Friend that rents gun instead of shooting his own

[Ranger99]

I can only justify renting a gun if I
were contemplating buying an identical
model, and wanted to try one before I
spent any money

Like others ^ ^ ^ ^ have said

 

[bdickens]

I prefer to mind my own business and not perceverate over what other people do.

 

[jmr40]

This story was told to me by a now deceased pawn shop owner who I thought a lot of in my younger days. He had seen a lot and had some good stories.

A gentleman purchased a nice Weatherby hunting rifle and topped it with a high end scope. Every year after hunting season he'd bring it onto the pawn shop and pawn it for $50. The interest on that $50 was $5/month. He paid his pawn payment on time and each year just as hunting season started, he'd pay off the pawn and take his rifle home. Two months later it was back in pawn.

HIs reasoning. He lived in a less desirable part of town and he was spending $50/year to make sure the gun was locked up in a much more secure spot than he could provide at his own home.

That's actually the exact opposite as what the OP was discussing, but it points out that different gun owners have different views.

 

[Old Dog]

He lives in the apartment and doesn’t want to deal with cleaning his own guns ( time spent, chemicals) . So at our range for $10 you can rent unlimited number of handguns. I can see his point, but I still want to shoot my own guns. At range , he rents identical models of the handguns he owns . Anyone else does this ?

At your range, do you have to purchase the ammo from the range in order to use their rental guns? If that's the case, your friend is not only extremely lazy, but wasting money on overpriced ammunition and paying a premium to clean firearms that he shoots? Plus, pretty sure most of us are quite familiar with the average condition of range rental guns -- they're not typically kept well-cleaned and lubed, and many kept clapped out fairly quickly.

I absolutely don't get it.

And then there are many of us who enjoy the cleaning rituals, particularly after a satisfying session at the range or after a great hunt. Some of us like working on our own cars, too. Or fixing stuff around the house.

Boomer whine coming: my generation has apparently failed as parents, educators and mentors, as we haven't done a good job with the successive generations in instilling pride of ownership, pride in learning how to fix/maintain stuff, pride in being resourceful/self-sufficient and likely, common sense.

 

[thunderbyrd]

opinions are like navels, everybody's got one and MY opinion is he needs to shoot and clean his gun. you need to know something about it's reliability.

 

[hso]

at our range for $10 you can rent unlimited number of handguns...

Anyone else does this ?

No, but when you consider wear and if you only shoot on that range (and you can rent anything there for just $10 during a session), that's not as crazy as it sounds. He's clearly a recreational shooter and he gets to shoot a variety of guns each time for fun. Not crazy at all.

 

[Bwana John]

It it flys or floats it is usually cheaper to rent.

I have a friend who has done the math for big road trips, and in the long run found it cheaper for multiple people to rent the vehicle. ( no insurance, tire wear, maintenance, mileage depreciation….)

In the short term it is much cheaper to shoot a rented machine gun.

 

[Riomouse911]

As a member of my local range, I can rent guns for free. However, they make you buy their ammo at retail price for each gun you rent. So no, I would not do what the OP is asking. I reload my ammo and shoot (and clean) my own gun.

Same here. Too much $$$ for me.

I shoot my own, then I clean/inspect/lube them when I am done (or before I put them away). This way I know for a fact they are ready to go the next time I want to shoot or (Lord forbid!) reach for one in a SD-HD situation.

Stay safe.

 

[dekibg]

OP here , a lot questions about my friend’s specific situation and why he does it. I know he doesn’t go to this forum so I will say few things.
He is a a very good person, let’s lets just say he is little bit different.
I think he is on OCD spectrum, and he has phobias of trivial things like exposure to any germs or any chemicals.
He hates to see wear on his guns, even they are just regular guns, not collector’s guns.
He has CCL, so transportation is not an issue .
Gun range allows you to bring your ammo for their rental guns , except Tula or similar.
He is a recreational shooter, and even he has CCL, he doesn’t carry.
I personally enjoy shooting my own guns, but his philosophy is different .

 

[sparkyv]

I've seen guys clean guns at the range, sooooo....

 

[dekibg]

I've seen guys clean guns at the range, sooooo....

Ok, let’s get real here . Our indoor range does not have a section for gun cleaning

 

[W.E.G.]

 

[Gun4Fun90]

Don't think many people rent guns identical to those they own to avoid cleaning them. How would you know if your gun was reliable if you don't shoot it. Breathing the air at an indoor range(even ventilated) is probably as bad as chemicals used cleaning. I do understand cleaning in a small apartment could be a problem. I do it outside the house when the weather is decent to keep my wife happy. She hates the fumes/stink and it's healthier .

