Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles The perfect "loner" rifle????

Let me start by saying that I'm VERY selective about who I'll loan one to in the first place. I have a COUPLE buddies that I'd just open the safe, tell em' what I'm using and let 'em pick whatever...then there are a few more people that I would loan one a rifle to, just not one of my main ones.

What rifle would make the perfect "loaner"...I'm thinking it should be something inexpensive and effective, but not so nice as to discourage them buying their own dmn gun going forward. A couple that come to mind would be a Spanish 93(preferably with a ratty cut down military stock, don't act like you haven't seen a ton of them on used racks over the years) or maybe a Savage 340 30-30(liking the 30-30 idea, but not a lever gun as too many people think they are too cool).

Well let's have it, what's the perfect loaner???

I guess I would loan them one of yours....

Any cheap rifle that shoots well enough to do the job.

For antelope, my $295 (used) Savage FXP3 would fill the bill. Shoots too well, though, might have a tough time getting it back.

I have a Browning abolt 2 in 3006 I use now for a loaner. I got it as a gift but never fell in love with it as it has the BOSS system on it. Honestly it shoots great and is reliable. I cant get passed the funky thing screwed on the end. I want to provide a good rifle as a loner but I prefer not to loan out the rifles
I favor. It has a Bushnel 4200 Elite in 3-9x40 I picked up here on the Fire.
Since Its a do -all rifle and I have no particular attachment or sentiment to it notbto mention I have only $230 in the whole package it makes a great loaner. It looks great as well and I have had a few guys ask if I had anything older as they were worried they might bang it up. I say no worries bang away.

Ruger American or Marlin XS7 in 308 w/ a Weaver 4x38 or 6x38 on top.

$450 total - simple, reliable enough and good chances of accuracy

Yup I'd pick the same thing.

The perfect loaner rifle is around 12lbs, all-up. And it won't be gone for long. *grins*

Honestly, anyone that I'd be willing to loan a rifle, would be welcome to anything I own - mostly because I'm not owning a rifle that I wouldn't hunt myself. But I also don't own anything with gorgeous wood, stellar bluing etc.

If I was buying one for the purpose of loaning, it'd be a RAR or 700 SPS with a VX-1 2x7 on top.

444Matt - +1 on those choices. The "perfect" loaner is one that you could "afford" to lose, see mistreated (not wiped down after raining or handling comes to mind), falling off the jeep etc. To me this indicates the level of care and attention the user has in your property. You'd only loan it once before parting ways with the knucklehead. Just my $.02 worth. Homesteader.

PS - Have both the RAR and the Marlin XS7. Wouldn't want to see either treated badly.

I have 3 kinds of guns.

Collector type guns that I don't use a whole lot or if at all.

Match/tactical type guns that are not for hunting and nobody would want to borrow anyway.

And everything in between.

They are welcome to everything in between........

Exactly

It's like keeping a Yugo in the garage for when a friend's car sheits the bed.

Daisy Red Ryder.

I ain't loaning my guns.




P

I have the X7L (and the RAR on the way). It's paired with a 4x40 Nikon Buckmaster in Talley Low's.





I only bought it 'cause it was going too cheap here on 24HCF, but it shoots good bullets at reasonable (2,860 fps) velocities into decent groups:





... and doesn't mind being drug through the dirt...





I do have nicer setups, and I have loaned them in the past. I view this Marlin as something eminently competent, that the loan-ee wouldn't be stressed about disfiguring, nor lack confidence in. I'd have no worries taking it on almost any hunt, myself.


FC

I have loaned out some of my best rifles..Had a few come back a little worse than they left. A model 70 took a tumble down a hill on a horse..chit happens it didnt really bother me much.

Another one that I really like is my Sako L691 in 270wby. I've been loaning it to a kid for the last 2 years, he shoots it very well.

I'd give it to him if i wasnt convinced his parents would just turn around and sell it, which is what happened to the 870 20ga and 10/22 I gave him.

Close friends are welcome to any of them.

Isn't the whole point to a loner gun, buying an old one that has been "rode hard and put away wet" then NOT fixing it up at all. My FRIENDS are welcome to use any gun they need...there are a couple guys in the family though, good guys, but things they touch have a tendency to get well...thrashed. Pretty sure they don't mean to, but it happens.

Now I'll still loan 'em a rifle if they need one, but my nicer ones are off the table...kinda where I was going with this thread.

Anyone I'd trust with one of my guns is welcome to use any of them. Because I know they'll take the same care with them I will and if anything happened to while they were using them they'd do what needed to be done to make it right.

Anyone who would return one of my guns beat up is never going to have the opportunity to do so. They can get their own or do without.

If someone can't have the basic decency to take care of something I loan them, then they have absolutely no business handling a firearm.

I thought "loner rifle" was about a .....if you could only have one rifle stuff!

Interesting question.

All my buddies have rifles, several in fact.
I always take a spare on an extended hunting trip away from home though.

I wouldn't hesitate to loan my spare to anyone sharing my camp.

My criteria for a spare is a good reliable gun that could be easily replaced if stolen, guns left in camp or in the truck while out hunting all day are vulnerable to thieves.

So something like a Savage or RAR fit that bill perfectly.

I have several Weaver 6x scopes that are both inexpensive and reliable.

The caliber can be anything from 243 to 30-06.

My current Savage has barrels in 243, 22-250, 308 and 260.
I am really loving the 260 barrel at the moment, but being a loony that can change at any time.

The 308 barrel is boringly accurate and probably the best all around choice.

My Savage is actually a Stevens an even cheaper version. It weighs 7.25lbs with scope the trigger was easily tuned to 3lbs and it is accurate with all barrels.

Makes me wonder why I bother with expensive customs at times?

I had never heard of a "loaner gun" until I found the campfire - different strokes, I reckon.
Perhaps I'm too pragmatic but I don't understand why someone would purposely buy a POS for the sole purpose of owning a POS to loan to others.

Scott -

IF I had a 94, I'd loan it.



Jerry

I think there is a big difference between a loaner rifle and a POS rifle. I own a few "budget" rifles but I don't consider any of them a POS.

The only person that has ever borrowed a rifle from me is my father. He uses my walnut/blue Ruger M77 MkII in 280Rem, but he's welcome to any of them. If any of my friends, other than one or two that are loonies like myself, were in need they would get offered one of the budget rifles. I've currently got a RAR 30-06 in the safe that I bought when Wal-Mart had them on clearance. It would be the all-around best choice. I'm waiting on a Monarch UCC 3-9x40 to show up in the classifieds at a reasonable price to put on it. I missed one a couple of days ago. Have to be quicker next time!