Passed on a Colt Huntsman, and now I regret it.

[mellow_c]

I've been browsing a lot of somewhat older handguns on Gun Broker lately, and I came across this nice looking Colt Huntsman from 1967 with the original box, paperwork, and both magazines for $500 + $20 shipping.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/778645856

I don't see many people bidding on these guns, and some of them seem to sell pretty cheap, while others are fetching a fair bit more than the one I just linked in similar or even worse condition. It's something that has me a bit puzzled.

I decided not to place a bid on it... and neither did anyone else. So it didn't sell and it has not been relisted.

Now I wonder if I should have just bought it because it looks like a really nice specimen for the price regardless of the fact that no one else bid on it.


One thing that was concerning to me and convinced me not to place a bid on it was that the first main picture seemed to show that the slide has a strange backwards leaning angle to in in relation to the further forward portion of the gun and the barrel... Like they were not parallel and it just didn't look right, as if something might be wrong with it, or it was some how reassembled incorrectly??? Maybe it's just an optical illusion, or maybe they are supposed to be that way, or maybe this one was just a little out of whack and it's not a problem?

Anyone else see what I'm seeing in that picture? Thoughts?



Despite my concerns of the slide looking kind of funny, I'm starting to regret not buying it. I even made an attempt to contact the seller to see if maybe I could offer the starting bid of $500 even though the auction has ended, but Gun Broker apparently wont let me contact them after the auction has ended, and the seller doesn't have anything else up for sale so I cant even get a message sent to the seller as far as I can tell.


What do you all think? Did I miss out? Was there something wrong with this one? Is it a great deal and maybe I should try to find a way to contact the seller even though there doesn't seem to be one?


It's no big deal in the grand scheme of things, but I've always liked these old pistols even though I've never shot one. This just looks like it could have been a great opportunity to buy a nice one at a reasonable price.

[Astocks2622]

The Woodsman/Huntsman series are by far my favorite .22 handguns. My great grandpa had one that is now my dad's. I have put 10's of thousands of rounds through it, and it was the most accurate pistol I have ever shoot, beating some very nice competition pistols. It was pretty reliable, better than most current production .22s. it's the only reason I could afford to practice enough to get good with a handgun.
The photo looks funny, but unless the slide or frame rails have catastrophically failed, it the barrel itself is seriously bent, it's probably an optical illusion.
That's a pretty good deal for one in that condition. It looks pristine.
If you get one, beware that disassembly is a bit of a bear. Check out some tutorials before digging in...

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[Fishbed77]

This is why I never bother on bidding on any Gunbroker auctions that have reserves or inflated staring prices.

If it has a reserve, I at least contact the seller to see what the reserve is. If they won't answer, the auction isn't worth my time. An item is worth what is sells for. No more. No less.

[peterg7]

the 2nd series is more desirable so worth more, I don’t do Gb for a couple of reasons, one being I don’t believe there are any real deals there.


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[Fishbed77]

I don’t do Gb for a couple of reasons, one being I don’t believe there are any real deals there.

There most definitely are deals to be found on Gunbroker. You just have to know what you are looking for and have patience.

[Sevens]

Haha, I love it when folks share the wisdom of avoiding Gunbroker. One less competitor and if I am fortunate, someone reading it will follow their lead. Please, keep on with your mantra.

I looked up the auction as shared and what you see is most definitely a photographic anomaly, you can see it clearly in the picture with the box.

At that price, what is offered seems like a very solid buy. All gun buys where you only see pictures are a leap of faith, this game isn't for you if you don't have some guts and willingness to take some chances, but I think you'd do well with that one at that price.

I have two Woodsman variants currently, down from four. I have a '52 Challenger (4.5") and a 1955 Hunstman with a 6-inch barrel.

The list of great reasons to own a Woodsman or variant is LONG, but one quick and relevant detail is that Colt made so damn many -- if you find one that isn't mint or with some rare original features, it's usually not over inflated in price.

It's my opinion that if you really love rimfire pistols, you have a serious hole in your collection if you don't own a Woodsman or variant.

[mellow_c]

First off, thank you all for sharing your experiences with these pistols. I've never shot one but have always been interested in them and I'm glad to hear such good things.

I have yet to look into their disassembly, and while it may not be easy or practical, I'm sure it won't put me off, because I think I will view it as an interesting quirk if nothing else.

I'm also glad that you all think that my concern over this individual pistol is likely just a visual oddity and probably not something that is actually wrong with it.

I have contacted Gun Broker customer service to let them know that I "mistakenly" missed the chance to place a bid and asked them if there is any way that they could contact the seller on my behalf to let them know that I would like to purchase the pistol. I have no idea if anything can be done, but I thought it would be worth asking... Especially after reading some of the opinions posted here.

As far as finding deals on Gun Broker goes, I agree that many things are over priced and some things can be had for an acceptable or average price, while others can be quite good buys. If I compair Gun Broker prices to some of my local gun stores or places like Cabela's, Gun Broker may often have the best prices on used firearms specifically and sometimes new ones too. One nice thing about Gun Broker is you can find pretty much anything you might be looking for.... One could never hope to have such a selection just browsing local shops. So that reason alone is a good reason to give Gun Broker a chance. But there is also nothing better than finding something you've always wanted or didn't even know you wanted at a local store, in person, at a good price. And that's an experience that's hard to beat! Buying online really just isn't the same. Regardless, I think Gun Broker is a good resource especially for someone looking for something specific, and while good deals may be hard to find, they are certainly out there.