Loaning out equipment.

[CHSD]

Do you guys loan out hunting equipment to people? I have a friend whose family has 6 deer tags, (dad and two boys). I asked if they have enough ammo and their answer was, "Enough if I don't sight in the gun." I have enough hunting rifles that I could borrow them one and ammo so they could hunt and know that they are going to hit where they aim. They obviously did not plan ahead of time and buy ammo, they have always been the type to just buy a couple boxes from Walmart before season start.

Does anyone have experience with loaning out equipment to their friends? I imagine there are plenty of horror stories of things turning sideways.

 

[loganwayne]

Depends on how good of friends they are. That said i may be borrowing a buddies muzzle loader end of this week if its raining and we dont archery hunt like we plan on. I just ran outta time to shoot it this year. it didnt help that my house got flooded and all my powder and primers got ruined. But we will be hunting in the same area and we have hunted together for 10 years so he knows how i treat my equipment.

 

[tdhanses]

Depends, to me sounds like they don’t shoot much which means they handle firearms seldom, in this day and age you have to consider if there is an accident and the fact that you as the firearm owner will be charged with something even though you aren’t around.

I would lend a gun to a few friends but they all shoot a lot, if they didn’t I wouldn’t lend them one.

 

[NCSU_Lewis]

I agree with above. I certainly have friends I'd be happy to loan a rifle to and know in the unlikely event they trashed a scope or something they would be good for it. I have an MSR tent in my garage right now I borrowed from a buddy for my elk hunt this year. He wasn't going and I haven't got a decent tent at the moment.

It seems if you have to come to a forum to ask, you aren't comfortable with it and it could turn sour with the friendship if something were to happen.

 

[MallardSX2]

The last gun I loaned out took me over a year to get back.

So now, I dont loan anything to anyone outside of my immediate family and even then I dont like to do it.
Aside from that, I dont loan anything to anyone. Been burned too many times.

If a person doesn't already have it then there is a good reason why....

 

[Moserkr]

I loan stuff to 2 boys who are just beginning and they have been very respectful.

Lent some stuff to guys my age we took out who just started and half of it I never got back. The gun I lent out had to be fully disassembled, looked it he drug it through dirt and sand. It didnt even function…. Luckily it was my cheap mossberg 500. Those guys asked to go again - nope. Buy your own stuff and figure it out yourself.

 

[ebonnette0118]

Just a select few friends I will loan stuff out to. I once loaned a muzzleloader to a friend and he dry balled it. Once loaned a truck to a family member and they wrecked it. Once loaned a .22 rifle to a buddy and I never got it back. The list goes on. Burned too many times.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

 

[archp625]

This is such a sticky subject for me. It really depends what the item is and how much money they make. For instance, my BIL wanted to borrow a Mossberg .410 I have. I know that if it didn't make it back he could afford to buy me another one. I also know if he scratched it there were other scratches so it wouldn't be a big deal. Say he wanted to borrow my main hunting rifle, that would be a no.

 

[Azone]

If they have the money and integrity to replace what they broke or lost yes, if not, then no. As to not having enough ammo to sight the gun in and hunt, wow.
How do they expect to be good shots if they never practice?

 

[ReddingArcher]

Depends on the person who needs the equipment. I just loaned a rifle to my brother in law for my nephew to use on a cow hunt. Didnt have a second thought about it. Ammo too. Took the gun out a week before they headed out to let my nephew shoot it and get used to the gun. He ended up killing his cow with it. Another time I let a former friend borrow my rangefinder when he went to stalk a buck and he ended up losing it halfway through the stalk. I should have known better cause he lost every damn thing. He would lose his truck keys every other day. Totally my fault cause I knew how he was.

 

[WCB]

Depends on who they are or why? My buddy is going to be borrowing a deer stand and some sticks this week. All his are hung and he has some stuff to take care of before he heads out of town so no time to pull a set. Have another buddy just getting back into hunting. He has borrowed a couple things (gun, extra binos, extra range finder) over the last couple years but immediately went and bought his own after he returned them.

