I haven't done any mods I regret but the previous owner of my favorite hunting rifle electric pencilled his license number on the barrel. He did this to every rifle in his collection, I've owned a couple of them. He also drilled and tapped a commercial Oberndorf Mauser for a reciever sight. This is after he took off and filled the holes for the rear sight and ripped the sling swivel off the barrel. Oh well, it's still my favorite hunting rifle.
Modifications You Regret?
- Thread starter KMAX
- Start date
No, but then again, I am not one to be fooling with stuff until it no longer works ..... if it works for what I want it for as designed, why should I monkey with it? OTH, if it does not work for what I want it for, why would I buy it in the first place?
I have made a few modifications to my guns, but only after very careful research, and have never done anything that could not be undone.
Aguila Blanca
Staff
I long ago discovered that (for me) any modification that cannot be undone completely and returned to original condition/configuration will eventually be regretted.
Beagle45ACP
New member
Spray painting the furniture on my AR.
While it turned out *okay*, umm..... it will be getting replaced with other equipment once there's enough extra money in the budget.
While it turned out *okay*, umm..... it will be getting replaced with other equipment once there's enough extra money in the budget.
lee n. field
New member
My Dad has done this with everything. I hate it! Unsightly in the extreme.
Back in the late 90's it was real popular to port the barrels of trap guns. I had a nice 70's model Perazzi single barrel TM 1 that I had professionally ported at the Grand American by a reputable outfit.
Now I wonder what possessed me to pay to have holes cut in the barrel of a single barrel. Regret that I bought into that fad.
Now I wonder what possessed me to pay to have holes cut in the barrel of a single barrel. Regret that I bought into that fad.
johnwilliamson062
Moderator
Almost all of them because I end up selling almost all the guns I modify and lose lots of money. I am usually trying to make something do what it can't.
Fixed Sight Training
New member
On my first pistol, a Browning Buckmark in the early 90s I had a gun smith mount a scope.
Four holes and a bunch of scratches in the barrel. Also it was impossible to take down without removing the scope from the mount and then the mount. Kind of a bad design and I wish the gunsmith had mentioned some of this before he did the work. Oh well. I learned from that smith to try to do everything possible myself.
I refinished a 9mm 1911 in Alumihyde 2. It looks okay and probably would wear fine in a long gun but isn't holding up too well in a pistol.
If you want to see the project here it is.
http://www.fixedsighttraining.com/projects.html
Four holes and a bunch of scratches in the barrel. Also it was impossible to take down without removing the scope from the mount and then the mount. Kind of a bad design and I wish the gunsmith had mentioned some of this before he did the work. Oh well. I learned from that smith to try to do everything possible myself.
I refinished a 9mm 1911 in Alumihyde 2. It looks okay and probably would wear fine in a long gun but isn't holding up too well in a pistol.
If you want to see the project here it is.
http://www.fixedsighttraining.com/projects.html
FoghornLeghorn
New member
I remember some gun magazine guy talking about that. He wanted to convert his 25 cal Jennings into a Ford F150.
Hmmm... where do I begin. I'm an advanced graduate of the WECSOG (Wile E. Coyote School of Gunsmithing), and I have a few things that I second guess. I inherited an Astra Falcon (4000) with the .22lr and .32 barrel/slide combo. There is also a .380 barrel/recoil spring/magazine that will fit in the .32 slide floating out there somewhere and I've seen where a complete set (.22lr, .32, and .380) could be quite valuable. Never-the-less, the one I inherited wasn't in the greatest shape and had some rust damage on the .32 slide and the receiver. What do I do? Parkerize it. The .22 slide is still blued, and it has kind of a cool two tone thing going on I'm pretty sure I killed the value. On the plus side, though, my Park job came out looking great 
.
Oh, and my Ruger Security Six. I decided that I would do a trigger job on it. Everything was great... but I decided I would cut one coil off of the hammer spring. It shoots ok and the trigger is much better... but I know that I cut it and it irks me. Now that it works I can't justify buying a new spring, but I still don't like knowing that I cut the spring
.I wish I would've been patient and just bought a reduced spring.
What else... oh there are others I just can't think of them right now. I've had many home gunsmith projects go well, but I should start adhering to the "don't do anything that's irreversible" thing.
.Oh, and my Ruger Security Six. I decided that I would do a trigger job on it. Everything was great... but I decided I would cut one coil off of the hammer spring. It shoots ok and the trigger is much better... but I know that I cut it and it irks me. Now that it works I can't justify buying a new spring, but I still don't like knowing that I cut the spring
.I wish I would've been patient and just bought a reduced spring.What else... oh there are others I just can't think of them right now. I've had many home gunsmith projects go well, but I should start adhering to the "don't do anything that's irreversible" thing.