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; Comments? Suggestions? Type this address, without the extra spaces, into your email program. Spaces are to foil the Spambots. b o b r a y b u r n @ g m a i l . c o m |
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My
Colt Woodsman Pocket Guide is no longer available. Out of print. has evolved over more than 20 years from a single 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper to the current 96 page shirt pocket size booklet. It includes numerous photos, tables, and other information for the Woodsman owner. Unfortunately it is no longer available. It is sold out and no more reprints. This is the latest and final edition. More information, more pictures, improved layout and organization over previous versions, and greatly improved photos. |
Colt Woodsman Maintenance made Easy
Many thanks to Tom Platt, otherwise known as "prewoodsman" on various gun discussion boards. Tom stated on the Colt semi-autos forum that he has some "unprinted tricks of the trade". He has since written and photographed his excellent guides and has allowed me to post them on the Internet for the benefit of all Colt Woodsman fans. He has also allowed me to reveal the real identity of "the collector previously known only as as preWoodsman."
In my 30-35 years of collecting and shooting the Colt Woodsman I have learned various small repairs by trial and error: mostly error! Some of the most vexing and common problems I have encountered have been the replacement of the recoil spring, the slide stop spring, and the trigger spring. Tom's "tricks of the trade" make those chores, and many more, much easier.
In addition to tips on how to accomplish those tasks, Tom has recently designed a number of small tools to make various chores associated with repairing and maintaining the Colt Woodsman. Totorials for the use of those tools can be found here:
Collecting the Colt Woodsman is a hobby for me, not a business. Please note that I do not do appraisals, so please do not ask me to estimate the value of your gun. I have provided input to the Blue Book of Gun Values for several years, and as of the 2005 edition I also contribute to The Standard Catalog of Firearms. Each of these publications is updated annually with Colt Woodsman values and descriptions based on my recommendations to the editor. The two publications are not identical, and each has certain advantages over the other. I recommend that you consult both publications and then make your own appraisal. You can order either one or both by clicking on the links below.
 2018 Standard Catalog Of Firearms: The Collector's Price & Reference Guide 
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 Blue Book of Gun Values |
If you do not feel qualified to do your own appraisal with the aid of these books, Blue Book Publications will do a written appraisal for you for only $20. There are links on their web site to their appraisal service. They also have experts available to answer specific questions about almost any type of gun for a small fee.
"Colt, Woodsman, .22 caliber semiautomatic pistols, all models, all series, all serial numbers, (to include Match Target, Challenger, Huntsmen, and Targetsman), made prior to 1978"See it on the BATF web site at: http://www.atf.gov/publications/firearms/curios-relics/update-march-2001-may-2005.html
The fact that the Woodsman has been classified as a Curio and Relic by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF) makes life a lot easier for a Woodsman collector who has a Federal Collector's License. A licensed collector can buy a "Curio and Relic" for his own collection from someone in another state, with no requirement to route the purchase through a federally licensed dealer.
In about 1975 I was steelhead fishing in western Washington. I wasn't catching any fish, but I noticed a lot of Blue Grouse. To be better prepared in the future I stopped at a gun shop on the way home that afternoon to buy a .22 pistol. The one that caught my eye was a Colt Woodsman Sport Model, similar to the one at the top of this page.
I had wanted one like that ever since my Uncle Henry, freshly returned from WWII, took me out shooting with him and his brand new Colt Woodsman Sport Model. I was too young to handle it while loaded, but I did get to handle it (unloaded) when we got back home. Almost 30 years later I finally had one.
How many guns does a man need? Always one more! Soon I was up to a dozen or so Colt Woodsmans and thought that I had a "complete" collection. How little I knew! Over the next 30 years I learned a lot, and built what was probably the finest Colt Woodsman collection ever assembled. Over 200 of them, with no duplicates, and including rarities such as experimental models, factory engraved versions, and much more.
A big break came in 1985 when Guns Magazine sent a writer/photographer to my house to do an article on my collection. The article appeared in the February 1986 issue with a Woodsman from my collection on the cover. In the meantime Guns & Ammo magazine contacted me directly and asked me to do an article on the Woodsman. I did, and it appeared in the June 1986 issue. With articles about my collection in two major gun magazines within 4 months I was suddenly inundated with letters and phone calls. What had been a very nice collection grew into a world class collection. You can see what it looked like at its peak at: my collection.
Since I can't take them with me when I'm gone I decided a few years ago to sell my gun collection. The guns are gone, but over the years I bought parts from gunsmiths who were retiring, or from gun shops that were going out of business. As a result I ended up with sizeable quantities of some parts. Now I am selling my parts, papers, and paraphernalia. I am not in the parts business; I'm merely selling off what I have and will not be replacing the parts as they are sold.