The Colt Woodsman: A most pined after plinking pistol

[Jgarrick]

http://www.guns.com/2014/04/22/colt-woodsman-pined-plinking-pistol/



Today there are dozens of .22LR target pistols out there on the market. You can walk into any shop in any state and find any number of Ruger, Browning, Beretta, or Walther pistols among others who all promise to scratch that rimfire itch. But nearly a hundred years ago, Colt got this concept out and perfect and before anyone else did and it came in the form of a work of art we know today as the Woodsman—quite possibly the handgun shooters most want to see made again…

At the dawn of the 20th Century, Colt Firearms had a master artisan and visionary on their payroll. His name: John Moses Browning. In the first two decades of the century, Browning designed for the company their Model 1900, 1902, M1903/1908 Pocket Hammerless, Vest Pocket pistol, and that most famous of Colt handguns—the M1911 longslide. Odds are, if you wanted a semi-automatic pistol in the US in the 1900s, you had a Colt.

These guns, ranging from .25 to .45ACP were all made for the purpose of self-defense/military and law enforcement use. What the company needed in 1915 to complete the handgun hat trick was a nice rimfire target pistol. And that is just what Browning came up with.

The new .22 self-loader was an exercise in simplicity. Browning started with a fixed-barrel attached to a strait blowback action. This meant that the barrel was threaded solid to the forged steel frame, which ensured that as long as it was aligned properly in production, it couldn’t be knocked loose in the future. Atop the back of the frame was a removable cover that held the mainspring housing, striker-style firing pin, and a spring-loaded extractor.

(Excerpt, remainder of article at link)

Always wanted a Woodsman, haven't gotten around to it for some reason.

[oneshooter]

1. If you are like me then the reason is price.

I just bought a small collection. It included a Winchester M52, my idea of a "plinking rifle" It is also known as a "bullet stacker".

[jaystuw]

2. I want one too!

Oh wow! My first post on DU and its about colt woodsman pistols! Who would of expected that? Anyway, I am in the same boat, have always wanted one but for whatever reason it hasn't happened. I have gotten close, well sort of, in the form of a very early high standard model B. Also have a Ruger mk1, but still have not taken the $500+ step to the woodsman. I already know the model I want, I'm going for a "pre-woodsman", that's the earliest variant from 1916 to some time in the 20's when the actual named woodsman came out. Gotta start looking on gunbroker! Jay