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Colt Woodsman Third Series Model .22 LR - Woodsman 2nd Series / 3rd
Series Match Target Mystery Gun .22LR 6" Blue, Features 2nd Series Serial Number 111489-S
(1952)
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| Woodsman 2nd Series / 3rd Series Match Target Mystery Gun .22LR 6" Blue,
90%+. Features 2nd Series SN#111489-S (1952) with original 2nd Series
brown injection molded plastic grips w/thumbrest, mint bore, 2nd Series machined
slide stop lever, 2nd Series barrel roll markings 2nd Series mag, 2nd / 3rd
Series Accro rear sight / flattop slide w/rounded base front, 3rd Series (early)
polished radius slide, 3rd Series bluing motif on bottom of barrel and in barrel
flutes, 3rd Series blued (not bright polished) finish on raised front barrel
muzzle surface, 3rd Series larger trigger guard, 3rd Series trigger, 3rd Series
mag release on butt, 3rd Series no mag safety feature, 3rd Series main spring
housing without lanyard ring bar or grip adapter hole with thinning blue on grip
front and backstraps. Major Robert Rayburn, of Tacoma, WA; author of the
Woodsman collector's bible, the little red
Colt Woodsman Pocket Guide and the world's leading authority on Colt
Woodsman pistols thinks it "was a 2nd Series that had problems (such as a
cracked frame) and was returned to Colt for repair after the 3rd Series came
into production. They probably replaced the frame and numbered it with the
original SN#. They would probably have reblued the whole thing at the same
time, likely using the bluing scheme in effect at the time of the repair. They
may, or may not, have stamped an ampersand (&)(they did not) somewhere on the
frame, most likely in the aft right hand trigger guard web." Rayburn continued:
"I don't know about your particular pistol, but I do know that frames were
replaced and given the original number sometimes; I saw entries in the shipping
records to that effect for some prewar guns. Unfortunately that doesn't
necessarily mean that there would be such a notation by your serial number, but
there might be." I found the gun at a local Iowa gun show in November '97 and
normally don't look at guns in this condition but something just didn't look
right and it took several minutes to come up with the reasons why it didn't.
Truly a Mystery Gun and a special find! There are no hints of tampering of any
sort! |
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