doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Proper Way to Estimate # of Case Color

Seems that everyone I know does it differently. Do you count the # covered by the closed action and forearm?

Not sure what you are asking . Only real way to tell is if it looks good .

It�s simple really. If you are a dealer you start at 90% and go up from there. Like the dealer who told me his gun had 90% case color in protected areas. None on the non protected areas when I looked at it.

I look at it as what number would have made me happy had I just bought and received this firearm?

Good question. I don't have any idea what others would consider proper, but I estimate the percentage of the receiver that still has any color whatsoever, and then of that estimate the intensity compared to what the original color might have been. A much handled field gun might score 10/10, whereas a frequently used but carefully handled gun might score 90/80. Works for my use, but almost certainly too complicated for wide application, and would always subject to the vagaries of interpretation.

That makes a lot of sense prO'fesser...a lot of non sense.

Made that donation yet ?

Pretty much what I thought. I judge the amount on the right, left and bottom of receiver and average it. In a nice gun, the covered areas inside are usually 100% but the triggerguard is usually mostly gone. Sometimes the buttplate was once cased but usually gone. That is best a side comment.

Of course, the reason it is important is that the Blue Book calls out different prices in 10% increments and sometimes those prices are $1000 or more apart. Lots of room for argument and advantage taking. I can see why most legitimate dealers try to stay with general comments. Some guns have 0% but otherwise in pristine condition while other guns with 0% are ragged yet they score the same %.

Let the buyer beware.

I haven't looked at a Blue Book recently, but they used to have a section of color photos in the front of the book that illustrated various condition factors, including percentage of remaining case colors.

To me, a good description would be a total percentage remaining with further details such as "strong vibrant case colors in hidden areas, faded 40% remaining on action, and very little remaining on bottom of trigger plate and action." Seldom will a seller give such a description. As Ky Jon says, most of them see at least 90%, and price the gun accordingly. We are then free to laugh and remind them we weren't born last night. Paying a 90% condition price for a gun with 40% case colors is a certain way to be one of the guys who thinks we are destined to lose money on every gun purchase we make.