I have borrowed many handguns for small pistol competitions. I have loaned out my shotgun a few times and a rifle once. The rifle didn't come back. I loaned it to a close friend that needed a light shooting gun for his daughters first deer hunt. She loved it and I ended up selling it to him for her. Only gun I have sold, ever. There are few people I would trust to borrow a gun, but those people I would trust with my life. For those of you that don't have a reletionship like this with someone, I am sorry. Sometimes water is thicker than blood...

theres a few folks id loan a gun to. Not many but a couple.

None taken space. In all sincerity I agree. While I won't loan a gun to just anyone, family and close will get hooked up.

Basic answer yes, but certain CLOSE family only. Have a BIL that is a mooch= always wants to use your stuff, but never even thinks about letting you use his.
I did let him borrow a deer rifle ONCE- came back SO BAD (dirty / poor general care) I had to take to a gunsmith to get it cleaned well and functioning properly.

I try to encourage and enable hunting and shooting as much as possible. Best way to get new blood into the sport is to take them hunting, and that often requiers lending a gun. Or loaning a gun when needed for an outing. I keep an extra shotgun and rifle just for those purposes... not the highest quality firearms in the safe, but solid functonal guns that get the job done.

A few I would, a few I wouldn't. If they are just guns, that's what they are, just guns. Grandfather's rifle, wedding gift rifle, and other special items stay with me. I happily loan the others to friends that aren't jackwagons.

Of course I would loan to my sons. And just a very few close friends who i have been hunting with for years. But they all have plenty, the only time was when a buddies scope wouldnt zero and i loaned him my pride. Came back clean. Rifles and shotguns only. No handguns ever.

I have a few that i WILL NOT loan out, period. Other than that, my dad or brother are the only ones that can get a loaner. Hell, half of the guns i have were given to me by my dad anyway, it wouldnt be right to let him borrow one every now and then!

The friends that I have that I trust that much all have gun collections that make mine look silly. I guess, yes, I would loan any gun to one of them...just never had that request. Usually the loaned gun request comes from someone who is less versed in proper care and handling...like wiping the gun down after it gets rained on.

Agreed

I loaned my nephew an expensive H&K to hunt on my property, I then took him to an open stand which was behind a cedar pile and was actually only a chair with some brush in front of it. What could go wrong? Right? It started to rain around noon and the idiot sat there until dark in the rain with my gun getting a good soaking. No more loans unless like was mentioned above, you either don't care if you ever see the gun again or don't care what condition it is returned in. Remember, if these guys knew anything about guns and especially their care, they would have one of their own.

I keep a savage 110 .270 around that i lend out to just about anyone i know that wont shoot thereself in the foot...still my goto gun also...cant hurt that old girl..

Most people that would want to borrow a gun are not going to be very proficient or caring about the gun. If they are proficient and caring, they would have their own guns. I realize there is an exception to every rule, but for the most part I do not loan out guns.

I've loaned out a few. One didn't come back because the friend I loaned it to died, and it didn't seem important enough to ask his widow for it back. I maintain a couple of guns just for friends to use if they need them.

If you loan a gun and there is a shooting accident...get ready it's not going to be pretty

Family and close friends, yes. Friend of a friend, no. None of mine are extremely expensive, but I worked my butt off for each, and the others were gifts from my wife or Dad.

Been through that a couple times....a very choice few will have access to my favorites. Some I would loan a decent rifle or sg to but most I just don't want to do it. I have one loaner that I paid around $200 for an don't care too much if it gets hurt but the others are for me. I had bought a synthetic Savage several years ago but then after I had loaned it out the guy liked it and wanted to buy it so there went that one... If I am hunting with the person, then I will loan them a better one but I also make them shoot it first so they/we know where it shoots and what recoil to expect.

I was thinking the same thing about loaning ATVs. No bueno...

the first and last time i loaned a shotgun to my cousin he gets arrested with it and never to be seen again

My dad loaned a friend of ours his gun to hunt pigs with on our ranch. The next week my dad took his gun up to a mule deer hunt in west texas that was a $3700 tag and missed the first mule deer he saw, a giant 12 point. Went back to the cabin mystified and realized the scope had been bent on top, obviously dropped or hit real hard on a stand. So the friend still comes hunting with us, but never gets to touch our guns.

I know there are a lot of bad stories out there, but I would still loan a gun to a friend or family member if they needed it. I have done it on occasion, and yes I have been bitten, but for the most part they have taken care of them. I currently have a 44Mag S&W 629 loaned out to a friend who's son was needing it for a side arm while guiding in Alaska. I would feel much worse if I refused him my unused gun sitting in the safe and he came back in pieces from a bear than if my pistol came back in pieces from misuse. Then again I feel he is responsible enough to take care of it. I guess that would be the deciding factor. If the person asking is a pin head then no they can not take it....

So you don't know how to break a gun down a clean it?

Don't do it. I loaned out a handgun to a good friend once. He had it so long that I had to ask to have it returned months later....of course it came back with surface rust and uncleaned. I swore I'd never do that again. All he said was "sorry dude, I didn't have time to clean it."

no way....tools either

no way....tools either