I know many of you have a backup rifle or "loaner" so to speak. I was just wondering what classifies as a loaner. In your minds is it a pawn shop special that you came upon that shoots, or just an older less desireable action type you have on hand? Does you loaner have a less expensive scope? I happened into a second rifle that is a stock rifle with a very inexpensive scope and it is the first time I have had a 'Loaner" for myself if my primary rifle went south. So let me know what you think about your "loaners, and shoul I upgrade the scope!

I think it depends entirely on who your friends are. If they're irresponsible with money (and gear) then they should buy their own stuff or be thankful you've loaned them anything. On the other hand, they're new to the sport but just haven't had the time/knowledge to build their own gear pile yet----------and the things they already have are treated with respect---------then I'd share your very best with them so they have a great first experience and get hooked on the sport and quality gear. Using your best gear also gives them a great baseline to measure future gear purchases from so they don't waste money on crap, not knowing the difference. But mooches who look at their friends as a free rental center can pound sand AFAIC.

I have a big extended family and my nephew dragged my fathers old Ruger 30-06 through a lot the oak brush in NW Colorado and dropped it a couple if times. I replaced the old cloudy Weaver 6 with a Sightron 3-9 power S2 hat held up through the abuse. This rifle has sentimental value so it is retired from back up duty.

I picked up a Savage Axis in 243 for the back up / kid / new hunter rifle and put a Pentax lightseeker 4-14 it shoots lights out and has killed deer and coyotes quite well.

Looking for a cheap back up elk gun I picked up a 300 Weatherby Vanguard for $260 and the trigger was so bad I had to put a Timney in it. The darn thing shoots 1/2" groups with 180 grain TTSX loads near max so it now wears a Conquest 3x9x50 with Z600 reticle and is now 1st string.

So my new idea for this year for me and later for the grandsons and nephews etc. is a RUger American with a VX2 3-9x40 in 30-06.

When I loan a friend a rifle, I always give him the second best rifle I have. Mine is the best and I do not loan that one out. I want someone that has need of a gun to experience the best I can provide so that they will want to continue the sport. I would at least replace the scope and clean the rifle up.

Why hold out on 'em? If you want them to 'experience the best I can provide', why hand out 'second best'? Huh? What?.....

Pay no attention to huntsman, his rifles are all .270's.....

I have 4 rifles in calibers that can be used for hunting elk. I have used each of them myself for hunting elk and deer or as a backup. As long as I'm not using any one of them, my friends and family are always welcome to borrow them. Hey, they are hunting rifles and if they get scratched or dented, it just adds character. That said, most of my hunting rifles have synthetic stocks and cheaper "hunting" scopes that were purchased for under $300. The couple of times I've lent a rifle to a friend, they have come back without any noticeable damage.

I just picked up a Rem. 700 in 30/06 for a back-up/loaner rifle. I have a Burris Fullfield 3x-9x that I'm going to put on it. If I had to buy a scope it would be a Leupold Varix-2 3x-9x. I just used this rifle to take a late season cow elk and it worked fine. I was really impressed by the 180 gr./ Hornady Innerlock bullets. All three were found perfectly mushroomed under the hide on the far side. Loaded to 2815 fps w/ H-4350sc. (24" bbl.) Range was about 200 yards. I got this rifle new at the local big box sporting gds. store for $269.95 with a $35.00 rebate. $235.00 new. First load I tried is shooting about 1 moa. I think I got lucky. IMHO it will be a great backup/loaner.

If someone isn't responsible enough to care for their gear, I really don't want to hunt with them. To my thinking, being responsible is a sign of maturity. No way I'm saying you need to baby stuff, just be smart. As for what type of loaner.... I've loaned out 2 real good '06's that I've hunted often. 2 of our boys used em, and now seem to have inherited them "early". One is even a nice Pre64 Model 70. My advice is to be careful who you loan them to, especially if they are kids who love to hunt. ;-)

My loaner is a BPR in .270... Will kill anything around here, is indestructable, yet so ugly nobody will want to keep it.

