In House Shipping:
Make: Colt
Model: Woodsman Sport, 2nd Series
Serial Number: 135653-S
Year of Manufacture: 1953
Caliber: .22 Long Rifle
Action Type: Single Action Semi-Auto fed by Removable Magazine
Barrel Length: 4 1/2"
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a serrated blade pinned to a serrated, ramped base fixed to the front of the barrel. The rear sight is a square notch adjustable for windage and elevation in a base pinned to the rear of the slide.
Grip Configuration & Condition: The grips are two-piece checkered "Coltwood" brown plastic. As is common with this material, the grips show extreme shrinkage, warping, cracking, and losses. The grips are in Poor Condition.
Type of Finish: Blue
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is semi-bright with sharp rifling. There is infrequent light erosion and some scattered stubborn fouling in the bore. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 7 or 8 out of 10.
Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 70% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. There is handling wear in the grip areas. There are scattered light nicks, scuffs, and scratches. There is infrequent minor surface oxidation. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads are tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Not counting the grips, the pistol is in 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 original vintage Colt blued 10-round magazine marked “COLT / CAL. 22 L.R.” on the bottom floorplate. Also included is a Colt Archives letter that confirms this pistol’s original configuration, shipped July 17, 1953 to the Marine Corps Supply Depot at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina as one of 1,250 guns of the same type in the shipment.
Our Assessment: The US Marine Corps has always prided itself on high level marksmanship. It was accurate Marine fire that stopped the Germans cold at Belleau Wood in the Great War, and halted frenzied Japanese banzai attacks in the Pacific during WW2. In 1953, the US Marine Corps ordered 2,500 2nd Series Woodsman Sport pistols from Colt for marksmanship training. Half were shipped to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina (as was this one), and half were shipped to the Marine base in Barstow in Southern California. At some point afterward, many were intentionally destroyed and sold as scrap, making any surviving “USMC PROPERTY” marked pistols such as this very scarce and desirable today.
This Colt 2nd Series Woodsman Sport was made in 1953 and is in Very Good Condition. It’s chambered in .22 LR, features the rare “USMC PROPERTY” marking along the right side of the frame, 70% of its original blued finish, a 4.5” barrel, adjustable sights, the button magazine release characteristic of the 2nd Series, and a semi-bright bore with sharp rifling (there’s infrequent light erosion and some scattered stubborn fouling), and comes complete with the original Colt Archives letter confirming its configuration and its Marine Corps/Camp Lejeune shipping destination. The Coltwood grips have the unfortunate though common shrinkage and warping, but could be easily replaced if the next owner wished to shoot it. 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. A great relic of the Old Corps.