Colt Woodsman
Colt's Manufacturing · Pistol · Out Of Production · 1915
Also known as: Colt .22 Automatic Target Pistol, Woodsman Target, Woodsman Sport, Woodsman Match Target, Colt Huntsman, Colt Challenger
Overview
The Colt Woodsman is a .22 Long Rifle semi-automatic pistol designed by John Moses Browning and produced by Colt's Manufacturing from 1915 to 1977. A simple straight-blowback action, a crisp single-action trigger, and a slender grip angle inherited from Browning's 1900-era pistol work made it the benchmark American rimfire target and plinking handgun for more than fifty years. Built across four recognised generations - the Pre-Woodsman first series, Series 1, Series 2, and Series 3 - and offered in Sport, Target, Match Target, Huntsman, and Challenger configurations, the Woodsman fed from a 10-round detachable box magazine and fired the full spectrum of .22 LR ammunition once heat-treated mainsprings were introduced in the early 1930s. The Match Target, with its heavy 6.5-inch barrel and flared 'Elephant Ear' walnut grips, remains one of the most collectible and accurate iron-sighted rimfire pistols ever mass-produced. Total production across all series exceeded 690,000 units before Colt ceased manufacture in 1977, unable to match the price of Ruger's simpler Standard Model.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 794 g (28.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 267 mm (10.51") |
| Barrel Length | 165 mm (6.50") |
| Height | 124 mm (4.88") |
| Width | 32 mm (1.26") |
| Sight Radius | 244 mm (9.61") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Single Action |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Trigger Pull | 18 N (4.0 lbf) |
| Magazine Capacity | 10 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 329 m/s (1079 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 140 J (103 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 50 m (55 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 150 m (164 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 406 mm (15.98") |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .22 Long Rifle · primary — also known as .22 LR, 22 LR, 5.6x15mmR
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Thumb Safety, Magazine Disconnect Safety Series 3
- Features: Adjustable Rear Sight, Fixed Front Blade Sight, Checkered Walnut Grips, Exposed Barrel Design, Push Button Magazine Release Series 3, Heel Magazine Release Pre Series 3, Slide Hold Open On Last Round Series 3, Target Grade Trigger
Variants
- Pre-Woodsman (First Series)
- Target
- Sport
- Match Target
- Huntsman
- Challenger
- Series 1
- Series 2
- Series 3
Service history
Operators
- United States · as OSS suppressor-fitted Woodsman (High Standard HDM was the primary OSS pistol, but suppressed Woodsmen were used in parallel)
- United States · as Target/Sport/Match Target/Huntsman/Challenger
Conflicts
- World War II (1939-1945)
Production
Estimated total produced: 690,000 · Production years: 1915-1977
Approximately 690,000 pistols produced across the Pre-Woodsman, Series 1, Series 2, and Series 3 generations, including the Sport, Target, Match Target, Huntsman, and Challenger variants. Production ended in 1977 as Colt could no longer compete on price with the Ruger Standard.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: John Moses Browning
Discontinued: 1977
Notes
Early Series 1 guns were not rated for high-velocity .22 LR and can be damaged by modern ammunition; collectors restrict them to standard-velocity loads. Suppressor-fitted Woodsmen were issued in small numbers to OSS field agents in WWII alongside the better-known High Standard HDM.
Background
During WWII the OSS issued suppressor-fitted Woodsmen to field agents for silent close-range assassinations, including at least one documented killing of a German sentry at point-blank range. War hero Audie Murphy owned several Woodsmen and reportedly kept a Match Target on his nightstand; the pistol's fifty-year reign as America's favourite plinker finally ended when Bill Ruger's cheaper, mass-producible Standard Model, launched in 1949, slowly eroded Colt's market until the line was dropped in 1977.