Colt Woodsman / Ammo

[Waveski]

I have a nice old Colt Woodsman. A joy to have , hold and shoot. Super light trigger. Anyway ...

It does not seem to like the Federal ammo. Lots of ftf failures.
On the other hand , the action is butter smooth with the MiniMags.
The Federal is lead round nose , rated 1200fps muzzle speed.
The MiniMags are copper plated round nose , 1235 fps.

The two rounds seem to have more similarities than differences. Why such different function? I have no experience with the Woodsman outside of the one I own , no acquaintances who have them. Very limited data base.

Input is welcome. 'Ski

 

[Edarnold]

The factory muzzle velocities are out of rifle-length test barrels. How you get to that velocity can vary a lot: Federal may use a comparatively slow burning powder, which would give much lower velocities in your Woodsman barrel. CCI may use a faster powder, thus more velocity in your pistol barrel and snappier functioning. Use the ammunition that works best in your gun.

 

[usp9]

Generally speaking; I have always shunned HV ammo in the Woodsman. It will function fine with target ammo. Find one that feeds well. Maybe try new mags... they are available.

 

[jonnyc]

A very common issue with many, if not most, .22 rifles and pistols. They like what they like, and dislike what they dislike. You could pick up another Woodsman that hates Mini-Mags and loves Fed. Just the nature of the beast.

 

[Savage99]

Here is your Match Target Woodsman.

I have a few Woodsman pistols. They are my favorite.

They say the ones with the cross hatch lines on the back grip are for high speed ammo. I would use what works.

A clean chamber and 'bolt' face has to be good.

Use the site www.boardreader.com to find talk about your questions.

To steady your aim with the Woodsman reach forward with your other hand under it's barrel!

 

[Oldschool shooter]

I have a Challenger, the cheaper version of the Woodsman. I haven't had any issues with feeding or ejection, but it seems to like medium velocity loads better from an accuracy standpoint. It has been my experience with ant semi auto pistol or rifle, rim fire or centerfire, they like what they like, even found differences in ammo preference in two different guns of the same model. Try out different ammo and see which yours likes best

 

[owlhoot]

I once had a .22 Ruger pistol that would feed copper plated bullets with no problem. However, it would choke on any .22 LR cartridge loaded with an uncoated lead bullet. It may be that your pistol suffers from the same disease.

 

[Waveski]

Nature of the beast , Feed it what it likes best , Brass plating seems good , Fast burning powder , Clean chamber and bolt face.

That pretty well sums it up.Steady diet of MiniMags , coming up!

Thanks guys. 'Ski

 

[Gun Master]

FTF in Woodsman

I have an almost 60 year old Colt Huntsman in 99.5%+ condition. This gun hasn't been shot in years, attempting to keep it in pristine state. It has beautiful bluing and walnut grips.
Some of the Woodsman have a rounded barrel, like my Huntsman, not a slab-sided slide as pictured. The larger slide was the top of the line target model. Oherwise, the Woodsman and Huntsman were quite similar.
Some years ago, I had FTF in my Huntsman. This was solved by a competent gunsmith who built up or polished the feeding ramp. I suspect the ramp, mag lips, or experimenting to find the best ammo, might solve your problem.
Good shooting!

 

[Jim K]

The Woodsman and many other .22 pistols are sensitive to the rim diameter and shape of the ammunition. The reason is that when the round is pushed out of the magazine, the rim "climbs" the ramp in the magazine. If the rim is the wrong shape or the magazine is defective, the round will spread the lips of the magazine rather than riding up the ramp and the gun will jam.

Hi, Savage99,

The OP's pistol is post-WWII and can safely handle high-velocity .22 LR. The original guns, however, could not handle H-V ammo until the bolt stop (the top of the back strap) was hardened. The older backstraps had a checkered oval; they should never be used with high-velocity ammo. The newer ones had horizontal lines and those are OK with any .22 LR ammo. Both were of the old type grip, a bit like the M1903 Colt pocket model; the post-WWII grips are like those pictured.

Jim

 

[Lone Star]

This is a Woodsman Match Target model, prob. from the 1950's. I used to have one and one made about 1968. Both fed everything I used.

I'd remove that trigger shoe. Rust may may form under it.

 

[Jim K]

I checked in replying to another post, so I can be more accurate. The pre-Woodsman was introduced in 1915; the name Woodsman was added in 1927. Guns made before 1931 were made for standard velocity ammo only as the High Velocity ammo didn't come out until that year. All Woodsman pistols made after 1931 and all variations made after WWII are fine with H-V ammo.

It is very unlikely that anyone today will encounter a Woodsman or pre-Woodsman made before 1931 and never converted to use H-V ammo. If you do, don't shoot it; those guns bring some very nice prices from Colt collectors.

Jim

 

[rcmodel]

To add to that.

High speed housings were phased in gradually starting in 1931 between serial numbers 81,000 to 86,000.
So guns in that serial number range could be either.
You need to look at the checkering or grooves on the housing to be sure.

The 1st & 2nd Series High speed mainspring housing has a rectangle box with straight across serrations.

Old Standard velocity mainspring housing has an oval with checkering inside it.



All 3rd Series with the more angled grip are High Speed rated.



Left to Right.
1927 6 5/8" Medium barrel Target model, w/HS mainspring housing.
1936 Woodsman First Series Sport model, w/HS mainspring housing.
1965 Targetsman = No serrations or markings, but High-Speed rated.
1976 Match Target = Full linear grooves, but High-Speed rated.



rc

 

[rcmodel]

Grip angles.

Left to Right.
1927 6 5/8" Medium barrel Target model, w/HS mainspring housing.
1936 Woodsman First Series 41 1/2" Sport model, w/HS mainspring housing.
1965 6" Targetsman = No serrations or markings, but High-Speed rated.
1976 4 1/2" Match Target = Full linear grooves, but High-Speed rated.




rc

 

[msmp5]

I checked in replying to another post, so I can be more accurate. The pre-Woodsman was introduced in 1915; the name Woodsman was added in 1927. Guns made before 1931 were made for standard velocity ammo only as the High Velocity ammo didn't come out until that year. All Woodsman pistols made after 1931 and all variations made after WWII are fine with H-V ammo.........

Hmmmmm. Very interesting. I've had a few Woodsmans over the years and always wondered why some of them would shoot anything and others were kind of finicky. Gonna have to go check serial numbers now, on the couple that I still have!

 

[Onmilo]

I have a nice old Colt Woodsman. A joy to have , hold and shoot. Super light trigger. Anyway ...

It does not seem to like the Federal ammo. Lots of ftf failures.
On the other hand , the action is butter smooth with the MiniMags.
The Federal is lead round nose , rated 1200fps muzzle speed.
The MiniMags are copper plated round nose , 1235 fps.

The two rounds seem to have more similarities than differences. Why such different function? I have no experience with the Woodsman outside of the one I own , no acquaintances who have them. Very limited data base.

Input is welcome. 'Ski

You're gonna play heck finding some now but my old Huntsman LOVED Winchester T22s