I have had two loaners. The first was a 700 ADL 270. Bedded and floated it was as accurate as my high priced customs. Worked up a load with 130 partitions. Loaned it to a buddy who took it to Africa. He refused to give it back AND offered me a premium price. Gone.
The second was a parts gun...700 270 mtn bbl, Ti takeoff. Again, very accurate. Another buddy, an African PH, asked me to leave it with him. It is his most popular "rental" loaner rifle. Bullets are 130 Barnes.
Presently don't have a loaner.

My loaner is also my personal back-up gun. It is set-up almost identical to my main rifle so that I can grab it and go if necessary. Maybe a bit nicer than someone would expect in a loaner, but hey they are just tools to get a job done.

My backup, loaner, beater, new shooter, need help rifle is a Ruger boat paddle stainless 30-06 with a Leupie 4x. It will do anything without getting itself hurt.

My loaner is a Lilja barreled 25-06ai in an edge stock. 100gr NBTs at 3400. No idea why I don't hunt the rifle.

My loaner is a Ruger with what around here is referred to as the "boat paddle" stock(it is the hollowed out one). It was the first rifle I won at an NRA banquet. It is a 6.5X55, I mounted a decent Weaver 3X9 on it. I worked up a decent load with Nosler 140 gr Partitions. I have slightly rethought the loaner part after the first person who wanted to borrow it questioned if my bullet choice would be good for mule deer. Lets just say he was a man of the cloth so I cut him some slack but after one day of hunting we never even discussed hunting together let alone went out again.

I did not hunt deer until I was in my 30's and hunting with some of the guys I worked with. They loaned me rifles for 4 or 5 years before I bought my own. The loaners were Browning's or 700's with Nikon or Leupold scopes, good accurate rifles and optics. My friend or BIL loaner would be a Ruger M77 in 7Mag or a Weatherby in .308Win depending on what/where we were going for.

I have a number of Elk capable quality rifles. I do have a favorite but would be willing to hunt with any of them at any time.
When family or friends need a rifle they can have their choice, including my favorite if for some reason they wish for that one.

I expect whoever uses my rifles to give them the same care that I would. One day number three grandson came back to camp with the rifle wet. I told him he needed to wipe it down and oil the metal.
His reply was that it was OK.
He learned right damn quick that what was OK for his rifle sure wasn't OK for mine.
First time I ever yelled at the kid, I don't expect it will ever be necessary again,

I have two rifles that are used for elk hunting. Both are 30-06 caliber.

I use a T/C Icon Weathershield with a Leupold VX-3 3.5x10x40 scope. It's ugly, shoots MOA, and is nearly indestructible.

The other elk rifle is a Winchester M70 Featherweight with a Leupold VX-3 4.5x14x40 B&C scope. It's wood/blue and a reasonably attractive rifle. I bought it for my son and he doesn't hunt any longer. I suppose that's my loaner elk rifle.

I also have a T/C Venture 25-06 with a Leupold VX-3 4.5x14x40 CDS scope that I use for deer. It's not very attractive either but it also shoots MOA and is nearly indestructible.

I suppose that if someone needed to borrow a deer rifle I would loan them my Marlin 336 30-30. It sports a Vari-X2, 3x9x40.

My other centerfire rifles are .223 caliber and that cannot be used for big game in Colorado.

KC

My wife and I always hunt together, so if the need arises,I'll just use her .338 Win. That said, we just a year ago got a "smoke'n" deal on a Ruger American 30-06,put a Nikon 2-8 Monarch on it, and it's for the grandkids or whomever needs it! memtb

all rifles equipped and prepped to equal quality.

I'll take anywhere from 2 to 5 rifles, depending on the number of family peeps coming along.

anyone would be confident with any rifle, even the "spare"

I'm not sure you can have 5 equal rifles unless they are the same caliber, same glass, and shoot to the same level of accuracy.

