Loaned a snub model 19 to my father and mother who were scared and threatened by wierdos and thugs in their deteriorating neighborhood in one of the Kommie blue states. Mom died, Dad moved in with my sister and BiL a thousand miles away. Not long after his move, Dad & I had a long conversation about sister's financial future, my well off enough situation and we agreed it was OK for him to bequeath all his assets to my sister when he died.
After he passed, I asked for my gun back, BiL said it was "his" because Dad left everything to "him". I still have the original box and purchase receipt. I could declare the gun stolen and get him in a bit of hot water, but I haven't the heart to do that to my sister. My mistake was not asking Dad to add a sentence in his will that the gun was to be returned to me.
OTOH, I loaned my first gun, a Marlin 39A, to a friend who moved, died, and 20 years later got it back from his son.
Too often though, borrowers and lenders tend to process information about interpersonal transactions in a self-serving way. "Neither a borrower nor lender be" is a wise adage if you want to avoid lost equity or a lost friend.
