doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com 2025 Blue Book, what a shame, what a joke

I received my 2025 Blue Book. I know, I know, the prices are not realistic. I dont get it for that. I used to get it for the info there might be regading a gun or a series of guns or a manufacturer. sometimes there would be a nugget of info most useful.
Not anymore. they made the font half the normal size it seems, to make the book thinner. and there is no info on manufacturers, no history or minutiae. hell, they dont even break down A H Fox guns by gauge anymore. A 20 Ga CE is definitely worth more than a 12 CE.
waste of money. a shadow of its former self.
Just out of curiosity, decided to look at a no brainer. Winchester Pre 64 Featherweight prices.
In Winchester pre 64 M70 Featherweight section/ they list a FW 358 Win as NIB condition at $1400 and 308 FW NIB at $2395.
Obviously they dont know $hit. Last Pre 64 Featherweight 358 WIN I sold went for 4500.00

That is why I keep a couple older ones from about 15 years ago. They are nice to have in the trunk of your car when you go to a gun show. I don't pay that much attention to the prices they list. But the other information like, dates, years of certain models that were made. Serial numbers that show manufacturing dates, etc. That is what I always used the books for. There is no way I can remember all of that, so they still come in handy for that info. 👍

I used to buy the Blue Book every year, as a rough price guide. I knew of the criticisms of their valuation accuracy, and back then, they were almost always well up on the high side. That even took into account their notice that prices given should be considered full retail. Of course, I had to point that out to a lot of gun show vendors who pointed at their own copies, but also frequently priced their 65% gun as 90 to 100% condition.

After a while, I realized that a two to three year old copy was usually more accurate and closer to reality than a brand spanking new edition. So I started saving money by buying unsold older editions. By then, the price of new editions had also increased significantly.

The example Brian gave for current valuation of N.I.B. condition pre-64 Model 70 Featherweights was unbelievable. Any neophyte would instantly realize that collectors would pay a big premium for the scarcer .358 Win. vs. the very pedestrian and common .308 Win.

I suppose I'll just continue my present course of watching actual completed internet sale and auction results to get an idea of average buying and selling prices to expect.

I agree. I have the electronic version and it is crap, I will not be renewing it again.

When Steve passed away is when they started going downhill, he was the "driver" behind the operation and will be sorely missed.
Mike