Having a backup rifle ready to perform at a high standard is just good sense but almost everyone has a favorite for elk hunting even a favorite for different conditions.

My backup will be capable of sub MOA accuracy, have decent glass, and be reliable - but that doesn't make it equal to my favorite. Just a different amount of field experience and confidence makes a difference for me.

My son and son-in-law both want the 300 Weatherby when I am gone. It isn't pretty but it really shoots and carries a lot of energy out a long way. The Backup status doesn't make it less desirable as a hunting rifle.

I have loaned special guests the same rifle that I usually use, a Sako AV classic custom .35 Whelen with Zeiss 3-9 scope. Or a Sako L61R full stock carbine 30-06 with Karl Kaps 6x. They are both top quality and work very effectively.

The emergency loaner that we keep in camp is an old ( almost 100 yrs old) #4 SMLE Lee enfield .303 british. Original battle sights and the full stock cut down to save weight. So far it's been carried a couple times but not shot.
It is the same configuration as a rifle that I killed my first deer with. Not glamorous, not precise, but good enough to keep "just in case"

The rifle is easy compared to figuring out which mule or horse you put em on.

Had only one.. It is a 7mm-08..But restocked it, so I guess I have no loaners.. Lots of back up rifles..

Savage 110 06' w/4x Lupy. It has killed several. Muddy

My stainless 7mm rem mag in the factory Tupperware stock. Glass bedded and shoots sub moa. Barrel's been cut to 24". It's topped with a Nikon monarch 2.5-10x42 scope.

I've killed more elk archery than rifle, but my rifles have killed a bunch of elk. The first year I had my 338 it killed four elk. My 3006 has killed the most 30 or 40.

I take all family, some friends and often strangers when they are drawn.

My policy is to have them shoot my guns and take the one they are comfortable with the most.

Last year my 7/08 killed two for my dad and brother.

3006, 338, 270, 7X57, 7/08, 308, 7 mag have all been loaners and scored.

Kent

All of my rifles are loaners really. I won't share a hunt with someone I don't trust and if something gets scratched or broke, it's likely I would have done the same thing. I figure I'd like folks to have the best experience possible, so lending the good stuff ups the ante a little. Plus, if you let them borrow a good rifle and scope, when they decide to get their own, they have a point of reference of what decent is.

I loaned a rifle to Travis once, but he put the wrong ammo in it and I never got the gun back...

My idea of "backup" rifle is seems different than what others are saying. I think of it as a rifle that is rock solid reliable that I can count on to work when other stuff fails. It is fully known, entirely debugged, always ready to go when the new gun in the safe that I might rather use gives me some kind of grief.

Loanable, yes, but that's not its point.

In that context, something like a Rem 700 XCR in '06 with a Leupold 4X in dual dovetail B&R loaded with 180 grain partitions would be hard to argue with. It's not a "go long" gun. It's not glamorous. But everything within 250 - 300 yards is in mortal danger.

If it was deer you were asking about, I'd swap it for a 7mm-08, otherwise the same, and say 140 grain partitions.

Tom

My back-up rifle is equal to my main rifle, in fact it is the exact same set-up. So there is no adjustment. If for any reason my main rifle gives me a headache, which it never has, then just swap it out. Additionally, I can pass one of each to each of my boys but hopefully that won't be for a long while.

As far as a loner rifle, it more depends on the person. If it is someone who is careful, respectful of their own equipment. Then, I would have no problem loaning my main or back-up rifle to them. If it is someone who shows little or no respect for their own property/equipment, I would probably loan them one of the boys rifles so I don't have to worry about the scratches and dings since they already have "character".

So to answer the question from the op, it really depends on the person. It could be a less desirable rifle or it could be my go to top of my line rifle. But even my less desirable rifles are rifles that I personally have hunted with and will hunt with in the future, they just are not top of my line and are the rifles that my 9 and 15 year old boys hunt with currently.

