Quote History Quoted:
It's a pretty gun. Why are you so concerned about dents & scratches on a machinegun? I can't imagine the value would be affected significantly.
Question on your M-60: how reliable is it? I hear from early adopters that it was far more reliable than the worn-out 1919s they'd been using, and from late users they were pieces of crap that had to be wired shut and the M240 saved the day.
View Quote
Machineguns value in general is inherently tied to its condition. (just like any other collectible)
Unfired/Excellent specimens bring the most dollar and worn/beat-to-hell guns the least with every grade in between.
A Colt 1921 can double in price from $25K on the low end to $50K on the high end based off condition and composition of original parts/finish.
The more rare/exotic the item the more condition seems to play a role in pricing.
It wouldn't surprise me that between the two NIB M240s in this thread (assuming starting condition, etc. are equal), if you shot one and kept the other NIB, I would bet the one that is shot loses $10K in value the minute you pull the trigger and put a couple of belts through it, compared to the one that remains NIB.
Put some wear/tear, scratches and dents on it and you are going to widen that gap even more.
There are some corner cases where fired guns with the bugs that have been worked are worth more because the NIB variants were notorious for having issues. However that is more the exception than any sort of rule.