Gun Trader's Guide: A Comprehensive, Fully-Illustrated Guide to Modern Firearms with Current Market

1636 Pages·2012·28.94 MB·English

by  Stephen D., Carpenteri

GUN Thirty-Fourth Edition
TRADER’S
GUIDE
A Comprehensive, Fully-Illustrated Guide to
Modern Firearms with Current Market
Values
Edited by Stephen D. Carpenteri
Skyhorse Publishing
Contents
Introduction
How to Use This Guide
Gun Shows Around the Country
Firearms Grading
Modern ARs: The New Collectibles?
Handguns
Rifles
Shotguns
New Listings
Index
Copyright © 2012 by Stephen D. Carpenteri All Rights Reserved. No part of this
book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of
the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles.
All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street,
11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.
Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for
sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special
editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special
Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New
York, NY 10018 or
Printed in Canada
Introduction
This thirty-fourth edition of Skyhorse Publishing's Gun Trader’s
Guide is designed to provide the professional and amateur firearms
enthusiast with more specifications and photographs of collectible
firearms than ever before. In the past fifty years, the Gun Trader’s
Guide has grown to over six hundred pages and now lists more than
six thousand standard firearms and their variations.
The first edition of the Gun Trader’s Guide contained some 1,360
listings accompanied by 100 illustrations. Now, after more than thirty
editions later, the book has evolved into one of the most
comprehensive catalogs targeting the most common smokeless-
powder rifles, shotguns, and handguns of the late-nineteenth and
twentieth centuries. Over two million gun buffs have made the Gun
Trader’s Guide their primary reference for identification and
comparison of sporting, military, and law enforcement firearms,
including rare and unusual collectibles and commemoratives. The
current edition of the Gun Trader’s Guide has been expanded to
include more listings than ever before, with nearly 2,750 photographs.
Not every gun ever made can be listed in any catalog of this type, but
we have made every effort to include the makers and models that are
most popular with American owners and collectors today.
The format of the Gun Trader’s Guide is simple and
straightforward, listing thousands of firearms manufactured since the
late 1800s in the United States and abroad. Most entries include
complete specifications, including: model number and name; caliber
or gauge; barrel length; overall length; weight; distinguishing features;
variations; the dates of manufacture (when they can be accurately
determined); and dates of discontinuation. Many illustrative photos
accompany the text to help the reader with identifications and
comparisons. Also, first and last entries are listed at the top of the
page for additional ease in finding a particular manufacturer.
The Gun Trader’s Guide is revised annually to ensure that its
wealth of information is both current and detailed. The principal
features that contribute to the unique nature of this firearms reference
guide include the extensive pictorial format and accompanying
comprehensive specifications. It provides a convenient procedure for
identifying vintage firearms while simultaneously determining and
verifying their current value.
SIMPLIFIED STRUCTURE
Production data for each gun includes:
• Specifications
• Variations of different models
• Dates of manufacture and/or discontinuation
• Current values
The catalog is also set up to provide ease of use, including:
• Tabbed sections for user friendly reference
• Complete index of all firearms
Values shown are based on national averages obtained by
conferring with knowledgeable gun dealers, traders, collectors, and
auctioneers around the country, and not by applying an arbitrary
mathematical formula that could produce unrealistic figures. The
values listed herein accurately reflect the nationwide average at the
time of publication and are updated annually.
In some rare cases, such as the Winchester Model 1873 “One of
One Thousand” rifle or the Parker AA1 Special shotgun in 28 gauge,
where very little trading takes place, active gun collectors were
consulted to obtain current market values.
ORGANIZATION OF LISTINGS
In the early editions of Gun Trader’s Guide, firearms were frequently organized
chronologically by date of production within manufacturers’ listings because
many gun-making companies used the date that a particular model was
introduced as the model number. For example, the Colt U. S. Model 1911
semiautomatic pistol was introduced in 1911, the French Model 1936 military
rifle was introduced in 1936, and the Remington Model 32 shotgun debuted in
1932. However, during the first quarter of the twentieth century, gun makers
began assigning names and numbers that did not relate to the year the gun was
introduced. As these recent models and their variations multiplied through the
years, it became increasingly difficult to track them by date, especially for the
less-experienced collector.
Additionally, some Winchester and Remington firearms have been
grouped differently in this edition. For example, The Winchester
Model 1894, in its many variations, was produced beginning in 1894
and later manufactured as the “Model 94” by U. S. Repeating Arms
Co. (Collector’s note: this Model 1894 lever-action rifle, the famed
Model 70 Winchester, and the Model 1300 pump shotgun, all
Winchester standards, were discontinued in 2006.) In general,
Winchester used the year of introduction to name its firearms; that is,
Model 1890, 1892, 1894, 1895, and so forth. Shortly after World War
I, Winchester dropped the first two digits and listed the models as 90,
92, 94, 95, and so on. Later, guns were given model numbers that had
no relation to the date of manufacture. Marlin and several other
manufacturers used a similar approach in handling model
designations.
As a result, Winchester rifles are grouped alphanumerically in two
different groups: early Winchesters manufactured before 1920 under
the four-digit model-date designations and guns manufactured after
1920 with their revised model format designations. If any difficulty is
encountered in locating a particular model, the models and their
variations are cross-referenced in the index.
In past years, some readers reported difficulty in finding certain
Remington rifles. In this edition, Remington rifles have been grouped
according to action type (i.e., single-shot rifles, slide actions,
autoloaders, etc.). Our surveys revealed this to be the easiest way to
locate a specific firearm. The index may also be used if difficulty is
encountered in finding a particular model.
encountered in finding a particular model.
In researching data for this edition, some manufacturers’ records
were unavailable and some information was unobtainable. For
example, many early firearms production records were destroyed in a
fire that ravaged the Winchester plant. Likewise, some manufacturers’
records have been lost or were simply not maintained accurately.
These circumstances resulted in some minor deviations in the
presentation format of certain model listings. For example, production
dates may not be listed when manufacturing records are unclear or
unavailable. As an alternative, approximate dates of manufacture may
be listed to reflect the availability of guns from a manufacturer or
distributor. These figures may represent disposition dates indicating
when that particular model was shipped to a distributor or importer.
Frequently, and especially with foreign manufacturers, production
records are unavailable. Therefore, information on availability is often
based on importation records that reflect domestic distribution only.
All of this is meant to explain the procedure and policy used
regarding these published dates and to establish the distinction
between “production dates,” which are based on manufacturers’
records, and “availability dates,” which are based on distribution
records in the absence of recorded production data.
To ensure that we have the most accurate information available, we
encourage and solicit the users of Gun Trader’s Guide to
communicate with our research staff at the Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.,
offices (address below) and forward any verifiable information they
may have, especially in relation to older, out-of-production models.
CAUTION TO READERS
An amendment to the Gun Control Act of 1968 prohibited the manufacture,
transfer, or possession of firearms intended for disposition to the general public
designed to accept large capacity ammunition feeding devices. Manufacturers
who produced such arms were required to redesign those models to limit their
capacities to 10 rounds or less, or discontinue production or importation. The
law applied to all such devices manufactured after October 13, 1994. Post-ban
feeding devices must meet the capacity limit requirements. However, the