I would not have a gun of any type in my limited collection that I would not personally hunt. Its like when you throw a party don't buy the cheapest liquor you can find because you maybe the one who ends up drinking it. Get something that is serviceable from your prospective, maybe not your favorite but something you would be comfortable with using.

I've never hunted with anyone needing a loaner rifle. However, I always have a back-up rifle in camp on all of my hunts. At them moment is either a Remington 700 in 243 with a 4-12x40 vxII or a Winchester 70 in 300 Win/3-9 VXII. I wouldn't hesitate to use either as a primary rifle on a hunt.

I've been faced with that situation of loaning a rifle several times when taking young men on their first hunts. I always insisted they come to the range with me first, try 5 or 6, and find one that seems most suitable for them.

My 7mag Sendero got the nod on 2 occasions but one time a fella selected my Marlin 336 .30-30.

That's cool and a great way to see what the person likes. Kudos to you. I've loaned very close friends rifles when they were hunting with me and let them pick their poison much like you did with yours. Once a friend picked my favorite 338 win mag that I usually carried and another time a friend picked a favorite 300 WBY mag I had. Getting friends and newcomers involved in hunting is what it's all about.

I don't really have a "cheap" rifle, the cheapest rifle I have is actually my most valuable. Grandpas Remington 721 .270.


A buddy of mine recently had my Kimber 300 wsm for a little over a month and he whacked and stacked a bunch of stuff in Wyoming.

My most loaned rifle, used to be my number 1 rifle for along time. My .257 wby with Zeiss on it.

for about 30 years our elk hunt group generally kept a marlin lever action 45/70 with a weaver 4x scope on it that was sighted dead on at 200 yards as the camp back-up elk rifle, standard load was a hard cast 350 grain bullet over a stiff load of 50 grains of IMR 4198 over a 215 federal primer . that rifle eventually was responsible for killing more elk than most of the hunter primairy arms and resulting several guys buying similar marlin 45/70s over the years

http://www.handloads.com/loaddata/d...p;type=Rifle&Order=Powder&Source

http://www.neihandtools.com/catalog/index.html
458-355-GC

cast from 95% WW alloy and 5% pure tin

A backup rifle to me should be the equal of the rifle I am using with the likely difference that my main rifles tend to be stainless and backups are often older blued weapons.

Depending on the situation, a loaner could be any of my rifles. I have loaned a Model 70, Commercial and Military 98's, a Model 88 Winchester, Model 99 Savage, Mossberg 880, Remington 600, etc. My kids are grown and have their own so some of the rifles they used as they grew are still used as loaners to younger shooters.

I wouldn't loan out a rifle I didn't trust or that wasn't reasonably accurate. The loaners do tend to have older scopes. As I get new scopes I move them around. I try to get the borrower out for a sight in session and a familiarization outing if I can.

I would suggest you test any cheap scope for fogging, tracking and so forth. Even then for a big game rifle I would swap it out for a Leupold or similar. I might put one on a .22 but not much else.

I would upgrade the scope. About the most inexpensive scope I trust is a K-4 Weaver.I have several low end Leupolds I bought used. I would recommend that for economy use. The 2x7's are usually priced pretty well.

I've had more Leupolds fail than any other scope. I'd for damn sure never recommend them to anyone. Thread's getting sidetracked P town man.. It's not about scopes, it's about rifles and ones we loan out.. Hint..

I ALWAYS bring a spare rifle chambered for a common cartridge when I'm going to hunt more than a few miles from home. Some years ago, I was hunting deer near Wray, Colorado, and saved a guy's hunt by loaning him my spare 30-06. He was from Ohio and discovered that he didn't bring his 6.5x55 ammo with him. IIRC, the closest dealer with 6.5x55 ammo was Cabela's in Sydney, Nebraska, a couple hundred miles round trip away. Anyways, I loaned him the S&W C and he punched his tag.