As a city dweller myself I can assure you cleaning guns in a confined space is not a super big issue and its pretty easy to make sure the smell doesn’t linger too long. That being said if you don’t put the top back on your hoppe 9 right that can be an issue.

 

[SterlingBullet]

Friend that rents gun instead of shooting his own He lives in the apartment and doesn’t want to deal with cleaning his own guns ( time spent, chemicals) .
Strange indeed.
A trip to the shooting range would be an incomplete experience without the scent of Hoppes #9 lingering in the air after I clean my guns at home.

I wonder if that’s where the expression “hopped out on drugs” comes from.
Too much pistol cleaning in a dark, poorly ventilated room, known as a “gun den”.
(Please forgive my poor puns)

 

[Mars5l]

Does limit the guns you can own or even rent. I understand though it's been a long time since ice ever really cleaned any of my guns

 

[Hartkopf]

OP here , a lot questions about my friend’s specific situation and why he does it. I know he doesn’t go to this forum so I will say few things.
He is a a very good person, let’s lets just say he is little bit different.
I think he is on OCD spectrum, and he has phobias of trivial things like exposure to any germs or any chemicals.
He hates to see wear on his guns, even they are just regular guns, not collector’s guns.
He has CCL, so transportation is not an issue .
Gun range allows you to bring your ammo for their rental guns , except Tula or similar.
He is a recreational shooter, and even he has CCL, he doesn’t carry.
I personally enjoy shooting my own guns, but his philosophy is different .

I can appreciate a person dealing with quirks. I might be OCD myself, and a few other things that other people think are silly. I could also go on for days about one of my coworkers. He really appreciates that I put up with his silly shtuff. I know he can’t help it. If your friend has reasons and he makes it work, good for him.

 

[Nullcone]

Buy an appreciating asset; lease/rent a depreciating one.

Ok, so you're buddy doesn't quite follow this maxim instead renting copies of what he already owns but I'll give him a "C" for the effort.

As I'm trying to transition to "downsizing" rather than "accumulating", I can see the attractiveness of maybe renting guns more often.

I've shared apartments and/or houses with people who didn't appreciate the lingering odors of firearm cleaning/maintenance.

Had a visit from the Fire Department/Hazmat a long, long time ago over a combination of a heavy ammonia content bore cleaner (Shooter's Choice? Can't quite remember... ) and Ballistol.

 

[DoubleMag]

Can we combine 2 weirds here? I say, rent a vehicle to go to the range to rent the gun.


+ =

 

[red rick]

I like to rent guns that I am considering buying and guns that I hear about on gun forums that people like just to try them out . I have never rented the same gun that I own , but I don’t consider it a bad idea after you have proven that your gun is reliable . For $10 dollars you can put the wear and tear on someone’s else’s gun and hand it back to them without having to clean it or smell up the house . But I kind of like the ritual of cleaning my guns and the smell of Hoppe’s #9 .

 

[Ks5shooter]

Not for me...to each his own.

 

[jmorris]

In the short term it is much cheaper to shoot a rented machine gun.

This hasn’t been my experience but I reload and the value they appreciate each year is money that is going to be in my pocket when I am done.

Our machine gun shoots actually cost me less than 4th of July fireworks, not including the equipment we use every year (goes for both).

 

[Barmcd]

I prefer to mind my own business and not perceverate over what other people do.

Good policy.

 

[Barmcd]

Ok, let’s get real here . Our indoor range does not have a section for gun cleaning

I haven’t seen one that does.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

He lives in the apartment and doesn’t want to deal with cleaning his own guns ( time spent, chemicals) . So at our range for $10 you can rent unlimited number of handguns. I can see his point, but I still want to shoot my own guns. At range , he rents identical models of the handguns he owns . Anyone else does this ?

I only rent guns I don't have. With that said, who cares what the guy rents. $10 sound like a bargain to not have to clean multiple guns.

 

[Smokin Gator]

When I go to the handgun range at the gun club, the first gun shot is the one I am carrying with the self-defense ammo in it. I want to know it works as carried.

I don't understand renting guns just like the one you own or having a range gun and a carry gun. I don't understand unloading the self-defense ammo and loading range ammo or removing carry magazines and using range magazines. Those don't tell you anything about your carry gun or carry ammo.

If you want to shoot more with your carry gun, after shooting a magazine or two with your carry gun, why shoot 100-200 rounds of expensive self defense ammo? You can shoot ammo with similar bullet weight or reload ammo to very close to the same recoil as your carry ammo and get in much more practice.