Otherwise, while it's fine for you to try to influence others to share your values, Bubba's gun is NOT YOURS. And ultimately, if you're not willing to spend YOUR money to buy it off of him, it's none of your damned business what he does with it -- even if you and I both don't like it.
A.B., you have valid points. It is Bubba's gun to do with as he pleases, and neither Cosmo (nor I, nor you) have a right to impose our wishes upon him.
However, there is nothing wrong with -- and everything right with -- making a strenuous effort to educate and guide other gun folks about such matters. No, we can't make their decisions for them, but we can try to help them see the value in what they have, the potential loss in value likely to happen because of their planned modifications, and even the simple (usually disadvantagous) economics of trying to build a modern Remlinchester out of a classic piece of militaria.
There are plenty of folks who will say, "yes, I hear you saying that I shouldn't, but I don't care. This is my grandpappy's 1941 Johnson rifle and I want to hunt with it, and all I need to do is cut down the barrel so I don't keep whacking it when I get out of the truck, and add a set of fiber optic sights to help out my bad eyes, and it would look really good with a Krylon camoflage job." And, that's their right. Cosmo, or any of us, can rant and rave until we're weaping, but nothing we do can infringe on his right to fire up the acetylene torch and belt sander.
On the other hand, I've seen quite a few people, here on THR, come and ask about cutting their old mil-surp and leave here with a completely new appreciation for what they have, or at least having seen that they'd be better off selling it to an interested collector and purchasing something closer to what they think they need.
Why not at least try? In stating the facts, we can harm no one -- can infringe on the rights of no one -- and we may keep a few more pristine classics in circulation. That is a goal we should strive for.
-Sam