How Much Is My Gun Worth
What's my gun worth? How to research firearms values by Jim Supica Copyright, Jim Supica - used by permission. Opinions are those of the author and not necessarily those of NRA or the National Firearms Museum. One of the most frequent questions we receive is someone asking what their gun is, or what it's worth. This page will give you some ideas on how to identify your gun and find out what it might be worth. HOW TO ASK You need to provide enough info to identify & estimate the value of the gun you're asking about.
Value for selling your gun. Find the blue book value for your gun. How much is my gun worth? Gun appraisal for my handgun. Buying a gun and you don't want. GUN VALUES for modern and antique guns (based off of the 100% - 30% condition ratings) are provided for professionals in the gun trade and for gun collectors. 8,000 GUN SCHEMATICS (diagrams or exploded views) with parts lists and blueprints for professional gunsmiths are provided.
Be sure your GUN IS UNLOADED first. Here is a basic list of what to include: • TYPE: Long gun or hand gun? Is it a muzzleloader, or does it take shells? If it's a handgun, is it a revolver (with a rotating cylinder holding the rounds) or an autopistol (with a removable magazine)? The scientist piano sheet music pdf. If a long gun, is it a shotgun or rifle? • ACTION: What type of action does it have - single shot, break-open, double barrel, bolt action, pump action, lever action, revolver, semi-auto, other?
Double or single action? Exposed hammer or hammerless?
If revolver, solid frame, tip-up, top-break, or swingout cylinder? • CALIBER: Sometimes this is marked. Otherwise, give an approximate measurement of bore diameter. • MEASUREMENTS: Barrel length, overall length. • MARKINGS: If you know the make & model, say so.
Either way, list ALL markings on the gun. CONDITION After you know WHAT it is, the biggest factor in value is the CONDITION of the gun. Differences in condition can EASILY halve or double the value of a gun. This is a somewhat technical evaluation, and if you're not familiar with guns, you probably won't be able to do it, and should ask help. There are two systems commonly used. • The NRA CONDITION STANDARDS rate modern guns as New, Excellent, Very Good, Good or Fair, and antique guns as Excellent, Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair, and Poor.
Each condition rating has a specific definition. • The PERCENTAGE SYSTEM rates the percent of original finish remaining on the gun, 100% to 0%. For more information on condition evaluation and standards, see. Refinishing a collectible gun or modifying it or customizing it or over-cleaning it nearly always lowers the value. NEVER take it upon yourself to clean up an old gun unless you know what you're doing.
I've seen folks buff a $2,000 gun into a $200 junker! REFERENCE BOOKS Most value questions can be answered by the major price guides.
How Much Is My Gun Worth Today
• Blue Book of Gun Values by Fjestad, uses the percentage system, good for modern guns, no pictures. Probably the most widely used price guide. Published annually.
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• Other Blue Book publications - Blue Book of Black Powder Values, Blue Book of Air Guns, etc. All are sound specialty price guides. • Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Arms - absolutely the best for antique American arms. This is only published every few years, so check the date of the latest edition. Values may have risen since the last edition. • Standard Catalog of Firearms, uses 'Excellent' through 'Fair' rating system, lots of photos, good all around guide, but BEWARE that their 'condition definitions' for antique guns are radically different from the widely accepted NRA antique condition definitions!
How Much Is My Antique Gun Worth
Published annually. • Standard Catalog of Military Firearms - Value info on military arms can be hard to find, and this is an excellent resource. They don't necessarily use the standard NRA condition definitions. • Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson - by Jim Supica & Richard Nahas. With no false modesty, the best price guide for S&W's. Again, check the date of the edition you're using.
If several years old, prices may have risen. Compare to a current Blue Book.
• Other Standard Catalog publications - Standard Catalog of Winchester, Standard Catalog of Colt, Standard Catalog of Remington, Standard Catalog of Lugers. Collector opinion on these volumes seems to vary with each particular title. Check out online reviews before you rely on them. Remember that these list RETAIL prices. Expect a dealer to offer you 40% to 70% of these if he's buying for resale.
Most of these are around $30 each, and available at major bookstores or most libraries. If you can't find these locally, you can order them by phone from the National Firearms Museum Store at 703-267-1614. OTHER SOURCES OF HELP It's a good idea to check online listings of guns for sale to see what's being asked for similar guns in similar conditions. Popular sites include GunBroker.com, GunsAmerica.com and AuctionArms.com. The newstand publications Shotgun News and Gun Digest (formerly 'Gun List') also list guns for sale for comparison pricing. Many collectible guns sell through national-level specialty firearms auction houses. Most of these list their catalogs online with estimates, and some include prices realized from past sales.