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Make: Colt
Model: Woodsman Match Target “Bullseye”, 1st Series
Serial Number: MT13998
Year of Manufacture: 1942
Caliber: .22 Long Rifle (the serrated backstrap indicates that High Velocity ammunition may be used in this pistol)
Action Type: Single Action Semi-Auto fed by Removable Magazine
Barrel Length: 6 1/2″ Heavy Barrel, Tapered Slab-Side
Sights / Optics: The rear sight is a flat topped square notch adjustable for windage and elevation, dovetailed into the slide. The front sight is a blade that is pinned into a slotted base fixed to the top of the barrel.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are two-piece checkered brown plastic with a Rampant Colt logo at the top of each panel. While not a true "elephant ear" profile, the grips are correct for these US WW2 military-ordered Match Targets, as they protrude past the bottom of the backstrap. The grips have no notable wear or damage, only light handling marks. The checkering is well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in about Excellent Condition.
Type of Finish: Blue, the finish is the lower-polish quality used for military purchases.
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright with sharp rifling. There is infrequent minor erosion, mostly at the muzzle-end, and a little stubborn fouling in the bore. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 8 or 9 out of 10.
Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 80% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at most edges. The majority of the balance is in scattered spots of light surface oxidation and erosion. There is light handling wear in the grip areas. There are a few light nicks, scuffs, and scratches. The action shows light operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to lightly tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in about Very Good Condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We have not fired this handgun. As with all previously owned firearms, thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This pistol comes with one vintage original Colt fully blued 10-round magazine stamped “COLT WOODSMAN / CAL. 22. L.R.” on the bottom floorplate.
Our Assessment: Another innovative design sprung from the mind of gunmaking genius John Moses Browning was the “Colt’s Automatic Pistol, Caliber .22”, later to become the Woodsman, with the design refined slightly by Colt employees George Tansley and F.C. Chadwick before it was released in 1915. The Woodsman stayed in production until 1977. While sportsmen favored the Sport Model and plinkers preferred the Target Model, competitive bullseye target shooters wanted the top of the line Match Target. During WW2, the US military ordered an estimated total of 3,962 Colt Woodsman 1st Series Match Target “Bullseye” model pistols for marksmanship training, and this beauty is one such example. This pistol was made in 1942, remains in Very Good Condition, and carries the inspector initials “G.H.D.” (for Guy H. Drewry) stamped at the right side of the frame, along with a US Ordnance Department “crossed cannons” cartouche stamped at the left side of the frame. Almost all of these pistols acquired by the US military were intended for the Navy for marksmanship training, with most being shipped to the Naval Supply Depot at Norfolk, Virginia in mid to late 1943. This pistol is chambered in .22 LR, and features a 6.5” heavy, slab-sided barrel that tapers toward the muzzle, 80% of its original blued finish (the lower-polish quality used for military purchases), the classic, correct two-piece checkered brown plastic grips that protrude past the bottom of the backstrap, adjustable sights, a heel magazine release characteristic of the 1st Series, and a mostly bright bore with sharp rifling (there’s infrequent minor erosion, mostly at the muzzle-end, and a little stubborn fouling). Lastly, this pistol comes from the personal collection of inventor, founder, and President of Universal Firearms, Abe Seiderman, and should be of additional interest to collectors for that ownership lineage.