firearms blue-book

[MagKnightX]

Okay, we're all familiar with the Kelley Blue Book. I imagine some of us know about knockoffs, like the Camera and Lens Blue Book, or the Firearms Blue Book, or on the same lines, the Standard Catalog of Firearms.

I, however, don't currently have the money to spend thirty-five bucks a year on something vaguely pointless. If I did, I'd buy a team membership here.

Is there an equivalent of the Standard Catalog of Firearms based online, for free, like www.kbb.com for cars?

 

[Art Eatman]

None of them are cast-in-stone "Bibles". The prices are guidelines, and generally sorta retail. While there are a very few exceptions, values don't change much in any one or two years.

Seems to me that if you buy something like Fjestad's every third or fourth year, you'll be okay for the historical and current general information, as well as values...

Art

 

[Okiecruffler]

I thought that's what THR was for.

Several people on this board, the wife knows one of them, just can't seem to go a year without buying every priceguide/ reference book they come across. Also, I know it sounds strange, but check the bargin bins at your local bookstores for last years editions or damaged books. I just bought a gun traderrs guide and a shooters bible, both 2004 from the Barnes and Noble bargin books for $4.95 each.

 

[Chipperman]

The values books are obsolete by the time they hit the racks.

You would be much better advised to peruse gunbroker, auctionarms, and gunsamerica to get general values.

 

[Wildalaska]

The values books are obsolete by the time they hit the racks.

As toi the Blue Book, yes and no. Blue book gives some quite accurate GENERAL numbers on both the low end and the high end of the scale...its the mass of the middle that requires further research..

Blue book is a hnady reference though for businessmen and buffs..

Reliance on the Blue Book TOTALLY for pricing marks one as a tyro in the gun biz..

WildgototknowthemarketAlaska

 

[schromf]

My FFL donates his old copies to me. Yeah its a little dated but I think the new one is slightly by the time its off the press. Its a guideline, and a wealth of models and features, if I am figuring out the true value today, gunbroker/gunsamerica/auction arms sites are more current. Remember when you are looking at the sites the values a often inflated, and don't adjust for regional differences. An example is is my neck of the woods Remington 700's are overvalued against the national norm, and Winchester model 70's are undervalued so much most of the dealers won't take them in trade, and if they do its either a pre-64, or a bad deal cause they know it will be a real slow mover without a drop in the price tag.

The "Blue Book of Gun Values" 25th edition is the current. It should serve you for several years.

 

[Jim K]

I reverse things by giving my last year's Blue Book to a local dealer. It is one of the ways I keep in with the dealer and don't get hit by a service charge if I order from SGN or somewhere.

I find the book good for at least two years, but also agree on keeping up with the auction sites and gun show prices. Gun Week is also a good reference and some gun shops will give customers last week's copy. It can also be bought on some newsstands.

The auction sites distort prices both by false claims and phony guns, and also by "auction fever" which can bid prices up unrealistically.

Jim