Bubba?
There is no written and codified definition for who "Bubba" is or what "Bubbaing" a firearm means, but the general idea is that Bubbaing refers to non-professional modifications to a firearm, and Bubba is the person who performed the modifications. Modifications made to inexpensive military surplus firearms (Mosin-Nagant, SKS, SMLE, etc.) fall under special scrutiny, with many considering ANY modifications to military surplus firearms to be Bubbaing, regardless of the professionalism of execution. This view has gained traction in recent years because inexpensive "tactical" accessories for military surplus firearms have become widely available, and after a few people had bolted a black plastic stock to their SKS and mounted a scope to the dust cover, public opinion began to sour.
However, a properly modified military surplus firearm is a fearsome and beautiful piece of history, and modifying a military weapon for civilian use (known today as sporterizing) is a process as old and proper as firearms themselves. A modified surplus firearm is not automatically a Bubba job, and Bubbaing can apply to modern firearms just as readily as surplus firearms. I recall a picture of an AK rifle with an optic rail JB-welded to the gas tube. It wasn’t a joke.
How does one tell the difference between Bubbaing and sporterizing? Two simple things make the difference:
However, a properly modified military surplus firearm is a fearsome and beautiful piece of history, and modifying a military weapon for civilian use (known today as sporterizing) is a process as old and proper as firearms themselves. A modified surplus firearm is not automatically a Bubba job, and Bubbaing can apply to modern firearms just as readily as surplus firearms. I recall a picture of an AK rifle with an optic rail JB-welded to the gas tube. It wasn’t a joke.
How does one tell the difference between Bubbaing and sporterizing? Two simple things make the difference:
1. performance
2. durability
A modification to a firearm is legitimate if it will last as long as the original equipment, and will deliver a measurable improvement in some aspect of the firearm, be it accuracy, comfort, maneuverability, etc.
Fitting a new stock and drilling and tapping for a scope is sporterizing, not Bubbaing, because the new components are as durable as anything that would be manufactured originally and will allow more accurate and comfortable shooting.
Attaching a pistol grip using a wood screw is Bubbaing because the new grip will not stand up to abuse in the field.
Fitting a new stock and drilling and tapping for a scope is sporterizing, not Bubbaing, because the new components are as durable as anything that would be manufactured originally and will allow more accurate and comfortable shooting.
Attaching a pistol grip using a wood screw is Bubbaing because the new grip will not stand up to abuse in the field.