Odd Gun Mods and Part Swaps -- Opinions?

[ebb]

When you see a classic lever action with an AR 15 butt stock, and a picatinny rail? Or when James Reeves takes his uncles or grand dads Walther war trophy PPK and cuts it up in to some thing that is hideous? Or when my cousin takes a super nice Stevens Crackshot and cuts off the barrel and the butt stock to make it concealable? Or when I take a $59 Turk Mauser and make a truck gun out of it? Sometimes these things make good sense to me, sometimes they don't. When it comes down to it if you own it its yours to do with as you please. I was reading about a classic gun getting cut up, and I had a flack back to working with a guy I went to school with and worked with for years. He was never at a loss for words when he saw something that he thought was wrong. We pulled up to a traffic light and next to use was a Midnight blue 1967 Corvette with a big block that may have been a tri power or the dud that was driving could have just put the emblem on the fender. My friend speaks to the driver and says "Anyone who would smoke in a car like that would eat sh@! with chopsticks!" Just so I don't get the lecture from someone school me on how far is too far when modifying a rifle?

 

[Lee in Texas]

I like military sporters. I recently saw a VZ33 that had an AR-15 butt stock. To me, that’s like putting curb feelers on a Bentley. It’s not a $59 Turk Mauser.

 

[RetiredArmy]

I guess it boils down to this. We still live in a free country and as a 60 year old grown man I'll do what I want with what I own. You are entitled to your opinions, you just have to be careful about voicing them to the wrong person because he might just stick those chop sticks where the sun don't shine!
Bill

 

[Just Say Moe]

Offend? No - shake head? YES

 

[outasite`08]

When you see a classic lever action with an AR 15 butt stock, and a picatinny rail? Or when James Reeves takes his uncles or grand dads Walther war trophy PPK and cuts it up in to some thing that is hideous? Or when my cousin takes a super nice Stevens Crackshot and cuts off the barrel and the butt stock to make it concealable? Or when I take a $59 Turk Mauser and make a truck gun out of it? Sometimes these things make good sense to me, sometimes they don't. When it comes down to it if you own it its yours to do with as you please. I was reading about a classic gun getting cut up, and I had a flack back to working with a guy I went to school with and worked with for years. He was never at a loss for words when he saw something that he thought was wrong. We pulled up to a traffic light and next to use was a Midnight blue 1967 Corvette with a big block that may have been a tri power or the dud that was driving could have just put the emblem on the fender. My friend speaks to the driver and says "Anyone who would smoke in a car like that would eat sh@! with chopsticks!" Just so I don't get the lecture from someone school me on how far is too far when modifying a rifle?

Too each his own. We can`t help other dumbasses poor taste. I like my stuff the way I found it. Original.

 

[butchlambert]

I like military sporters. I recently saw a VZ33 that had an AR-15 butt stock. To me, that’s like putting curb feelers on a Bentley. It’s not a $59 Turk Mauser.

Not on my VZ33!

 

[CJ6]

I have a friend that put a very nice Browning Belgium in a chassis stock. I cringe every time I see it.

 

[brokeasajoke]

Poor little crack shot.

 

[ebb]

Yes it was a sin as it was a nice little rifle.

 

[snert]

I hate to see a gun Bubba'd.

However, I have a 1884 TD that has a 1967 Winchester 450 air Rifle adjustable rear sight on it...

Of all the rear sights I had to replace the impossible to see Buffington, that one fit best. The gun is far from original anyhow, so no purist is gonna complain.

Sadly, my cousins are the kings of Bubba...I am surprised any firearm ever survived a year without being cut up, torn down, welded, hacked, chopped. Even an early Marlin lever gun...pre-1900. Ghastly.

 

[jds holler]

Couple months ago, my friend brought a basket case Enfield to the range to test for ummmm-- safety?? We strapped it in a Lead Sled to the bench with a ratchet strap, and used a string to pull the trigger with us around the corner. Three or four shots with no sploden, and we felt pretty good.

The poor thing didn't have a front sight, so we took a hose clamp and ran a nail through one of the slots and with the nail sticking up, tightened the clamp around the barrel. Then -- with bolt out, bore sighted by trimming the nail with a pair of dikes and turning the whole mess for windage. We had the original rear peep at least. Things worked so well that after about six shots, he rang the 400 yard gong twice in a row. I'll bet he still has it lashed up like that. jd

 

[USMCsilver]

It's all about personal preference, and I'm glad to see some of the newer options available.

I'm 46; I've never cared for wood on guns except for some beautiful stocks on high-end shotguns, Mannlichers, or a few select classics (i.e. Tommy Gun, BAR, Luger).

I think (read: my opinion) hunting rifles, battle rifles, plinking rifles, etc. should be plastic. It's less prone to cracking, swelling, and overall damage.

Mlok, ARCA, Keymod, & picatinny have brought a lot of advancement & options to the end-user. None of this would be very practical with wood.

Anyways, just my (probably unpopular) opinions...

 

[ebb]

I don't think wood has anything to do with it. I am sure you can remove a wood stock and replace it with a chassis or a fiberglass stock and have a rifle that people will lust over. Or even do it the other way around. Alterations to a perfectly fine rifle that are less than well done or thought out. Optics that when installed made use of an arc welder. Mods that took an antique and tried to make it modern. Brandon Herrara some times has a video that pokes fun at some of these firearms. In fact, I think some of them are done on purpose just to get on his U tube channel. Its good for a laugh. I was hoping for some forum members to add photos to see if we can explain this better than I can with words.

 

[Lee in Texas]

VZ33. Again, I like military sporters, but I just couldn’t do this.

 

[spudgun]

I work at a retail gun shop and we take trades and buy used guns. Every once in awhile I open the gun case and cringe at what I am looking at. Those that I cringe at I just close the gun case back up and say no thank you.

The last one was a 30-40 Craig that someone just butchered up.

A what could have been a $1,200.00 gun, was now a $200 - $300 gun.

 

[USMCsilver]

VZ33. Again, I like military sporters, but I just couldn’t do this.

Yeah, some things should just be left alone.

 

[ebb]

^^^^^^I went to the West Palm Beach antique show last year with a friend to look around, there is a guy that has a huge bunch of tables with cast iron stuff. I like to go look at his tables cause I am hopelessly addicted to old block planes. So, we wander through the show, and I see a guy with military stuff. This guy has some swords and daggers and maybe 5 or 6 rifles. So i see a shorter ww2 bolt action and ask to look, its an 1894 Swede. I at the time did not know what an 1894 was. Its a short barreled cavalry carbine that was made by Sweeden when they still had horses. So I ask this guy how much money for it, he goes off on a tirade about he can't give it away he selling it for some old guy that needs the money. So finally I say will OK tell me dollars and cents and i will make a decision. He wants $100 , so I buy it and It isn't original and I knew this going in, The metal looks original but has a Fagen sporter stock. So I look at gun broker and the cheapest 1894 in original form is $1400. It is worth 1/14th its value cause someone worked on it. The owner may have used it as his hunting rifle for may years, and It could be back to original but the original stock did not come with it.