Is there a Kelley Blue book for guns?

Yes, the firearms equivalent of Kelley Blue Book is the Blue Book of Gun Values, a widely used price guide that lists baseline values for thousands of manufacturers and models. It functions as a reference point, not a professional appraisal.

Why a price guide isn't enough on its own

The Blue Book of Gun Values covers a huge range of firearms (thousands of manufacturers and tens of thousands of individual models), but it can only provide a generic baseline figure. It cannot account for:

• Actual condition, wear, and originality of the specific firearm in hand
• Provenance, historical significance, or documented ownership history
• Included accessories, cases, or original packaging
• Current regional demand and recent comparable sales
• Legal or regulatory factors that affect a firearm's marketability

For estate settlement, IRS filings, insurance coverage, or a legal matter like divorce, a receiving party (the IRS, a court, an insurer) typically expects a documented, standards-based valuation rather than a number pulled from a retail guide. That's the gap a professional gun appraisal fills: our appraisers hold credentials with organizations such as the ASA, ISA, and AAA, and every report is prepared in accordance with USPAP, giving you a defensible figure backed by condition assessment, market comparables, and documentation specific to your firearm.

If you're weighing a price-guide estimate against a formal appraisal, the right choice usually comes down to what the value needs to hold up to. A guide is fine for casual curiosity or a quick sanity check before a private sale. A formal, USPAP-compliant appraisal is the better fit for estate tax filings, insurance coverage, probate, or litigation, where the number needs to withstand scrutiny from a third party.