Never lend a gun to a friend

[BAD DAZ]

A mate of mine was having a pest problem down at his small holding, so I offered to lend him one of my HW80's to sort things out, well a couple of weeks go by, so I asked him how he was getting on with the gun, fantastic he replied, I keep sneaking up on the wife and firing it off, she nearly shits herself, it cracks me up every time. Don't you think that's a bit dangerous mate, I asked him, no its ok, I don't put a pellet in

[snock]

I lent an S200 to a trusted colleague at work, maybe 13 years ago.
He returned it to me stating that it makes a funny noise when he pulls the trigger.

I had to push 3 or 4 pellets out of the breech and refill it when I eventually got it back.

Lesson learned.

[Rich]

I lent a HW80 to a Methodist chaplain to knock over some squirrels in his garden.

Must have been divine intervention as it came back with the barrel bent.

Sideways.

[Bluefan]

I lent a HW80 to a Methodist chaplain to knock over some squirrels in his garden.

Must have been divine intervention as it came back with the barrel bent.

Sideways.

Sounds like he did "knock" them over with it

[YorkshireDave]

I lent a Brocock Contour to a friend who left it in the boot of his car outside his house. Car was hit by a runaway landrover and totalled, gun was back to me with a bent & kinked barrel and the stock in 2 pieces the day after I loaned it out. Luckily the insurance covered it.

[BAD DAZ]

I'm not looking forward to getting it back, if I'm lucky, it will just need a new piston seal, fingers crossed

[Paul SE]

I lent a .177 Wobbly Hawk Mk3 to some young bint some years ago; we used to shoot in her back garden

When I visited her place a while later to see how she was getting on, it turned out she had moved and taken the gun with her and hadn't left a new address

So if anyone has a .177 Hawk Mk3, serial number 556273, can I have it back please

[Dagwood]

To be honest I never thought I'd be in favour of licensing air rifles or their owners but having read some of these posts I can see why there are those in favour of it and I'm almost tempted to join them.....ok , perhaps I wouldn't go that far! I can see the anti air rifle brigade using the examples given as justification though.
Short break before heaps of wotsit gets dumped on me no doubt!
Dagwood

[Phil Russell]

Very wise words. I never lend a rifle out now, no matter what the situation. I once participated in a 'have a go at HFT' event for which the instructors / guides had to provide the rifle for their charges. As for other instructors I ended up with two lads, maybe 14 / 15 years old and I took my very well looked after S400. The instruction time went well as I started with explanations and let them shoot after I had loaded the rifle. Then onto the course and of course they wanted to cock and load the rifle themselves. I let them, keeping a very close eye on good, safe, gun handling. But somehow I could tell, as they progressed around the course, that they were not treating my rifle with the respect and care it deserved, eve though I was there. And then it happened. One clot banged the stock down on the peg as if it was a sack of coal. This produced a large dent in the stock. I made a comment asking the clot to take care but only got a ' uuumph' in return. Maybe I should have stopped there and then but I let the pair finish the course. But never again will I offer my rifle for use at such an event. Once bitten, twice shy.
Despite my best attention the stock still shows signs of the damage.
Cheers, Phil

[StellaArtois Sr]

I would never lend anybody my air rifles I value them to much. You just never know how well your mate is going to treat it.
I let people at the range try them out and that's as far as it goes, they know how fussy I am so they respect it, especially with me being near by. Seeing how some of them look after their guns, no way.
One fella at the range bought a brand new HW95, it was as they are, lovely to shoot deadly accurate and only the slightest of boings. He lent it to his mate, and when he got it back if was absolutely crap. We first thought the scope was cream crackered, replaced it with 2 others to no avail, it just wouldn't group. Cleaned the barrel, still hopeless, tried all the normal things, stock bolts everything, still hopeless.
I wanted to take it apart but as there was a lifetime warranty from the shop it went back there. After lots of hassle it went to Hull Cartridge. Apparently they are saying that the barrel has had what they believe to be WD40 inside it and corroded it. Also it has bean dieseling so badly, that they seals have melted. No signs of dieseling when we go it back from his mate.
So when I last spoke to him, they are going to fix it, but it will cost him.
That lesson has totally convinced me that nobody will ever borrow my rifles, not even my son. I bought him two of his own.
God only knows what his mate had done to it.

[BigDuncs]

I would happily lend an air rifle to a (trusted) friend. But I would satisfy myself that that friend was reliable enough and knew how to properly use and look after an air rifle.

I have had an 'experience' before when a fellow club member, through ignorance/inexperience, used my springer which was on loan, for dry firing..... It wasn't carelessness on her part. Probably on mine as I should have ensured that all these basics were understood before she got the loan.

[daveboy]

I sold my mate an air rifle but his wife wouldn't let him have one so he told her he had borrowed it off me
When I see her in the street she still asks me when I'm coming for it back and It's been about 5 years.

[bill57]

I lent one of mine to a mate as we were going to be sharing a permission. Never happened, I did all the shooting, and thirty years later I said "Have you still got my gun?" Back with me now and nobody else is getting it.

[Daveo]

I've done this too years ago
Lent a beautiful hw77 to an older fella to shoot squirrels in his garden
When I got it back a month or so later it was red rusty
Once cleaned off most of the bluing was gone.
Never ever again.
On the other hand a couple of weeks ago I borrowed my dads '77 because I wanted to try a .22 again.
I found it was shooting so bad I replaced the Spring and seals and made up a guide and top hat
I was so impressed with the gun I had to buy my own.
So I gave my dad his now fantasic shooting gun back........
I must be the kind of person to lend a gun to.....

[Baxterbasics]

When I was active in shooting competitions and running the SHS, I always carried 3 or 4 spare rigs to help out fellow shooters in need. Some were respectful, others less so-lesson learned, just like the good Prof. Russell above.