its how you view your firearms-show pieces or tools.
I finally sold my beautiful ruger #1,cause I ONLY carried it on nice days-the rainy,wet days I carried my ''bubba'd'' swede-and shot most of my deer with it-bubba has its place-and does its job very well....
I finally sold my beautiful ruger #1,cause I ONLY carried it on nice days-the rainy,wet days I carried my ''bubba'd'' swede-and shot most of my deer with it-bubba has its place-and does its job very well....
Interesting. While I can appreciate the collectors' point of view, my approach to owning and shooting military rifles is a way of better relating to the history and the people who lived it, and having fun at the range making noise and punching paper. Between buying an original or two restored guns, in most cases I'd probably go for the restorations; for my purposes a well-done desporterized gun is almost as desirable as a fully matching unrefurbed gun, possibly more so if it's a shooter and the pristine gun is not.
YMMV. [insert full legal disclaimer about being a generally indiscriminate milsurp slut here]
- Location
- Tucson, Arizona
What was true in the mid 1950's when literaly tons of ex military rifles were on the market, is NOT true today. Would anyone now sportyize a Long Lee, A Ross, or an in the wrap No4?
If you start with a chopped rifle, certainly there is no hope of saving it, instead, one tries to make a nicer sporting rifle. Firms like Parker-Hale and others did turn out very nice sporters. HOWEVER, BUBBA, with his hacksaw and file turned out disasters which were only beautiful to HIS eyes. I have been around long enough to see lots of those abortions.
If you start with a chopped rifle, certainly there is no hope of saving it, instead, one tries to make a nicer sporting rifle. Firms like Parker-Hale and others did turn out very nice sporters. HOWEVER, BUBBA, with his hacksaw and file turned out disasters which were only beautiful to HIS eyes. I have been around long enough to see lots of those abortions.
"Christ"! What an insightful notion !
I agree purple. This reminds me of a TV interview I saw long ago. A smarmy interviewer was interrogating the "then lovely" Cher over some recent plastic surgery she'd had done. Her response was something like " If I want to put my tits on my back then I will, they're mine aren't they"?
Nuff said.
before you condemn bubba with his ''hack jobs,''what would you rather have stoved behind your pickup seat,getting banged and dinged up-or be carrying on a wet and miserable day in the bush,maybe falling down inthe mud-your''hack job bubba's old 303-or you beautiful full wood milsurp,or your $1000 deep blued ,oiled walnut stock sporting rifle?
Would I hack a milsurp today?-obviously not ,but nor do I turn up my nose at one as long as it shoots straight,cause I see a place for BOTH
Would I hack a milsurp today?-obviously not ,but nor do I turn up my nose at one as long as it shoots straight,cause I see a place for BOTH
guns are to be used
^Yup^
This is Canada, ding dang it And this is what a bubba means to me: It's with me if I need it. Full Stop.
My lifetimes most carried, most RELIED upon gun is a no4 mk1 '44 longbranch. Bought already 'sported' for $50 in the early '70s, it got shortened down to the legal limit, lightened to under 6lbs, I fabricated a folding stock(from bubba'd swede band springs and a h.d. hinge), fitted it with an homemade aperture front sight for older eyes, and 5 round mag. Fits quietly and all legal (target) like in the canoe pack. Shoots paper patched .308/180's @ 2300fps from a .316" bore. Encased and unloaded with 5 rounds on my belt. Welcome company in the bush, you can be sure of that. After decades and thousands of miles it has only been fired- once -of neccesity. That one and only time means that I'm still here to regail you all with tales that some of you younger lad's may not believe are even true!.
For me, Bubba Is Life.
It'll be snowing in Bora Bora before I give this one up.
^Yup^
This is Canada, ding dang it
And this is what a bubba means to me: It's with me if I need it. Full Stop.My lifetimes most carried, most RELIED upon gun is a no4 mk1 '44 longbranch. Bought already 'sported' for $50 in the early '70s, it got shortened down to the legal limit, lightened to under 6lbs, I fabricated a folding stock(from bubba'd swede band springs and a h.d. hinge), fitted it with an homemade aperture front sight for older eyes, and 5 round mag. Fits quietly and all legal (target) like in the canoe pack. Shoots paper patched .308/180's @ 2300fps from a .316" bore. Encased and unloaded with 5 rounds on my belt. Welcome company in the bush, you can be sure of that. After decades and thousands of miles it has only been fired- once -of neccesity. That one and only time means that I'm still here to regail you all with tales that some of you younger lad's may not believe are even true!.
For me, Bubba Is Life.
It'll be snowing in Bora Bora before I give this one up.
I haven't seen anyone arguing that bubbas in and of themselves are bad, rather that there is no good reason to perform the bubba -ing in this day and age.
There are plenty of already altered rifles at a good price to play with and some of the commercial sporters are pieces of history as well.
The problem I have, is they're not really milsurp anymore, so posting endless threads about them in the milsurp and then getting offended when responses are luke warm is a little off.
I agree that people can do what they want with their property and I support that, but I think bubba gets denounced due to the nature of this particular forum, not bubba himself.
It's intersting that an SKS does not belong in the milsurp forum, but a sporterized deer rifle does.
There are plenty of already altered rifles at a good price to play with and some of the commercial sporters are pieces of history as well.
The problem I have, is they're not really milsurp anymore, so posting endless threads about them in the milsurp and then getting offended when responses are luke warm is a little off.
I agree that people can do what they want with their property and I support that, but I think bubba gets denounced due to the nature of this particular forum, not bubba himself.
It's intersting that an SKS does not belong in the milsurp forum, but a sporterized deer rifle does.
