Is Blue Book for real?

[Murphy2000]

Blue Book prices, way out of line for sure.

The last time anyone brought it up to me, I was trying to sell a Model 10-10 Heavy Barrel with box and papers. It had been shot exactly 6 rounds by the original owner.

We have a local radio program in the mornings where you can call in items for sale, or swap.

I got a ring within 15 seconds of hanging up in regards to the Model 10. I qouted my price (and it was a STEAL of a deal). The joker pulls the 'well the Blue Book here says'. I stopped him right there and told him, 'Fella...if I could buy guns at the prices that Blue Book you're holding show's, I wouldn't be selling I'd be buying'.

Same kind'a person that would gladly buy a deceased husbands Model 27-2 3.5" S Series from his widow, for a whole $350.

Murphy2000

 

[SPEEDGUNNER]

I use BB for the information it contains, Make, Model, years of manufacture, variations in models, barrel length, caliber, all the little things that can be the difference between a run of the mill production gun and a limited production sweetheart. Rarely do I look at prices.

I can tell you that many of the above posts are very true...most of the local FFL's use BB as a tool to BUY, quoting 30-40% of value to buy, and backing up with book if seller doesn't agree with number.

The Internet has become the place to research current prices, in a few minutes you can find what people are asking and what a gun is selling for.

I still buy a copy every other year, just for the info contained therein.

 

[mbliss57]

I agree that it's useful for lots of info that you would want except retail pricing. I have the most recent copy of the big fat Blue Book by Fjstaad. I would say for that I buy it's wholesale prices. The N frames and some K frames, especially K frames are way under what the real market si bringing. Someone on this forum was doing a real nice job with a statistical analysis of pricing of "I think model 19's".
I would like to see the a chart of average retail prices of used P&R Model 19s, 27s and 29s over the past 10 years. The P&R guns were already 10 years old or older 10 years ago.

 

[fyimo]

Never been a fan of the BB because I've seen dealers using it as a one way sale or buying tool to further their desires to get a better deal and in most cases they were abusing the customer.

That said the new hi tech age is making BB even more obsolete because they can't ever have the data processed, published, and on the street to the customer before it's already obsolete.

You can spend about an hour on GB checking the actual guns that have sold and are a certain model that you desire to buy. This is real time data not 6 to 9 months old before it's published. You can compare guns of equal quality and have a pretty clear understanding on what the value is in the market for it and make a value based decision.

As far as the prices on guns listed on GB they are high and is some cases way to high for a sought after model like the 27-2. The people listing the gun pay no fees for listing it and only pay after the item sells. That's why some of the listed guns up there appear month after month with little or no adjustment in the price to get them to sell.

A dealer listing guns up there really doesn't have any expenses involved until the gun sells so he can park them there for months over priced and waiting for someone who really wants one bad enough to pay his price.

 

[dant]

The blue book is only a reference book, no one can remeber all the data and info it may contain for all the various makes and models, the 'true' collectors stick to the books of their collecting 'genre', and even then with the lead time of info/printing, when released they are behind and out of date..look at our own S&WCA vol 3, I'd love to find and BUY any of the guns at the prices listed...but again, GREAT info..as for the "Blue" book it is NOT near the correct pricing for S&W's and if you look at Rugers, they have gone through the roof on some of the "old models"...I'd LOVE to be able to get those kinds of prices.....not 'true market values........MOST folks don;t use the blue book correctly anyway, as it is based on condition, condition, condition...of the "original" finish........the data in the front is good as well as the info in the back, serial number ranges ,etc...still a very decent 'reference' guide........tell the guys giving the publishers the info they "need" as to pricing ( which is also figured in by areas ( regional) stuff out east or on the west coast,goes for way more than here in the midwest........nothing carved in stone boys and girls

 

[M3Stuart]

I attend gun shows pretty regularly. The BB seems to come out when the table holders are discussing buying your used gun or taking it as a trade. You very seldom see the BB used to justify a selling price of gun already on their table. BB's main market may be "dealers".

Oh man! I almost hurt myself laughing so hard!

Can you imagine; you're buying a gun from some dealer and you, the buyer, pull out the BB and use it to make an offer? (An offer that would invariably be hundreds less than what he's asking) Can you imagine the look on that guy's face? Hilarious!

e.g. I was briefly attempting a trade on a couple of mint Model 10's, one was a 3" model 10-4, and the dealer offered me $125 each. Ever seen a Model 10-4 before, I asked him? In 3"? No. I didn't think so.