When my FIL was alive, we kept a Remington 710 in 30-06 around for deer camp for a couple of years. A couple of guys used it in lieu of their own rifles, either 'cause they were cheap and didn't want to shoot their own ammo or because their rifles weren't zeroed. In any case, having the spare rifle allowed them to punch tags.

Since becoming a 270 shooter, my primary is a CLR with a NULA upgrade and my spare is a Remington 760. The CLR has a Leupold VX3 2.5-8x36 and the 760 has a Redfield 2-7x that was rebuilt by Iron Sight, Inc., with their #1 European style extra heavy post & crosshair reticle.

I've got (had) two that I consider backup/loaners. One is a Model 70 PF 30-06 I picked up for a small fee. Looked like it had spent more time bumping around in the bed of a pickup than anything else. Bedded it in an old B&C stock with original aluminum 2-pc floorplate, (was a BB previously) and gave it a couple coats of Duracoat. Turned out looking pretty good and shoots 180 Hornadys over a full case of RL22 well under an inch. My son adopted the rifle and thought it worthy of a Trijicon scope. Now seems to be his full time elk rifle. Looking for something similar again for another backup/loaner.

The other loaner is a Marlin XS7 in 243 with a weaver classic mounted. Shoots under MOA. Don't much care if someone drops it or scratches it as long as they aren't just being careless...

I have loaned a few but mostly, if they are that interested in hunting, I just give them a rifle.

I have puzzled over this one quite a bit. Do you loan a new hunter a rifle that you would never abuse? NO. Do you loan them a rifle that is barely functional? NO. Do they need a rifle with a $500 scope that will serve as a cushion for their first tumble? NO.

Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that a good old Mauser with a vintage steel Weaver scope of 4x will be just fine. You can handload the 8x57 upwards by a considerable margin over factory fodder, but the factory stuff still goes BOOM and kills animals. My old Mauser has the military barrel on it, shoots well, and has a Boyds replacement stock. Not a prom queen, but no junker, either.

I refuse to loan out my nice hunting rifles, no matter how many I have, to just any ole' Joe. When they can afford to spend what I do on a rifle, they will come to understand my position!

Now that is a sad commentary.

Loaner?

As long as you're willing to accommodate others, they're willing to let you. I figured that out pretty quick.

"I've got lots of friends. And, the fun never ends. But, that's as long as I'm buying."
Styx

Opinions and experiences vary don't they?
The OP asked about scopes. Did you miss that?

What did your post have to do with the subject?

it's a sad world...

Truer words were never spoken. I have introduced numerous friends and colleagues to hunting over the years, and strangely, when it was time to buy their own gear, the interest suddenly faded.

Sometimes people have never been taught how to respect their own property, or that of others.

A nephew recently went hunting with some family members. 'Mom' had purchased a Wal-Mart combo (Savage 110 & Tasco scope) for the boy previous to the hunt. Imagine my B-I-L's surprise after hearing numerous tumbles and curses to see the boy walking in rough terrain with his hands in his pockets, rifle slung over one shoulder. The nephew never made any effort to protect the rifle during his falls, just bam! Down again. A later check of the zero indicated a 2 foot discrepancy at 100 yards. Of course, the setup now has more "character" after a 5 day season than most rifles see in a lifetime.

And that, gentlemen, is why I am shy of lending anything of real value to a beginning nimrod.

Dancing bear is right BSA, the OP absolutely asked about scopes, and your swipe at leupold was a definite side track, congrats?

I don't have a lot of what I call true friends. However for those that are my friends, their friendship means more to me than any hunk of steel and wood. If they need a rifle they can have their pick of anyone I have.

