For about the last 30 years, I have always one or more "loaner rifles" around. I have had youth hunters show up with some relative's rifle that was either not sighted in, was paired with the wrong ammo or was too big for the young person in question. I have had the same thing happen with adult guests when I was down on the ranch. I had others that showed up without a rifle, assuming that one would be available. I can't remember how many times someone took their first deer or pronghorn with one of my loaners and seriously wanted to buy it from me.
Now that I no longer guide or entertain guests, I am down to one rifle that I still loan to young relatives or trusted young friends who manage to come up with a deer tag, but who do not have access to a rifle. It still mystifies me as to why anyone would apply for a big game tag when they don't own a suitable rifle, but people do. If I can contribute to their hunting experience by loaning them a rifle that is properly sighted in, I usually do so. Most all of my loaners have been blued or stainless rifles with synthetic stocks--things that most of you would term "beaters". Nonetheless, they are sighted in with the proper ammo and they work, and the borrowers usually end up with a good hunt and the satisfaction of taking an animal in fair chase. That makes it worthwhile to me.
If I am traveling to hunt, I always take a backup rifle--probably because I an anal about some things and rifles are among them. On my first trip to Africa, the scope on the rifle that I had intended to use on plains game went belly up the first day. I ended up shooting everything with a .375 H&H that I had taken largely for sentimental reasons. My 64 year-old eyes much preferred this to shooting with the PH's open-sighted .30-06.
