Guest Blog: How to Calculate the Value of your Firearm

By L.S Graves, Professional Gunsmith.

Determining a value for your firearm can be a tricky process.   There are several popular methods for finding a value.  In firearms as in anything, an item is worth only what it can be successfully sold for.  I could own the rarest of baseball cards, but if no one is out there willing to pay the price then that card goes from priceless, to worthless, in a very short period of time.  One should be realistic when trying to determine a gun for possible trade or re-sale.  Sometimes you may consider selling a gun you own that might have some sentimental value associated with it.  These are the hardest guns for most individuals to price fairly.  In my opinion, heirlooms, and other sentimental firearms should never be sold.  You were very rarely get what the gun is worth to you back in dollar amounts.

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A good gunsmith is always a great place to start your investigation into your firearm’s value.  A competent gunsmith should always be able to possess the skills, equipment, and know how to give a very fair and current value as well as overall condition of the firearm.

Another tool available for individuals, is Gun Digests : Blue Book of Gun Prices.  It can be found easily online, or in your local book store. A new volume is released each year, and price break down is done in a three part evaluation style, that makes determination easy for the layman.

I always recommend taking a used firearm to a gunsmith, before you fire it, in order to make sure it is safe to operate.  And I would  recommend the same in trying to get a good value for your used firearm.  There are other options in finding a good price to ask for your used guns, the two listed above are the ones I myself recommend and utilize.  A responsible gun owner should insure his firearms, these are good tools one can use in deciding what your collection might be worth.

Additional Reading: http://www.gunsandammo.com/2012/10/09/8-key-factors-for-determining-a-guns-value/

 

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