I won't do it, and I don't like to see it done. But opinions vary not only from person to person but decade by decade influences those thoughts too. I think it's less popular now overall- but years ago, when some of these milsurps were brought in- there was very limited ammo, no scope mounts, and no other accessories available. Flash forward a few years, ammo showed up, shop and machine classes taught more hand skills and a lot of rifles were re-done in highschool shop classes. A few years later, ammo got plentiful and importation of certain things started leveling out or even falling- maybe different reasons to modify, maybe not. In the past 20 years, we realized those who carried the WWII milsurps were disappearing kinda fast & we developed an appreciation for things left original. And too about that time, the fascination with all things tactical started coming about- so many had to run out and make something tactical. And that only grew so more folks from all over the world started making all sorts of accessories. For many, prior to 30-40 years ago remember 1903's, 1917's, Krags, M1 Carbines, Mausers, Carcanos, maybe arisakas being sold out of plastic trash cans seldom for more than $20. They sat around with the owners not realizing that in a few years the original values would double many times over so the owners dug them out of closets, passed them down, whatever- and out came the hacksaws. And probably an untold number of times- some guy with limited skills and knowledge just wanted to make what he had (all he had) better for the task at had. Believe it or not, but there's those who look at just about any rifle and see it as nothing more than a tool. ( I said that lightheartedly ya'll)
Does that sum it up just a little guys? I know it's been discussed here over the years, and that's pretty much what I came away with and learned.