XM1014 | Blue Steel (Factory New)

Skin overview

XM1014 | Blue Steel is an Industrial Grade shotgun finish that imitates cold-blued gun metal. Dark blue-black steel on the barrel and receiver contrasts with sand-grey polymer parts. In Factory New the bluing is even and deep, with a clear blue sheen along the barrel.

Item type: shotgun. Industrial Grade is the second tier from the bottom: common skins from drops and collections.

Patina: an aged metal surface; wear is part of the design, so the gap between qualities is less visible.

Other qualities of this skin: Minimal Wear, Field-Tested, Well-Worn and Battle-Scarred.

How the skin looks in Factory New

The barrel, the magazine tube under it and the receiver are covered in dark blue-black bluing with a cold blue sheen along the top of the barrel. The ribbed forend, the folding stock and the trigger guard area are in a muted sand-grey tone, and the pistol grip is a lighter grey. There is no pattern: the finish relies on the contrast between dark blued steel and matte polymer. On worn copies the bluing goes first on the muzzle, the top rail, the sights and the edges of the receiver, where lighter bare metal starts to show. The polymer parts hold their colour longer and mainly get duller with wear.

The bluing is complete on every metal part, from the muzzle to the receiver. The blue sheen on the barrel is at its clearest, and the sand-grey forend and stock look crisp. In game the shotgun reads as a solid dark weapon with a light grey stock.

Factory New wear: float 0–0.07

The whole float range of XM1014 | Blue Steel is 0–1; Factory New takes the 0–0.07 segment (7% of the scale). The lower the float within the range, the cleaner the surface looks and the higher a copy is usually priced.

Origin of the skin

The skin’s collection is The Lake Collection with 15 skins in total.

It drops from:

• DreamHack 2013 Souvenir Package
• EMS One 2014 Souvenir Package

What it costs in each quality

Among 7 skins of the XM1014 in the Industrial Grade grade and this quality, this skin ranks 4th by price, counting from the dearest.

Souvenir version

There is also a the Souvenir version with tournament stickers.

Which stickers suit it

The dark blued metal works well with silver, holo or blue-toned stickers, which pick up the cold sheen of the barrel. Muted sand, grey or black stickers on the receiver keep the realistic service-weapon look, while one bright accent stands out clearly against the dark steel.

What to check before buying

• Look at the float position within the wear range, since the bluing on the muzzle and receiver edges changes noticeably between low and high floats.
• Check the top rail, sights and muzzle in the inspect view, as these spots lose their bluing first.
• For Souvenir copies, check which stickers are applied and whether they fit the dark metal and grey polymer.
• Check the name tag and any applied stickers, because they affect how clean the plain finish looks.

Who the Factory New quality suits

• Players who want the cleanest, most even blued look on their XM1014.
• Collectors who prefer realistic finishes in top condition.
• Conclusion: the reference version of the skin for those who value an untouched finish.