How would you handle this?

[RYNO]

Here's the story; My brother bought a brand new over/under shotgun a few years back, with the case he has almost $1800 into it with tax. After purchasing it he was laid off and thought he might sell it but never did.

He loaned it to a friend that was interested in buying it but they never agreed on a price. The friend made a couple offers of 1200 to 1300 for it but that was it. Fastforward to this weekend. We go hunting with the friend and afterward my brother ask for the gun back. No problem, after the hunt we go back and get it. The issue is at some point while using the gun over the last year+ he had it leaned against his truck and his dog bumped it, knocking the front sight bead off and a small scratch on the raised rib and he misplaced the Boyt case. He glued a different front sight on it and had it in a different case plus a couple extra choke tubes.

So now my brother isn't sure what to do. He doesn't really want to take a $500 loss on it if he does sell it, nor does he want to bend his friend over on the price. He's not really worried about the scratch as it is a gun he bought to actually hunt with and it is minor. He is bummed that the friend didn't call to say 'the sight is gone what would you like me to do?'

I told him to first decide if he really wants to sell it, then find a fair price for the both of them to not feel slighted. If he decides to keep it, ask for a gunsmith to reinstall a proper sight on the friends dime. The case the friend gave with it is of decent quality and just accept it as is.

The gun is a Browning Citori 20ga O/U. Thoughts?

 

[NMPinNYC]

Looks like it's time to accept that 1300 offer and be done with it...

 

[pawncop]

Your course of action seems reasonable to me.

 

[Retired LTC USAR]

$1800 minus the cost of a new case and the cost of having the sight repaired and the "friend" can have it.

 

[GTbob]

I was brought up that when you borrowed something it was returned in as good of condition or better. So the friend needs to do that or.... buy it for a price fair to both.

 

[Alpo]

Dump the "friend".

When you loan something to someone, and they screw it up and don't tell you, and don't fix it like it was before they hosed it, that's not a "friend". That's a user.

 

[thndrchiken]

At the very least the friend is responsible for bringing the gun back to the condition he received it in and replacing the case. Then talk price.

 

[jimmyj]

Your Brother should have never loaned His "Friend" a weapon he was trying to sell for $1800.00.
After a year plus of use it it no longer a new $1800.00 weapon.
I would take the weapon back, have it repaired on my nickel, chalk the experence up as education, and find another friend.
Having to ask for the return of the weapon should have been a "Clue".
Damaging a friend's property and keeping quiet about it should be another "Clue".
If your Brother's "Friend" is a "Stand Up Guy" He will give your Brother $1800.00 and keep the weapon.

 

[mtelkhntr]

I've only loaned out a firearm twice. Once to the pastor of my church and the second time to a good friend from church that as a craftsman takes care of his tools so I had no problem in either case.

This is a bit reminiscent of my smoking days. There was a guy at work that was always buming a smoke. I went out and bought a pack of the cheapest, skankiest things I could find and when he came in to bum a smoke I'd give him one of those. Bet he didn't choke on more than 5 before he quit asking.

I'd loan out an old beat up firearm that would be hard to hurt any further but not my Sako, 3200's or Smiths.

 

[Sprefix]

Take the gun and dump the "friend". I don't loan out guns....PERIOD!!!

 

[NE450No2]

Depends if he wants to keep the "friend" as a friend.

I NEVER loan a gun.. However several years ago it seemed that a bunch of my buddies were always asking to borrow a "deer" rifle to go on a hunt they had been asked to go on. They were not hunters, and most likely would not be hunting next year...
They would ask to borrow a "gun" from me as they thought I had several of them just lying around...

So, I bought a used Ruger Mod 77 in 308. Fitted it with a Weaver 4X scope.
Bought 10 boxes of factory 308 ammo, and sighted the gun in.
It was an old dog leg bolt Ruger 77 with the skinny stock. It shot pretty good.

When someone asked to borrow a "deer rifle" I loaned them the Ruger and 2 boxes of ammo.
I was their "Hero" for life. That rifle killed a lot of deer in several states over the years.

I kept it clean and sighted in.

 

[johnsonl]

Don't loan guns or money to "friends". It's an expensive lesson.

 

[oldman45]

My suggestion is:

1. Get another friend. Anyone that loses a gun case (they are not small) and does a repair to a gun he does not own is not a good friend. I have several long gun cases and I know where each one is. How does one lose a gun case? The friend is a loser and not worth the friendship.

2. Get the gun back and keep it. The gun is not worth $1800 at this time.

3. Do not loan any more guns. Doing so is risky in more ways than one. Especially do not loan a gun that is pristine and for sale.

 

[JJEH]

Here's the thing:

I borrow something because I need it. For that I'm thankful. I break it - because of whatever reason (no one does it on purpose) - I fix it. Period.

If his dog did it okay. It was an accident. But it's the dog owners responsibility to fix it PROFESSIONAL. Not in his working shed in the backyard.

I would NOT let him take advantage to negotiate the price because of something he did wrong!

Just my opinion...

 

[Dr.-d]

Ask the friend if he still wants to buy it for the offers he's made before and if he says no, voice your displeasure with the whole site thing and take the gun back and chalk it up to a learned lesson. It's your choice on how to handle the friend in the future. It's also a stretch if you think you can buy a new gun at market price and think your gonna resell it later after use for what you paid for it.

 

[DeadAye]

This dude is NOT your friend.
Tell him he owes you $1800. <<See the period?

I can see it all now:
"Dude! Y'all owe me $1,800 for the gun."
"But it's all banged up, the sight is wrong, and the case is a cheap piece of ****. Tell you what - I'll give you $600 for it and call it square. Oh - And I need to get some manure for my garden. Can I borrow your truck?"

 

[kenny s]

long time ago, I let a 'friend' fire my Colt SAA. my baby with the ivory grips. He put the gun on half cock, and pulled the trigger so hard it broke the safety notch... NEVER LET ANYONE BORROW ONE OF YOUR GUNS. I paid the $125 for a new hammer, and learned my lesson.

 

[Cooter Brown]

In my mind when the guy offered your brother the 1300 bucks it was not unreasonable. Shotguns are kinda like cars--drive one off the lot and the value goes down. Things like cases (even new ones) are ancillary to the deal. Of course some guns are different and hold value better and some go up, but let's face it, at 1800 bucks you're really just getting into the mid range of nice shotguns.

The guy has had free use of the gun for a year--he should pay the 1300 bucks for the gun--no less. If he kicks about that price tell him that anything over what he thinks it's worth now was the rental fee for the year. Let him deal with any repair issues if he wants.

 

[Bekeart]

Worth the money ...

When you loan a friend money. and never see that friend or the money again, it was money well spent.

No good deed goes unpunished.

It cost me a set of Snap-On wrenches to learn: NEVER loan tools!

Bekeart

 

[leswad]

I have a similar experience to this… I have a buddy whom wanted to sell a Beretta Silver Pigeon. We were shooting skeet at a buddy's ranch and I was giving the gun to see if I liked it. Unfortunately, I was also wearing a .45 on my hip. After the shoot, I noticed that I scared the stock on the Beretta with my .45. I felt I needed to get the gun back to the original condition, so I paid the $250 to have the gun sent to Beretta to restore the gun correctly. I did not buy the gun.