Henry Rifle Forums

I've been hunting for another magazine or two for my 70s vintage Colt Woodsman for awhile, now. Just love this fine 22 auto. It points and balances so unlike the Ruger Marks I've always shot. Looks pretty darn good, too.


As expected, though, finding an original Colt Woodsman magazine doesn't come cheap. One in nice condition typically runs $100 or more and that's used, since Colt hasn't produced Woodsman mags in a long time, now. Yeah, kind of crazy, but that's the world of vintage Colts.

So, I stopped by our favorite LGS today and found this. It's not a Woodsman, but pretty close. It's a Colt Targetsman 22 auto. Both the Targetsman (economy grade adjustable sights) and the Huntsman (fixed sights) were the economy alternatives to the Woodsman, but other than the sights, the only significant difference with the Woodsman, is no last shot hold open in the Targetsman/Huntsman. Serial number dates it to 1967.


What caught my eye on this one was mainly the extra magazine (same as a Woodsman), of course. Still, the walnut grips (an optional upgrade, same grips as the Woodsman, very collectible), not to mention the box, original papers and receipt (also collectible) made for a really nice Colt.

When I saw the price, though, I was a little shocked. Only $350? No way. Had to be a mistake. The two magazines, walnut grips, box and papers alone were with that. On top of it all, sitting there in the box, I could see absolutely no handling wear.

At that point, my buddies at the shop were smiling and told me to wait a minute. They turned it over and, well, what a shame.


Took it home, anyway. The way I figured it, I bought two magazines, wood grips and a collectible box and papers for $350 and got a gun for free. Okay, that's a stretch, but this otherwise minty Colt 22 auto shoots great (already took it out to test fire). It has the same feel and balance as a Woodsman, as it should. After all, it really is basically a Woodsman, just one minus a couple of features. Given its scars, I'll shoot it all I want and not worry about it. Having this sweet Colt will save wear and tear on my minty Woodsman, too.

Notice the price on the box. Gotta love it.

I have a similar one, I have the original grips, box, but not the papers or tool. I bought some ebay specials for grips to use as I didn't want to mess up the breakable originals.

I love my woodsman.


Wow, I didn't know about the Targetsman and Huntsman.... great, two more on my list.

NCG, I would have bought that one too. It's not like they are making them still, or making them like that anymore.

Congratulations on your extra magazines and chewed up shooter.

Great find, the target won’t care about a few blemishes in the finish. Thanks for the info on the different Colt 22 semi’s.

Good find. What would cause that kind of damage? Have a couple Woodsman and a Colt Challenger. The Woodsman are my favorite plinkers.

Thanks, guys.

The Colt Huntsman actually started out as the economy grade version of the Woodsman back in the 50s. Back then it was called the Colt Challenger, but apparently the folks at Browning weren't too happy because Browning also had their own Challenger, so somewhere along the line Colt changed the name to the Huntsman.

By the way, all of these Colts and Browning 22 autos have a John Browning or one of his grandsons pedigree. The Belgium made Browning Challengers are considered very fine guns if you come across one.

Ernie, I suspect the gun got laid on a wet surface and left there for a long time, possibly the floor on a car or truck or something. Hard to say at this point, but given that a mint Targetsman or Huntsman with the box and papers would run somewhere between $750 and 1K these days, I got this one at quite a discount because of the damage.

Couldn't see the damage very clearly. It looked like someone hammered the bejabers out of it. Pitting is more logical.
Thanks for the information on the Challenger, that makes sense as I have a Browning Challenger as well.

I agree. When I first saw those marks, it looked like a gun that had been dropped on a rock or pavement. Those kinds of gouges don't look like rust putting to me. Will probably never know, though.

I wonder if a custom restoration outfit like Turnbull could clean that up to perfection?

If anyone could, it would be Turnbull. One challenge would be that Colt Blue. Not sure if that can still be replicated. Now, if this one was a Woodsman, I'd be tempted to restore it if it could be done. Given it's a Targetsman, I'll leave it as is and just enjoy shooting it.