I picked up this Colt....I think I'm gonna shoot it....

Keg · March 30, 2013, 01:52 PM

Woodsman Target....It looks like it has never been fired..or I see no evidence of it....It was in an old oily case....52' model....I bought it right and think I'm gonna shoot it....

lamarw · March 30, 2013, 04:25 PM

Shooting it certainly beats making a paperweight out of it.

Nice looking pair of pistols.

Keg · March 30, 2013, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Shooting it certainly beats making a paperweight out of it.

Ain't that the truth.....

Sarge · March 30, 2013, 05:34 PM

I would absolutely shoot it. IIRC some of these guns suffered from a bent mainspring strut; I recall hearing the men of my youth mention that high speed ammo was a contributing factor. Whether this is true or not, I do not know. I do know if I had a nice old Woodsman, it would see only standard or subsonic .22 ammo.

Keg · March 30, 2013, 05:43 PM

Sarge..I once had a Huntsman..the economy model....I wish I had never gotten rid of it....It had the 6 in barrel and was ultra accurate....I shot HV ammo....

PetahW · March 30, 2013, 06:08 PM

.

FWIW, Colt changed the Woodsman in 1933 to be able to use high-speed ammo - N.P. with the OP's gunz.

The old MS housings were checkered (left, below); the new H-S MS housings were lined (right, below)

Just look at the backstrap, below the rear of the slide.

.

.

Kreyzhorse · March 30, 2013, 06:40 PM

Shoot that thing and post a range report!

Wreck-n-Crew · March 30, 2013, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Shoot that thing and post a range report!

<<<<what he said

Sarge · March 30, 2013, 10:12 PM

Thanks for the info and photos, Petah. Good stuff.

redrick · March 31, 2013, 08:33 AM

Nice find .

WNY_Whitetailer · March 31, 2013, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lamarw

Shooting it certainly beats making a paperweight out of it.

Nice looking pair of pistols.

True story. Guns are meant to be shot...

mxsailor803 · March 31, 2013, 09:30 AM

You make me SICK!!! I've been looking for a nice condition Woodsmen for about 2 years now!!! Now if you don't want to shoot it, I'll fix that problem for ya lol

Keg · March 31, 2013, 09:50 AM

Quote:

You make me SICK!!! I've been looking for a nice condition Woodsmen for about 2 years now!!! Now if you don't want to shoot it, I'll fix that problem for ya lol

I always look..but not seriously..this one just fell in my lap..I could'nt pass up for the price....I like the mag release....I wish my Match Target had the same....

Thanks Petah for the info....

KO3422 · March 31, 2013, 10:01 AM

Oh those are nice. Good score!

Keg · March 31, 2013, 05:22 PM

I guess I could just keep huntin with these.....

Sarge · March 31, 2013, 07:35 PM

You could do a whole lot worse! I had a couple of HD Militaries and a Model B over the years. Any of them were good for a 40 yard squirrel, if I was up to the shot that day.

jfrey · March 31, 2013, 08:17 PM

The Woodsman is a great pistol, but if it breaks you may be in trouble. Most of the old parts are used up. My FIL has one he won in 1951 and it needed some attention. He sent it to Alex Hamilton in San Antonio. Alex fixed it and even had to make a new part for it but it shoots now. Alex told him to shoot it a little and keep it in the safe the rest of the time because if it broke again it would be hard to fix again.

Use Std.vel.ammo and it should be fine for quite a while.

steveNChunter · April 1, 2013, 04:34 AM

I have a Woodsman similar to yours, mine is a '49 sport target and has had a little more use. It is perfectly FINE to shoot high velocity ammo in any second or third series Woodsman, and as was mentioned earlier, any first series made after about 1933 has the mainspring housing that is built for HV ammo.

Definitely shoot it but take great care, parts are terribly hard to find (in some cases impossible) and when you do find them they are terribly expensive.

Thats a great find. Hang onto it they dont make 'em like that anymore

Keg · April 1, 2013, 08:52 AM

Quote:

You could do a whole lot worse! I had a couple of HD Militaries and a Model B over the years. Any of them were good for a 40 yard squirrel, if I was up to the shot that day.

I would like to have one of the short heavy barreled High Standards....

Quote:

Definitely shoot it but take great care, parts are terribly hard to find (in some cases impossible) and when you do find them they are terribly expensive.

Well if it breaks down..I guess I could part it out....

steveNChunter · April 1, 2013, 02:14 PM

Yea you could make your money back and then some. I'm looking for a rare "coltmaster" rear sight for mine right now. the elevation screw hole is stripped out. Your's has the newer style sight on it I think. Those can actually be found, but still are not cheap.

Keg · April 1, 2013, 03:52 PM

The Colts will be shot sparingly...The High Standards get shot a whole lot more.....

BigJimP · April 1, 2013, 05:22 PM

No reason, in my view, not to shoot them all a lot...

KnotRight · April 1, 2013, 05:38 PM

I have one in the safe that I picked up maybe 10+ years ago. Really have not shot it much but did do a Colt look-up on the serial number and it came back with:

1965 - 2nd or 3rd generation model match target

Have no idea what it is worth.

steveNChunter · April 1, 2013, 06:00 PM

If its a '65 it has to be a third gen by about 10 years.

Match target was the top of the line model but third gen woodsmen dont usually bring quite as much as first or second. They're all great shooters though.

stephen426 · April 1, 2013, 06:30 PM

Great score! Congrats!

