Jump to content
SASS Wire Forum

You loan your firearm. Your ammo or the Borrower's?


Matthew Duncan

Recommended Posts

Background

 

A few years back a Father and Son were sharing a rifle.   Their rifle broke so I offered to share mine so they could continue the match.  Both rifles were 45 Colt caliber so they used their reloads..  Next stage they were having problems with my rifle feeding.  Cost them a lot of time during that stage.  I felt they were starting to question my motives for loaning them a "defective" rifle.  I used it on the same stage with zero problems.  We compared their reloads to mine and discovered their cartridges over all length was considerably longer.  They finished the match using my reloads with zero problems.

 

My Wonderments

 

Better to loan out a firearm if they used only ammo provided by you?   

 

Let them use their ammo so they don't feel so beholden?

 

Ignore the situation and let those that push an arsenal around in their gun carts offer to help?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Spur of the moment at a match; my gun, my ammo. That way if there is an ammo issue that damages the firearm I know who is at fault.

 

If I know ahead of time I will furnish factory ammo for the shooter to use. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My guns, my ammo. 
A long time ago I loaned one of my Cowboy competitions (38 special only) to a pard whose gun had broken and he tried to put 357 magnum in it. Jammed up solid and only a sharp TO saved my lever as the shooter tried to manhandle the round into the chamber. Shooter thought all marlins would shoot both. 
flash forward a few years and trying to encourage a fellow NRA instructor to join SASS and loaned him a ‘73. He insisted that he use his ammo to defray my costs. First stage had a squib. Cleared it and tried again. Another squib and this time stacked a second bullet behind it. Pretty ticked I told him enough!!! Turned out his ammo had been reloaded by his wife and was her first experience doing so unsupervised. Told him that was pretty cr@pay to risk my guns just to let his girl experiment! He never came back, I have never had anyone else’s ammo in my guns and have had exactly one other squib out of the several hundred thousand rounds I have reloaded. Lesson learned. 
Regards

:FlagAm:  :FlagAm:  :FlagAm:

Gateway Kid

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I loan you a gun at a match you get to shoot my ammo, and if you dont like BP, oh well.:D

 

Have also had friends ask me to reload for them.  Nope, you can come over and I'll teach you how to , then you can reload your own.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Matthew

 

Depends on who it is, you I trust maybe not a stranger who has just started then I would insist on them using my ammo.

 

See ya Saturday,,,

 

Johnny Rebel

Link to comment
Share on other sites

DITTO ON WHAT EVERYONE HAS STATED ABOVE, MY STUFF USES MY STUFF.  NO HEADACHES.   :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I only should reloads that I loaded myself, and I don't give my reloads to anyone else unless they're to be used in my guns. to many unknowns that can totally ruin your day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Given that my revolvers and 92 are all magnums, I don't think I'd lose any sleep over someone shooting their handloads in my guns.  If I was borrowing a gun, I'd probably feel even more guilty about firing their ammo instead of using my own.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nobody else's personal reloads come near my guns, period.  I know my reloading process and I have trusted in it for decades.  I dont know his, hers, or your loading process.  Same reason I don't eat at pot lucks.  Get food poisoning once from "mystery" casserole and I learned my lesson.  

 

Factory ammo is always fair game.  

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am 99-44/100% comfortable believing that fellow cowboy shooters know what they're doing with reloads.   

But it's that remaining 1-56th of a percent that would make me want to give them ammo along with the gun.  And most of that is not fear over an incompetent load.  More it's along the lines, of what if the other shooter normally uses Rugers, and likes to use heavy loads, and since the Ruger is stronger than the Colt, he has loads that might not be safe in my revolver made in 1904?

I may not have any Rugers, but I do have a mix of relatively new Colts/Clones as well as some non antiques that that are over 100 years old.  I prefer to know that my mild loads are being used, just in case.  That might even be more important for someone who shoots a 92 who suddenly has to borrow my 73 or my vintage Lightning.  

All of that being said, there are a handful of shooters whom I would let them use their ammo, just because I know them and know that they are reloading similar to the way I do.   But for a stranger, or even someone I know but am not familiar with their reloading practices, I'll give 'em the cartridges to go with the guns.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My guns my ammo or factory ammo.  My reloads only as I shoot black.  .44 WCF so it isn't something most new guys would be shooting factory ammo.  Not a lot shoot .44-40 black.  I see a lot of .45 Colt or .38 sp/.357 mag but the .44 WCF is a very small percentage of black.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My guns, my ammo, or factory new, no exceptions.

 

Had a good friend try out my first '73 back in the 90's, wanted to use his reloads, was a knowledgeable and careful loader.

 

5th out of five rounds loaded blew up the rifle.

 

I actually saw the first four rounds hit the target, all we could figure was double charge.

 

I got a new rifle, he rebuilt mine, all good, except for the blowing up part.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I loan a gun, they use MY ammo.  I do not want someone else's troubles to blow up a gun (my gun).

 

Off topic a bit:  I have gotten away from loaning my 'irons to shooters that I don't know anymore.

Reason:  I loaned a rifle to a guy once when I was in AZ.  His rifle broke and I was flush with extra ammo.

He was a fast shooter (or thought he was) and he was slamming my rifle down on the tables way harder than necessary.

Result:  A cracked forearm and dings.  When I told him that I didn't appreciate that rough treatment, he said, "This is a SASS-race, boy get used to it!"

I took it back and explained "the facts of life" to him in a very loud senior NCO manner. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It would totally depend on who I'm lending the guns to. Someone I've shot with for years and trust them and their reloads fine, otherwise if it's someone I don't know very well, my guns=my ammo.;)

 

I generally don't bring enough ammo to supply someone else though that's that!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been loaned guns for a complete match.

 

I've been loaned guns to try a stage.

 

I've been loaned guns just to try them for comparison against mine.

 

They all came with ammo.

 

Many were reloads, so I did have to trust those people to not hand me a grenade, but also not allowed to pay them for the ammo (dang Feds).

 

I also get the concerns as to their guns, their ammo. I feel the same way... My guns, my ammo. And the borrower will have to have trust I'm not handing them a grenade.

 

One loaned (to me) rifle did jam on me, an FTE. Don't think it was anything I did, but certainly it was not any of my ammo.

 

So over time, since I really can not pay it back, I figure I will pay it forward to other shooters my guns, my ammo.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

It would totally depend on who I'm lending the guns to. Someone I've shot with for years and trust them and their reloads fine, otherwise if it's someone I don't know very well, my guns=my ammo.;)

 

I generally don't bring enough ammo to supply someone else though that's that!

 

That's kinda my view of it as well.  If I had guns that I was genuinely concerned other people's cowboy ammo would damage, I probably would keep them as safe queens and not shoot them at all, or do so very carefully (like I do with my Garand, not only do I only shoot my ammo in that, I'm very particular about how and what I load and shoot in it, as it's an antique).  Other friends of mine, not only would I be happy to let them shoot their handloads in my gun, I'd be more confident in their loads than factory ammo for some of them.

 

I definitely bring enough ammo to every match to help someone else out, though, so if they were really nervous about it, they're welcome to that, too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.