A missing front sight blade can result in months of searching. If you are fortunate enough to encounter a Colt Woodsman for sale at an attainable price, make certain it is complete. The grip angle and sight radius makes for a very pointable, accurate pistol. The design allows for an impressive trigger. It is also a light pistol compared with those of today, and it's grip is shorter and at a more rakish angle than many pistols today. Recently classified as a curio and relic firearm by the BATF, the Colt Woodsman is an elegant and accurate pistol. On later high velocity pistols, this area will be serrated. A Woodsman requiring standard velocity ammunition will have a checkered area on the mainspring housing. A quick way to verify which pistol you have is to look at the mainspring housing. Those pistols produced after that time are safe to use with high velocity. Woodsmen manufactured prior to 1933 were intended to use standard velocity ammunition. The extended 'elephant ear' grips often go for near that price at auction. The price quickly goes up to a grand and above for examples with pristine finishes. Today, Colt Woodsmen seem to start around $500 when they are found in the marketplace.

The lower pistol, manufactured in 1942, was purchased at a pawn shop two years ago with it's holster for $250. Although rebarreled and refinished, it is priceless to me. The upper pistol, a 1940 gun, was a gift from a friend. My two Series One Woodsmen are pictured at left. Within the three primary groups the Woodsman had many variations from a campground plinker to a match quality pistol.

The second series includes all versions from late 1947 until mid 1955, and third series Woodsmen extend from 1955 to the end of regular production in 1977. The first series refers to all Woodsmen built before and during World War Two. Collectors divide up the 62 year Woodsman production into three different frame types, designating them as series one, two and three.

Colt woodsman magazine