Gun Pricing

[BiggWimm]

Recently my wife's family gave me all of her great uncles rifles. Nothing really fancy, or family treasures. He would always get a gun, trade it for a different one, and so on. I am looking to sell a few of them, as their are repeat calibers and calibers I am not interested in, in order to get a gun that I really want. The problem is that I have no idea what they are worth. How does one go about figuring out the prices on these weapons? Do I take them to a shop and get them appraised? I would presume that this would cost money. Or is there a "Blue Book" out there that will help me out?

Any tips would be appreciated.

 

[1_pointer]

One of the easiest ways to get an approximate value is to hit the online auction sites (gunbroker, gunsamerica, auction arms) and see what similar rifles are selling for.

 

[tarheel]

+1, sometimes you will find some variation in value from different parts of the country based on regional popularity of certain types, but the auction sites are good levelers except for the odd crank who has deep pockets and a strong desire to own a particular piece.

 

[bjtc_brian]

There is a book called Gun Trader's Guide that gives values of guns. They sell it at Wally World.

There is also Blue Book of Gun Values, but I am not sure where you can get these.

 

[jryoung]

GunBroker or other auction sites are a good barometer, but checking values on a variety of sources is advised. Many guns can be "improperly" listed in that the lister may think they have a rarity (select grade, unique caliber etc.) when they do not.

Modifications of any sort will reduce value as well from a collectors standpoint.

If you care to share list them up here. Surely there are enough guys around here that can give you some idea of what you have. Pictures go a looooooooooong way too in order to help with valuation.

 

[MThuntr]

As said Bubba'd rifles lose a bunch of value. My experiences are that in general garage modified war era rifles are worth slightly more than a bare action of the same make.

The guys over on AccurateReloading Forums buy and sell a lot of guns in their classified section. You may be able to search a particular make/model and get a recent selling price.

 

[rhomas]

The Blue Book of Gun Values is the only reference volume that I rely on. They list values from 100%, new in the box, to about 50-60%, plus they provide a history of the manufacturer, the number of guns made, all of the variations, and the original MSRP in most cases. I've found that most of the gun sites, like GunBroker, and others often have very inflated values for the majority of the guns listed. I always purchase my updated copy of the Blue Book at gun shows, where I can usually save about $10 to $20 off of the retail price. I do believe that you can order one from Amazon. I have found it to be an invaluable tool when researching and pricing both new and used guns. I've also used it to assist other people on valuations on some of the other hunting sites I regularly participate on.

 

[BobT]

Midway has the latest edition of the Blue Book of Gun Values on sale for $29.95 if I'm not mistaken. As previously mentioned Gun Broker is a good reference in many cases as long as you look at the guns that actually sold and not at the asking prices.

 

[rhomas]

Midway's price is about what I usually pay at a gun show. Suggested retail is $49.99 and that's probably what one would pay at most book stores.

 

[mixedbag]

Post them up on here with pics!!!

 

[Topgun 30-06]

Amazon.com has the latest (33rd ed.) on sale for $30.46 and shipping is free. The suggested price is $50.

 

[BiggWimm]

I will post them tomorrow when I get home from work.