Same for me. I have left firearms with true friends for extended periods of time knowing they would care for them as much or more than I would. BUT, if I take a newbie out for their first hunt they either bring their own rifle, or I MAY let them use whichever one I have that they like the best. I don't loan guns. and I don't have any "beater" rifles I'd let just anyone use.
I let Docrocket use a 38-55 in wyoming once on a small deer walk about, I let my nephew use my wife's 6x45 last year. I've even shared a prairiedog rifle with folks whilst we were out. but in every instance I either trusted them completely, or was right next to them while they used it. some other folks may be more free with their guns, I am not.

Well said.

While I prefer Z over L these days, I have had a LOT of L scopes and have had 1 fail so far. Have had one Z give up the ghost on tracking so far, other than a bad display one I bought many years ago in the 80s...

Saying L is the worst shows no knowledge of much of anything. Of course if you had 2 L and they both failed, and 3 bsa thta have never been used I could maybe see the odds.

You guys don't get it if you love your rifles more than introducing a young person to hunting. Pick up a gun that doesn't cost an arm and a leg match it with a similar scope and take a young man or woman to the field and the range.

Think "truck gun" with a more noble purpose. I wouldn't loan my primary rifle out without being there, it has too much sentimental value and I count on it too much. A cheap accurate rifle and a dependable scope that you can loan to a young person or hunting acquaintance in camp can create a new hunter or rescue someone's hunting trip.

My savage 243 works perfect for deer, I'm planning to set up a RAR 30-06 with a 3-9 VX2 this year for elk. The only downside is that sometimes you lose these to sons and grandsons or close friends when they become attached. There are worse things than having your grandson remember you fondly every hunting season long after you are gone.

I guess I am one of those you just labled as not "getting it". I've mentored more than a few people and helped them make an intelligent selection of their own as well as coached them on setup and sighting in. Donated plenty of time to new hunters, watched some of them sell their guns after the season for cash to buy rubber dog sh*t and other things with no or little value by my values. Poor money management and lack of values they suffer, if they can't borrow one they buy one cheap and ammo at whatever mart. Save your lecture and rebuttal period. If I go on a distant hunt I take along a full confidence backup gun so I will never ever ask someone to borrow their weapon. Guns, money, dogs ,women, and vehicles I don't loan or borrow . Way I figure it if you want to hunt, providing your own weapon is part of it. Magnum Man

I have a rifle that could be a loaner but I've never had a need to loan it. I offered it to my partner last fall when his house was burgled and his guns stolen but he bought a new one first.
It's an old Rem 721. If I loaned it, the borrower would have very specific directions to never carry it with a round chambered. The safety is loose and can jiggle to the fire position while being carried.

I was fortunate enough to grow up in a hunting family and always had some kind of rifle and shotgun to shoot until I bought my own when I was 17 a long time ago.

I did borrow a shotgun once from a hunting partner when I left mine in a truck a few miles away from the field when we shared a ride to the field. That was darned nice to have when the doves flew by. Other than that time I typically share magnum man's philosophy of a weapon and a backup.

Not everyone has the same advantages as folks who are born hunting and shooting but it doesn't stop the driven guys and gals who jump in with both feet. The on the fence group are the ones who benefit from the loan of a rifle. Some of those people will stick with hunting others won't. I think long term there is a benefit to the ones who stick and even the ones who don't.

I have lost track of how many bucks being shot with a loaner Mauser, Arisaka, Enfield, etc in drives in PA over the years.

Well like I said earlier, still not fond of the idea of loaning a rifle. Have probably more than I need for sure. Excuses to buy a different one are what are in short supply. So it now appears that if I rationalize the next purchase as a loaner ,I won't wonder why the fck I did that. I knew this thread had some merit, just had to dig hard to find it. Hmmm, that little M700 ADL with a stainless Mtn rifle barrel on it in 260 I saw this afternoon for $400 looks like a likely candidate. I'm getting into the swing of this loaner concept now. So how many can you buy for "loaners" before the concept rings hollow? Magnum_Man

My loaner rifle is a Rem 7400 synthetic in 30-06. Gets great accuracy. Never had to loan it out, and offered it several times
to young neighbors to go on a hunt with me. But nobody wants to hunt with an old woman, despite seeing me unload deer, antelope, elk from my truck in the past. So, heck with 'em.

