XM1014 | Blue Steel (Field-Tested)

Skin overview

Blue Steel is a plain, realistic finish: blued metal parts paired with a tan-grey forend and stock. In Field-Tested the bluing starts to thin on edges and raised details, letting lighter steel show through. That light handling wear fits the finish, since it reads as a used service weapon rather than a damaged skin.

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: Factory New, Minimal Wear, Well-Worn and Battle-Scarred.

Appearance in Field-Tested

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.

The bluing thins on the muzzle, the top rail, the sights and the receiver edges, and lighter steel shows through in thin lines. The blue sheen on the barrel becomes less even. At normal distance the gun still reads as dark blued metal, and the flat sides of the barrel and the polymer parts look mostly clean.

Field-Tested wear: float 0.15–0.38

The whole float range of XM1014 | Blue Steel is 0–1; Field-Tested takes the 0.15–0.38 segment (23% of the scale). Within the range, copies with a lower float look cleaner and are valued higher.

Origin of the skin

XM1014 | Blue Steel belongs to The Lake Collection, which holds 15 skins.

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 5th 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 look at before you buy

• 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 Field-Tested quality suits

• Players who like a lightly used, realistic look on a working shotgun.
• Buyers who want the blued look in game without caring about fine details.
• Conclusion: the most balanced choice for everyday play.