March 30, 2013, 05:34 PM	#4
Sarge Senior Member Join Date: May 12, 2002 Location: MO Posts: 5,457	I would absolutely shoot it. IIRC some of these guns suffered from a bent mainspring strut; I recall hearing the men of my youth mention that high speed ammo was a contributing factor. Whether this is true or not, I do not know. I do know if I had a nice old Woodsman, it would see only standard or subsonic .22 ammo. __________________ People were smarter before the Internet, or imbeciles were harder to notice.

March 30, 2013, 05:43 PM	#5
Keg Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2011 Location: Freestone County, Texas Posts: 1,133	Sarge..I once had a Huntsman..the economy model....I wish I had never gotten rid of it....It had the 6 in barrel and was ultra accurate....I shot HV ammo.... __________________ Hog Hunters never die........They just reload.........

March 30, 2013, 06:40 PM	#7
Kreyzhorse Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2006 Location: NKY Posts: 12,463	Shoot that thing and post a range report! __________________ "He who laughs last, laughs dead." Homer Simpson

March 30, 2013, 10:12 PM	#9
Sarge Senior Member Join Date: May 12, 2002 Location: MO Posts: 5,457	Thanks for the info and photos, Petah. Good stuff. __________________ People were smarter before the Internet, or imbeciles were harder to notice.

March 31, 2013, 07:35 PM	#16
Sarge Senior Member Join Date: May 12, 2002 Location: MO Posts: 5,457	You could do a whole lot worse! I had a couple of HD Militaries and a Model B over the years. Any of them were good for a 40 yard squirrel, if I was up to the shot that day. __________________ People were smarter before the Internet, or imbeciles were harder to notice.

March 30, 2013, 04:25 PM	#2
lamarw Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2010 Location: Lake Martin, AL Posts: 3,311	Shooting it certainly beats making a paperweight out of it. Nice looking pair of pistols.

March 30, 2013, 06:08 PM	#6
PetahW Senior Member Join Date: September 19, 2008 Posts: 4,678	. FWIW, Colt changed the Woodsman in 1933 to be able to use high-speed ammo - N.P. with the OP's gunz. The old MS housings were checkered (left, below); the new H-S MS housings were lined (right, below) Just look at the backstrap, below the rear of the slide. . .

March 31, 2013, 08:33 AM	#10
redrick Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,041	Nice find .

March 31, 2013, 09:30 AM	#12
mxsailor803 Senior Member Join Date: February 8, 2010 Location: SC Posts: 1,344	You make me SICK!!! I've been looking for a nice condition Woodsmen for about 2 years now!!! Now if you don't want to shoot it, I'll fix that problem for ya lol

March 31, 2013, 10:01 AM	#14
KO3422 Senior Member Join Date: March 6, 2011 Posts: 124	Oh those are nice. Good score!

March 31, 2013, 08:17 PM	#17
jfrey Senior Member Join Date: May 16, 2008 Location: Coastal South Texas Posts: 557	The Woodsman is a great pistol, but if it breaks you may be in trouble. Most of the old parts are used up. My FIL has one he won in 1951 and it needed some attention. He sent it to Alex Hamilton in San Antonio. Alex fixed it and even had to make a new part for it but it shoots now. Alex told him to shoot it a little and keep it in the safe the rest of the time because if it broke again it would be hard to fix again. Use Std.vel.ammo and it should be fine for quite a while.

April 1, 2013, 04:34 AM	#18
steveNChunter Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2012 Location: Southern Appalachian Mtns Posts: 1,520	I have a Woodsman similar to yours, mine is a '49 sport target and has had a little more use. It is perfectly FINE to shoot high velocity ammo in any second or third series Woodsman, and as was mentioned earlier, any first series made after about 1933 has the mainspring housing that is built for HV ammo. Definitely shoot it but take great care, parts are terribly hard to find (in some cases impossible) and when you do find them they are terribly expensive. Thats a great find. Hang onto it they dont make 'em like that anymore __________________ DEO VINDICE

April 1, 2013, 02:14 PM	#20
steveNChunter Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2012 Location: Southern Appalachian Mtns Posts: 1,520	Yea you could make your money back and then some. I'm looking for a rare "coltmaster" rear sight for mine right now. the elevation screw hole is stripped out. Your's has the newer style sight on it I think. Those can actually be found, but still are not cheap. __________________ DEO VINDICE

April 1, 2013, 03:52 PM	#21
Keg Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2011 Location: Freestone County, Texas Posts: 1,133	The Colts will be shot sparingly...The High Standards get shot a whole lot more..... __________________ Hog Hunters never die........They just reload.........

April 1, 2013, 05:22 PM	#22
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	No reason, in my view, not to shoot them all a lot...

April 1, 2013, 05:38 PM	#23
KnotRight Member Join Date: February 6, 2013 Location: Savannah, GA Posts: 98	I have one in the safe that I picked up maybe 10+ years ago. Really have not shot it much but did do a Colt look-up on the serial number and it came back with: 1965 - 2nd or 3rd generation model match target Have no idea what it is worth.

April 1, 2013, 06:00 PM	#24
steveNChunter Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2012 Location: Southern Appalachian Mtns Posts: 1,520	If its a '65 it has to be a third gen by about 10 years. Match target was the top of the line model but third gen woodsmen dont usually bring quite as much as first or second. They're all great shooters though. __________________ DEO VINDICE

April 1, 2013, 06:30 PM	#25
stephen426 Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2005 Posts: 3,840	Great score! Congrats! __________________ The ATF should be a convenience store instead of a government agency!