Review by Joseph P. Tartaro Executive Editor
Blue Book of Gun Values by S.P. Fjestad
BLUE BOOK OF GUN VALUES, Thirty-Fourth Edition, by S.P. Fjestad.
©2013. Published by Blue Book Publications Inc., 8009 34th Avenue South, Suite 250, Dept. TGM, Minneapolis, MN 55425; phone: 952-853- 5229; online: bluebookofgunvalues.com. Price $49.95. 2408 pages soft cover. Some full color illustrations This important reference guide for people who buy, sell, study and collect arms has been around and in wide use for years now, and each new edition has offered even more value and information.
The Thirty- Fourth Edition is no exception.
Enough changes have been made that it might be time to discard that old edition that has become dog-eared as it has been carried from gun show to gun show to collectors’ meetings as you check your knowledge of specific firearms under discussion.
The latest edition is larger than ever because a lot of new features have been added. In addition to all of the descriptions, pricing and other information of previous editions, the latest Blue Book offers even more added knowledge.
In addition to significant pricing updates on current, antique and discontinued models, the new addition keeps you as current as possible on Modern Sporting Rifles with extensive information on over 150 AR-15 and AK-47 manufacturers and importers, including a lot of innovative new companies you might not have known existed.
This edition also includes a revised 80-page color photo Percentage Grading System that helps guarantee more accurate grading when you consider new additions to your collection, or when pricing guns you hope to sell. The captions that accompany these high resolution photos quantify the grade for your guidance.
Another important feature of this edition is the extensive serialization charts for more major manufacturers that allow the date of manufacture to be determined for most firearms.
Of course the Blue Book always includes a trademark index, a store brand cross-over list, glossary, index, major museum list, lists of firearms and shooting organizations, and gun-related publications.
There’s even a list of ATF Curios and Relics determinations.
If there is one reference book that every serious gunowner should own, the Blue Book of Gun Values is likely it, and this Thirty-Fourth Edition is the biggest and best of them all.
