The free gun price guide is available to everyone, no matter whether you are looking for gun prices, firearms prices, handgun prices, shotgun prices, rimfire prices, centerfire prices, lever action prices, or pump action prices. Free Used Gun Values Blue Book Prices Many people would like to know the value of their guns. The primary reference for determining this value is the Blue Book of Gun Values, which is published yearly even though many of the values do not change if at all.
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What is My Gun Worth?ByOne of the most commonly asked questions is, “What is my gun worth?” It isconstantly asked of gun writers to the point of badgering and annoyance. Thesituation isn't helped by the lack of description that usually accompanies thequestion, for example: “It is in good condition.” The question is oftenaccompanied by the statement, “I don't want to sell it.” This makes one wonder,why bother with the question in the first place?Guns, ingeneral, have historically been poor investments. To be sure, there are worseinvestments, like automobiles, personal computers and electric razors, but gunsoften don't fare very well. You might see a gun for sale touted “less than 100were made!” Often, the reason a gun is rare or only a hundred were made isbecause the manufacturer just couldn't find sucker number 101 to buy one.A gunpurchased new for $400 in 1980 would cost $1098.20 in 2011 dollars.
That's justbreaking even, adjusting for inflation. If you had bought $10,000 of Wal-Martstock in 1980, today you'd own upwards of 74,472 shares worth $3.9 million withan annual dividend check of $108,729. Certainly, there are exceptions and gunsare better to collect than leisure suits, eight-track tapes and pet rocks. Ingeneral, however, they are questionable investments.There areseveral resources available to at least get a rough idea of what a gun might beworth. They include the Fjestad's BlueBook of Gun Values, now in its 32nd edition, which you can find at mostmajor booksellers.
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Another particularly good resource is the Standard Catalog of Firearms: TheCollector's Price & Reference Guide, now in its 22nd edition. For olderfirearms, Flayderman's Guide to AntiqueAmerican Firearms and Their Values has always been a good resource. If youare serious about gun values, one or all of these reference works is mandatory.It sure beats irritating innocent fellow shooters with the hoary “what's itworth” nagging.Theproblem with reference books is they are unavoidably outdated before they areactually sold, documenting the past rather than foretelling the future. Still,anyone can check online auction sites like Gunbroker.com to get a handle onwhat a specific model actually has recently sold for (not what it is listed at).Firearms in 99% condition listed at attractive prices sell quickly.
Thoselisted at full “book” value often never sell.Gunbuyers are notoriously fickle. Often, very few folks want something until it isdiscontinued or government regulations say they can't have it. As soon as folksthink they can't have it, then they want it badly. It was that way with tendollar “pre-ban” full capacity magazines that sold for $150, just because therewas a ban. Some junk-level guns, like the Chinese SKS rifles spit out by themillions, used to sell for a couple hundred dollars per case of ten and fewcould stand owning them. Now, a used Norinco SKS in “very good plus” conditionwill bring $300.
Still junk, but we often buy for reasons that make no sense.The vastmajority of firearms sold today are utilitarian, working class models, the sameas it has always been. Mass-produced guns have “shooting value,” of course, butlittle beyond that. A couple of the more interesting shotguns, at least to me,are Browning Double Autos and the Winchester Super-X Model One.
According tothe 2006 Standard Catalog of FirearmValues, an excellent Double Auto Twelvette is $675; an excellent Super-XModel One is $500. They haven't kept up with inflation for the last six years,much less increased in value. A Browning Citori 525 Sporting is called out as$2320 for “New in Box” in the same 2006 book. Now, six years later, the justreleased Browning 725 Sporting, a far superior gun in my estimation, can be hadfor $2600 and the field model for quite a bit less. If you just bought a 525thinking that that it was worth $2300 six years ago, now it isn't. Lightly used525 Sportings sell for $1400, not what the “book” of six years ago said, whichwas $1725 in excellent condition.Shotgunsand slug guns have been particularly hard hit in value.
If a shotgun isn'trated for steel shot it isn't useable in many areas, so even its shooting valuetakes a hit. The notion of buying guns to pass down to the next generation isoften ill-advised. If we aren't hunting and shooting with our families rightnow, what makes us think anyone would want our old guns? Time and time again, Isee widows and heirs that just want to get rid of the things. Since theyreceived no enjoyment from them in the past, there is no expectation for thefuture. It is no heirloom when the heirs don't want the loom.Nevertheless,there are solid firearm values. As certain models of firearms jump in price,the older models do tend to follow a bit.
That is assuming they are of goodquality, reputation and aren't known to have issues. If a new plasticautoloading shotgun goes for $1500, that old 303 or B-80 for $400 starts lookingbetter. If the new plastic stocked rifle offends your delicate sensibilities,an older model with a good piece of walnut and obvious handwork also startslooking good.Educatingyourself with the standard reference texts and a little independent research isgoing to make you a far savvier gun buyer.
Whether you are buying or selling,it will at least get you in the ballpark. Condition is one of the mostimportant properties of a used firearm. Something like 95% or better wood andblue is desirable for modern guns, anything below that really diminishes value.Just like an automobile with dents, dings and corrosion, a beat-up old gun doesnot instill pride of ownership or speak well of its previous owner's care.
Thereisn't much motivation to wax an Earl Scheib paint job, nor is there greatmotivation to maintain a pitted old gun. Metal is hard to sand back on.One common question concernsinsurance value. Normally, it isn't that tough. Armed with a digital camera, itis easy to accurately document your gun collection. Blue Book values aresufficient for insurance purposes. You'll typically pay a percentage of therider coverage on your gun collection annually, just like insuring any otherpersonal property. What an individual gun is worth can never be known unlessyou actually sell it, but that isn't the notion of insurance.
It is simply whatit costs you to replace it.
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