Mind you these guys are more like family than just some random buddy.

In your situation F that noise. They don't sound prepared or like they really care...let them deal with it.

 

[fmyth]

I'd buy 2 boxes of ammo and "gift it" to the boys before I loaned them one of my rifles.

 

[awasome]

If you loan your rifles out, are you willing to have them be damaged by someone else and still maintain that friendship? Keep in mind that if they damage the rifles/scope, they might not be willing to get them repaired for you.

I have some friends that I would loan anything I own out to them because I know they will return it to me better than I gave it to them. If they damage whatever they fix it or offer to pay for the repair.

I also have some friends that I would only loan stuff out that I'm willing to never see again, or get back damaged. And I am 100% okay with it and can still maintain my friendship with them.

Consumables like ammo, I don't loan out. I give them to the person and don't expect it to be paid back. Makes for a much better relationship if there is no form of debt between two people.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Nope. I used to but I recently (in the past year) stopped.

I loaned a PR49 to a guy because he wanted to check out a back lake, no problem I gave him the raft, pump and paddle. When I wanted it back....he couldn't be bothered to bring it to me, he was too busy, weeks went by and finally I drove out to his house and got it (about an hour of driving). Same guy asked to borrow gear again....nope.

I loaned a fishing rod out to a guy and his daughter stepped on it and bent the eyelet...of course it wasn't his fault and he never offered to get it repaired or replaced.

I'm done with it. I also find it interesting how in my experience, the guys who want to borrow stuff usually could easily afford their own, they just don't want to spend their own money.

 

[insanelupus]

The gun I lent out had to be fully disassembled, looked it he drug it through dirt and sand. It didnt even function…. Luckily it was my cheap mossberg 500.

Knowing the abuse a Mossberg 500 can endure and still function, that's absurdly impressive!

 

[Felix40]

I loan stuff out all the time. I don’t have a bunch of nice stuff but a lot of it is pretty decent. Everything from a kifaru pack, to swaro spotter, to a model 70 rifle to a traditions muzzleloader. I just got my ML back from a friend who wanted it for an elk hunt. I figure nobody can mistreat my stuff as bad as I do when I’m hunting.

 

[Moserkr]

Knowing the abuse a Mossberg 500 can endure and still function, that's absurdly impressive!

Punched out the pins, completely disassembled, cleaned, oiled, then put away until this season. Slayed some pheasants with it, function was flawless. I literally meant he drug it through sand and rocks - I was pissed. There were pebbles in it completely blocking the action from moving. I bought it to be abused in the duck blind but…

I figure nobody can mistreat my stuff as bad as I do when I’m hunting.

Let me introduce you to my friend Brad… lol

 

[insanelupus]

Moserkr, my first shotgun was a 20" Mossberg 500. 3", interchangeable chokes shotgun. I hunted everything from quail, rabbits, geese, ducks, pheasants, turkeys, etc. with that thing.

My buddies razzed me about my cheap shotgun compared to their 870s, claimed it rattled like a paint can, etc.

But in the end they admitted I made decent use of it and nothing short of abuse and neglect would make it stop working. I still enjoy packing it occasionally. It's a tank, and i still don't own an 870.

Apologies to the OP for the tangent, carry on.

 

[Pigdog]

I have a bigger problem with people hunting without sighting in than I do with loaning gear. Buy a few boxes of ammo and go shooting with your friend. Help him out by helping him get dialed in.

 

[Bassman]

I've loaned gear to hunting partners, not just a "friend" (I think there is a difference), and wouldn't hesitate if they called me up today. They have returned the favor when I've been in need as well. It depends on how much you trust them and if there is mutual respect. I know if something gets lost or damaged, it will be taken care of.

In your situation, I would not loan your rifle unless the reason for being so unprepared is driven by some sort of emergency or legitimate reason (e.g. spouse in hospital, etc). I like the suggestion of buying a box or two of ammo for them, maybe offer to go to the range with them if they do not have access to one.