U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- I am not a frequent gun trader. If I buy a gun, it’s because I have thought about it for a while and want it. I probably don’t buy/sell over 20 guns a year. I buy one because I see a cool one or want to upgrade for an upcoming hunt. And now and then I sell a gun because I don’t need it any longer. When that happens, how do I know how much to ask? How do you know how much to pay for one? The answer-buy a BLUE BOOK OF GUN VALUES edited by Zachary R. Fjestad & Lisa Beuning.
Blue Book of Gun Values 42nd Edition
The Blue Book of Gun Values is 2511 pages long. It is the most comprehensive book on gun values that I have ever seen. It starts off on p. 26 with instructions on how to use the book. Then it has a Glossary, Abbreviations, and over 80 pages on how to grade a firearm along with colored photos teaching you how to grade the condition of a firearm.
I’m going to cover some of the ways to use this book. Realize, I will be doing it a grave injustice. To do it properly would take a small book in and of itself! Manufacturers are listed in alphabetical order. Literally from A to Z. And for each manufacturer, they are listed pistols, rifles, and then shotguns.
A big part of determining the value of a gun is its condition. So, they have the price associated with the firearm if it is in 100, 98, 95, 90, 80, 70 or 60% condition. The grading is where the arguments begin between buyers and sellers. To help minimize these battles (as mentioned above) the book has over 80 pages dedicated to teaching you how to properly grade the condition of your gun by providing detailed pictures and instructions. There is a Trademark Index at the back that provides contact info for the manufacturers.
Now let’s get into the nuts and the bolts of the book. At the beginning of each listing, it gives a brief history of the manufacturer. They then list out their offerings and the values as described above. I find this interesting.
For instance, let’s briefly cover Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. The Forty-Second Edition Blue Book Of Gun Values gives some old history about Ruger which I didn’t know. In 1949 Bill Ruger and Alexander Sturm started off manufacturing .22 pistols in a leased 4,400 square foot building in Southport, CT. In 1956 they expanded another 2,300 square feet and then in 1959 they moved into a new building and they were off from there.
One thing I didn’t realize is that there is a fanatical following of collectors of the early Sturm & Ruger firearms.
Sturm & Ruger soon emerged as America’s largest small arms manufacturer. How could they not be? A few of their guns are industry leaders. For instance the 10/22. It has to be the most trickouttable (is that even a word??) gun ever made, doesn’t it? There are more aftermarket parts available for the 10/22 than I can list.
And what about the Ruger Mark I semi-auto .22 pistol? It is the world’s leading .22 pistol if you ask me. And their SR1911 is sweet too. And what about their Mini14 Ranch Rifle? It was cool before all of the black guns became the rage.
So to summarize the above four paragraphs. If you want to learn the history of your favorite firearm manufacturer you can do so in the Forty-Second Blue Book Of Gun Values book.
I looked for a couple of guns that weren’t listed but I don’t know if it is earthly possible to list every single gun ever made. And I think that the Blue Book of Gun Values is light years ahead of the 2nd place book. I just don’t see how you won’t be impressed with this book.
I barely got the book and it came in handy. I was interested in buying another Ruger 10/22 to trick out and wondered what I ought to pay. Easy peasy, just crack open my new book and look up the price.
The Blue Book of Gun Values includes nearly 1,700 manufacturers and nearly 30,000 gun model descriptions. With more than 1.8 million books in circulation, it provides the most comprehensive firearms information/pricing on the market. It is the go-to book for determining gun values for gun buyers, sellers, and collectors.
I’m not one to read reviews. I’ve just seen too many times where it is obvious that a competitor is writing in negative stuff which is low if you ask me. But I did look at the reviews on this book and I couldn’t find a bad review. That is impressive. And as we close, you can purchase this book for an MSRP OF $59.95.
About Tom Claycomb
Tom Claycomb has been an avid hunter/fisherman throughout his life as well as an outdoor writer with outdoor columns in the magazine Hunt Alaska, Bass Pro Shops, Bowhunter.net, and freelances for numerous magazines and newspapers. “To properly skin your animal, you will need a sharp knife. I have an e-article on Amazon Kindle titled Knife Sharpening #ad for $.99 if you’re having trouble.”
