Hunters and collectors can find tremendous deals on used, premium-brand firearms, but always remember, Buyer Beware.

Having bought many used firearms from individuals, pawnshops, consignment racks and from Internet auction sites, I have experienced almost every scenario that a buyer will encounter. Let my trail be your guide.

First, obtain the Blue Book of Firearm Values. It tells the value of almost every contemporary firearm based on its percentage of original condition. It also accounts for options and variations, many of which are value-added.

Likewise, there are also considerable deductions. For example, a Browning Citori equipped with fixed choke barrels, even in immaculate condition, is worth considerably less than a tube-equipped model.

Importantly, the Blue Book also provides detailed illustrated explanations about the criteria that determine a firearm's percentage of original condition. This empowers a buyer to execute a knowledgeable negotiation.

You can often get great deals on guns sold on consignment at sporting goods stores. Gun store owners generally do not inspect consignment guns. They broker the sale, but they do not assume responsibility for the item. If you encounter a major flaw with the gun after the sale, the store owner will politely inform you the issue is between you and the seller. However, the store owner will not object to a prospective buyer thoroughly examining a consignment firearm. Many will connect you personally with the owner to work out details.

A manager at a popular sporting goods store in Central Arkansas facilitated such a consultation between me and the owner of a 1967 Browning Superposed Lightning 20-gauge. That gun was built during Browning's infamous "salt wood" period in which the stocks of certain models were treated with a brine solution that ravaged the metalwork.

This Superposed was in very good condition, but there were signs of corrosion adjacent to the buttstock and receiver.

The assistant manager called the owner, who instructed me over to remove the buttplate.

"If there's salt damage, the screws will be rusted, and there will be rust in the screw holes," he said.

I performed this minor operation using the store's tools, and the inspection assuaged my fears. A bit of internet sleuthing revealed that the tang design of this gun was a type that was not fitted to a salt-wood stock. The owner accepted a counteroffer, and the Superposed was mine.

On the other end of the spectrum was an immaculate Winchester Model 70 Weather Extreme Stainless chambered in 7mm-08. I had long coveted this combination, and the price, which included a Leupold VXR scope, was irresistible.

The rifle didn't group. It sprayed. Bill Poole, a gunsmith and owner of Arkansas Gun Traders in Benton, examined it with a bore scope and observed tool marks perpendicular to the rifling all the way down the barrel. The killer, though, was a big gouge in the crown.

"A rifle with a damaged crown isn't ever going to shoot," Pool said. "That's the last thing a bullet hits before taking flight, and it's going to throw it off course every time."

Pool suggested cutting a small bit off the muzzle and recrowning it.

"I won't guarantee it'll shoot," Pool said, "but I guarantee it won't shoot the way it is."

After recrowning, Pool noticed that the bolt handle did not sit squarely on the action. Instead, it sat on a small bit of stock material that formed a lip.

"That can throw it off quite a lot," Pool said.

He shaved off the material until the bolt connected with the action. The work added an extra $120 to the investment. That illustrates the fact that an immaculate cosmetic appearance does not always represent the overall condition of a firearm.

A battered wood stock, for example, merely suggests that a gun was afield frequently and that it probably traveled outside of a padded gun case. Rifles treated in this manner often ride in a truck with the muzzle against the floor. The bluing will be worn or even missing from these guns. A worn muzzle indicates a good chance that the crown is damaged.

Pitting in the metal reflects chronic neglect. Bright spots or thin spots in the metal finish strongly suggests that rust has been removed.

Inspect the bore and chamber closely with a bore light. Gunk and sludge in the throat and chamber reflect sloppy maintenance. Lazy people that don't clean their rifles sell them when they lose accuracy. Thorough cleaning restored many a rifle's accuracy that I bought for ridiculously low prices.

Rust in the bore is a deal breaker. It looks deceptively like powder residue. If a Bore Snake doesn't remove it, don't buy.

Scope mounts should not move. Scope mount screw hole threads should be sharp.

If purchasing a firearm from the internet, ask a lot of questions and request a lot of photographs. If an internet seller is vague, reluctant or evasive, walk away. Request closeups of the throat, the bolt face, the extractors, lugs, and crown.

Also, request photos of the recoil lug recess. If the lug recess in a wooden stock is wallowed out, it means the gun has been shot a lot and that the action is not tight in the stock. The action will need to be bedded, but the barrel might be near the end of its lifespan.

I buy used guns only if they're 90 percent of original condition or better. Even at that high standard, you can get surprised. I bought a 1967 Grade II BAR on consignment from a trusted source. It was in perfect condition cosmetically, but the action wouldn't cycle when fired. Parts in the gas system had bonded from rust, not from misuse but from lack of use. A gunsmith at Gander Mountain fixed it for about $50.

One confounding purchase was my first Winchester Super X Model 1 semiautomatic shotgun. It would not eject or cycle despite practically rebuilding the internals.

The problem was actually very simple and easy to fix. The bolt return buffer in the Super X1 was made of a material that becomes brittle. The bolt eventually demolishes it and prevents the action from cycling. I found replacement bolt return buffers online made of a more durable material. I punched out the remains of the original buffer and punched in the new one. About an hour's work renewed functionality to a fine gun whose reputation suffers from this deficiency to this day. If the price is right, I buy every Super X1 I find.

Most used guns are problem free, and they will outlast you and your children. Knowing how to tell peaches from lemons will make buying used firearms a rewarding experience.