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.

I once loaned a gun to one of my brother. He put more scratches in three days than I have in in 26 years. He wanted to go hunting one time and I told him he would have to come up with a different gun as I would not loan it out again to him. I have loaned one a 338 to another brother for an elk hunt. He has his other guns and he took good care of it.

I think you have a reasonable limit of back-up / loaners at one per game class - Varmint, medium game, large game, dangerous game. After that I think you are just collecting. A young friend wanted to shoot my 375H&H today both he and his wife enjoyed the shooting (water filled plastic containers are fun) he wants to buy a rifle. I unfortunately told him the truth in front of his wife -that a 30-06 and an 870 12ga shotgun are pretty much all you would ever really need.

You told him the truth in front of his wife?!?!?! Good God man next thing you will do is tell her she can control him with s*x. Some friend you are. Just kidding.

Now we need to do some attitude adjustments.
First, live to hunt, not work for a living. After all this meat your putting on the table to feed your family. (Don't do the math verses the grocery store, its dangerous to our sport.)

Second, while your advice is completely accurate every man needs a new gun every now and then. This is why its always good to have just enough guns in the gun safe so she does not notice when a new one shows up. Its generally sound advice to always good to have a buddy, a brother, dad or someone you can trust that you can move guns around so she can't keep track of exactly what you have or don't have.

Finally, cash is king when making hunting purchases. No need to get beat up for making purchases that enhance father/son time. After all he earned the money, why should he just take it home for her to fritter away on mani/petis (sp?), tennis lessons or other worthless stuff.

Come on Specneeds get with the program, your screwing it up for all the rest of us.

I just successfully purchased a "loaner " rifle, a used 700 ADL with a Simmons 3x9x 50 on it, a short action B prefix 700 with a ss Remington Mtn Rifle barrel on it in 260 Rem. Don't know if it will shoot or not but looks to have that ability. Of course I wouldn't borrow it to anyone till I know it's allright , safe , and accurate, just wouldn't be the responsible thing to do. What a generous concept, thanks everyone for the idea. Magnum Man

Anyone needing knowledge about acquiring guns for loaners, etc. needs to read what's probably the foremost literature on the subject: Pat McManus's "Gun Running".

Anything that can be replaced is up for a loaner. Some that can't be are probably as well.

If I like ya, you're welcome to whatever I have. If I don't, we ain't hunting together anyway.

Sounds good Mooner,post a picture of your wife holding your rifle standing in front of your truck and boat with your bird dog at her feet would you? Magnum Man

My "back up"/loaners" are pretty much exactly the same as my main hunting rifles...there is no difference so any one who has borrowed one gets exactly what I hunt with myself.

I live in the state of Washington - at least until retirement - so I don't have any loaners. I might take a friend down to a friendly FFL and transfer a gun to him but that would be a one time permanent deal. I'll let friends use any rifle I own soon as I move to another state.

Does that have to do with the new gun laws?

Thanks

I also live in Warshington. Unfortunately all of my guns were lost in that boating accident.......

I to live in WA. I'll still loan out guns or whatever to friends.

The wife thing is fugging retarded, unless of course your wife is a thing.

I agree with the guys who would loan a rifle to a friend. I have never had to do it....although I have sure given friends good deals on rifles I have sold em. I always shudder when guys come in with their own rifles and are too cheap or just to ignorant to have them properly sighted in. My neighbor who takes a lot of people hunting has em leave their rifles in the scabbards and has em shoot his because he knows at least they are sighted in. But to the OP do not be cheap on the scope! Put a good peep on it if you are on a budget.