Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Designated Loaner Rifle

I don't have to worry about my friends borrowing guns from me, they all have more guns than I do.
But even if they didn't I am not sure that I would loan any of mine to anyone, I am protective of the way my equipment is treated. While I know accidents happen they seem to happen more often with borrowed items be guns, tools, or automobiles. Which is why I rarely borrow anything from friends either.

drover

When I was young and foolish, I loaned a rifle to a guy. When I wanted it back, he came up with some bullschit story about having busted something on it and leaving it to get fixed somewhere. I’m sure he sold it. Eventually, I was paid for it with substantial interest.

When a close friend was going deer hunting hunting in a shotgun only area I told him to take a good Ithaca slug gun of mine that had an Aimpoint red dot, as he had no slug gun. He came back with a couple of deer and when he brought the gun back he had a big grin, “You just put the dot on ‘em and, pow, down they go.”

A couple of years later, I had a new Marlin Guide Gun I’d only used a couple of times. I handed it to him one morning and told him , “Try this.” He killed 4 deer with it that fall and had one just like it the following year. He’s a guy who would do anything for a friend and so would I.

Another time, a friend told me his daughter, who was about 12 or 13 at the time, wanted to shoot a deer. I had an old 92 Winchester SRC in .44-40 and quite a few cast bullet loads. The mild shooting little gun suited the girl just fine and she got able to shoot it pretty well. Early on in the season she killed her first deer with it. When he said something about getting it back to me I told him she could keep it. A kid should have the gun they killed their first deer with.

Anything I have, my friends and brothers are welcome to, as I am to theirs. For God’s sake, it’s just stuff, which we’ve all got too much of.

I have a Remington 700 in 270 and a model 7 in 7mm-08 that I loan to friends and family that come out to hunt. Both are proven rifles, it saves a lot of time and trouble. We take a quick trip to the range, build some confidence, then spend the rest of the time taking care of the deer and antelope they kill.

The only people I would loan a rifle to are already squared-away enough as humans that they'd likely have no need to borrow one anyway. Also, if someone wants to hunt they should be motivated enough to obtain their own weapon and become proficient in its use rather than some half-assed effort of borrowing. The exception to this is mentoring kids.

I usually hunt by myself but not always, and on occasion folks have forgot bullets, they didn't have an airline approved gun case for a special trip out to see me, etc. In one case they forgot the trigger lock key (which his wife insists he have on the guns due to little kids in the house). One time a horse wreck broke a stock in half at right at the trailhead.

In those cases I have no problem loaning them a rifle or shotgun for that matter. Normally it is a Savage 1899 in .300 Savage or the Springfield 1898 that lives behind the seat of my pickup. For shotguns it has only happened once that I can remember but I had no issue loaning my Win 1300 Ranger out.

For many years I brought a sporterized 30-06 Mauser with a plastic stock and a decent scope as a backup and foul weather rifle for an out of state 3 or 4 day deer hunt a buddy and I did annually. One year his Rem 760, also in 30-06, wouldn't close all the way and I lent him the Mauser. We both got our bucks.

THIS^^^^^^

Reading some of these responses I realized I have told my son many times that if his Marine buddies want to come out and hunt with us, I have all the guns they need to harvest any animal they want to hunt... several of them have expressed interest in coming out to hunt deer and elk, but the hassle of bringing a gun on an airline or having the right gun for the game has them a bit hesitant. Even if they did damage one of my rifles, anything they can do to anything I own can be fixed. Their stories of times in the Marines with my son are worth whatever it costs...

Did take a couple of his buddies salmon fishing on the Columbia river a couple years ago and limited out two days in a row. They still talk about that trip- the fishing was great, but the water was wild and treacherous those couple days....

Bob

I have a Stevens 200 in 7mm-08 that has been loaned out a ton. In one season alone when I was guiding hunters I remember at least 7 different hunters taking animals with it. In most of those cases the hunters had brought rifles that either had issues or they just could not hit the side of a barn with it. The main purpose for the Stevens was a dedicated loaner rifle that could live in a truck and or ATV and it would not bother me so much when it got dinged up. It and another Stevens 200 in .270 get loaned out pretty much at least once or twice during a season to friends and family. I have other rifles that I would be pretty selective on who I would loan them to though.

Hell yeah Bob. From being an young Marine and growing into an Old Marine, that's good stuff.

My son is a young Marine and there isn't anything I wouldn't do for the lad, short of run his PFT! HA!

Any one of my pards could come to the house and take any gun outta the safe, at anytime. Materiel stuff is just that, stuff, easily replaced, kinda like loaning a pard a tool. Don’t really care to be honest.

For sure. I take a little extra pride if someone scores with one of my irons. They make new stuff everyday.

This is true. When the stuff in your life is more important to you than the people in your life either you’ve surrounded yourself with all the wrong people or you’ve got a pretty empty life or both.

One thing I won’t loan out is my dog!! Don’t ask to borrow my god damn dog!! The boy asked the other day if he could take her campin, I said nope, don’t even ask!! 😂😂

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I’m lucky there. No one else wants to hang around my old mutt Rhodesian.. haha

But guns and stuff is all fair game to friends, family and my friends. It comes back around.

Reading through all of the replies is kinda interesting. Answers from “never loan, never borrow” to “my friends can use anything they need” to “any hunter should be squared away enough to buy his own”!
I remember a time when I could barely afford the deer tag but had to borrow a rifle and now I’m kinda in the boat of having more guns than most of my friends. I would probably loan to most of them and definitely to a kid in need.
Maybe not my most favorite but plenty to spare and loan to let someone enjoy the sport and or bring home some family meat.
Just my thoughts but as someone else stated, “it is just stuff”!
Les

Hell pards come get game meat, sausage, pepperoni salmon, halibut etc outta the freezer, if they’re having a shin dig, hang game in the shop, etc. guess I just don’t care if I consider ya a buddy. Stuff comes and goes, simple as that, good pards don’t.

That’s a fact. My crew of friends who all served together and even a few of the younger fellas still doing Gods work get what they want or need. That’s the point of friends. It’s a solid 2 way street. Kids get whatever they need to light the fire for outdoors.

Truth brother, and thanks for your service again! 🤘👍

Elks. If I came out to jackrabbit hunt you wouldn't loan me your 460 and a couple boxes of ammo? Be Well, RZ.