Skip to main content
Help Center Community Shop

Winchester and THE BLUE BOOK??

taperloc
Are the people at THE BLUE BOOK OF GUN VALUES open to requests to correct errors in their publication?

In the past few years, I have been trying to gather factual information on the Winchester model 69/697-bolt action rifle. I have read info. by Madis, The History of Winchester Firearms, Standard Catalog of Firearms, Collectors Corner and several other writings. All of this research concludes that the rifle was offered in .22 S, L, and LR only.
Today I consulted "THE BLUE BOOK". They state that the 697's were in .22 W.R.F. only!
I have never seen this chambering (.22 W.R.F.) listed anywhere for the 69/697.

Where do they come up with this bogus information?
0

Comments

6 comments

Date Votes
  • kimi
    I think the BBGV is wrong. Remember when Pete contacted you about your 697? Contact him, he knows more about these type rifles than anyone I know.

    I've attempted to email the folks at BBGV on several ocassions and have never received a reply, but maybe a phone call will pay dividends.
    0
  • Bert H.
    Steve Fjestad is like too many other book peddlers... he is only interested in publishing & selling books... not in verifying the information contained within it[V].
    0
  • He Dog
    Several years ago I picked up a copy of the Blue Book at the Tulsa gun show. They were giving an introductory discount and Fjstad was autographing them. I paid for my book and was waiting for the receipt, and the guy asked if I wanted it autographed. I asked if that would make it more accurate. He handed me my receipt without a word. I gathered that would NOT make it more accurate.
    0
  • ruger41
    If the Blue Book is that inaccurate and other than the Cody Museum membership is there a book out that is accurate? What about with other firearms too? Is Flaydermans decent? Flaydermans is only antique gun though and it would be nice to have an accurate book for some more modern items. I guess with any book you have to take them with a grain of salt that they are correct. Still anxiously awaiting YOUR book Bert and I'll be one of the first in line for the copy[:D]
    0
  • MBK
    About a year ago I took two Blue Books from 2008 and 2003, then made a 150 gun semi-random sample of 50 each pistols, rifles and shotguns. I used a mix of obscure items and obviously popular guns....so it was not really random, but was weighted towards guns people buy, own or trade more often. Otherwise it waould have had far too many obscure items....which heavily populate the guide.

    I found that prices went up about 8.5%, compounded.

    But I also found many guns among the more obscure that Fjestead had indicated NO CHANGE in value in 5 years.

    This was troubling, as these guns were collectible but just not common.
    0
  • Bert H.
    quote:Originally posted by ruger41
    If the Blue Book is that inaccurate and other than the Cody Museum membership is there a book out that is accurate? What about with other firearms too? Is Flaydermans decent? Flaydermans is only antique gun though and it would be nice to have an accurate book for some more modern items. I guess with any book you have to take them with a grain of salt that they are correct. Still anxiously awaiting YOUR book Bert and I'll be one of the first in line for the copy[:D]


    There are a number of individual books (authors) that cover specific Winchester Models that are for the most part quite accurate, and they are great sources of information. That said, they do not attempt to place or assign values to the guns, and for good reason. My book on the Model 1885 Single Shot will not be an exception to that rule... it will contain highly accurate (researched) descriptive information, but no pricing data. The same holds true for the series of articles that I have written about the Models 94, 55, and 64 (to be published in the WACA quarterly magazine starting this summer). I still have a significant number of research projects to complete for the Model 1885 (several of which I will complete next month while I am in Cody for 2-weeks).
    0

Please sign in to leave a comment.

Recent Activity