Colt Woodsman Match Target Identification Guide

The Colt Woodsman Match Target pistol is a renowned semi-automatic sporting firearm with a special place in American gun history. Manufactured by Colt from 1915 to 1977, the Woodsman line traces its roots to John Moses Browning and became a benchmark for precision, reliability, and elegant sporting-pistol design.

Manufactured by Colt's Manufacturing Company from 1915 to 1977, this pistol was the brainchild of John Moses Browning, one of the most influential gun designers of all time.

Series I: 1915–1941

The first series of the Colt Woodsman, often called the pre-war series, laid the foundation for what became one of Colt’s best-known sporting pistols. Early examples featured the familiar slender profile, comfortable grip shape, and .22 Long Rifle chambering that made the Woodsman useful for target shooting, small game, and general practice.

Design and Features

The Series I Woodsman used a lightweight frame, a smooth trigger, a manual safety lever, and a 10-round magazine. The Match Target variant added heavier-barrel target features and adjustable sights for more precise work.

During this period Colt offered variants such as the Target Model and Sport Model. The Match Target version became the more serious precision-shooting branch of the family.

Series II: 1947–1955

Production resumed after World War II with the second series. These post-war guns brought refinements to handling, internal parts, safety operation, and manufacturing quality. I was looking for a Series II example when I found the 1955 Series III transition gun shown here.

Post-War Refinements

The Series II Woodsman used a straighter backstrap and updated features. Colt also offered related models such as the Challenger and Huntsman for shooters who wanted simpler or more affordable versions while retaining the essential Woodsman character.

Series III: 1955–1977

The third and final series represented the culmination of decades of design evolution. The gun pictured here is a 1955 Series III example. When I was searching for a Woodsman Match Target, I paid close attention to the grips because I wanted a gun from the Baby Boom Period, and these black plastic grips were exactly the kind of period-correct detail I wanted to preserve.

The Series III guns used a more modern frame shape, revised controls, and continued the Match Target focus on the heavy barrel and adjustable sights. By the end of the Baby Boom Period in 1964, cost pressures were affecting many gun manufacturers, making early post-war examples especially interesting to collectors.

Legacy and Competitive Shooting

The Woodsman Match Target was favored by competitive shooters for its accuracy, reliability, and balance. It helped define what a quality American .22 target pistol should feel like. The only black mark in the broader Woodsman story is that William McMillan missed the 1956 Olympic Games after a malfunction during U.S. trials; four years later he won gold in 25-meter rapid fire at the 1960 Olympics in Rome.

Collector’s Item

Today, Colt Woodsman Match Target pistols are highly sought after by collectors. Each series represents a chapter in the development of American semi-automatic sporting pistols, and high-condition examples with original documentation carry special appeal.

John Moses Browning’s Legacy

The Colt Woodsman is a testament to John Moses Browning’s lasting influence. His approach to practical, reliable pistol design, combined with Colt’s manufacturing standards, produced a firearm that still feels refined decades after production ended.

Rose, Kimball & Baxter Shipment

According to my Colt Archive Letter, this gun shipped to Rose, Kimball & Baxter, Inc. of Elmira, New York, on October 20, 1955, as part of a two-gun shipment. The firm had roots in wholesale hardware distribution dating back to the nineteenth century.

Downsizing and the 1955 Match Target

When I began downsizing my collection, I developed a plan: sell several guns and use part of that process to acquire one better example. That made the liquidation process less painful and helped me reshape the collection into fewer, better pieces. This 1955 Match Target fit that plan perfectly.

My father was 18 years old when this gun was made. He remembers that $85 was a pricey handgun in 1955. In today’s dollars, that was meaningful money, but this gun’s collector value has outpaced inflation by a wide margin.

Colt Woodsman Target, Sport & Match Target Serial Number Table

These are estimated manufacture dates. For a more accurate date, use Colt’s serial lookup or order a Colt Archive Letter. Collectors know that manufacture date and ship date can differ significantly.

The Match Target guns do not have “Woodsman” stamped anywhere on the gun. Second Series guns have the magazine release button on the left side of the frame behind the trigger guard, while Third Series guns have the release on the heel of the butt.

Collector Takeaway: A high-condition Woodsman Match Target from the Baby Boom years combines Browning design, Colt workmanship, target-pistol utility, and real collector scarcity in one package.

About Greg Cook

Greg Cook writes about firearms collecting, personal history, and the stories behind interesting guns. His Army MOS was 76Y, Unit Armorer, and he brings that practical background to his collector articles.