Woodsman Sport

The Colt Woodsman is a line of .22 Long Rifle semi-automatic target pistols produced by Colt from 1915 to 1977, representing one of the most successful and beloved American rimfire pistol designs of the 20th century. The Sport model designation within the Woodsman line identifies a specific barrel length configuration—typically a 4.5-inch barrel, contrasting with the Standard Model’s 6-inch tube—intended to produce a slightly more compact and versatile pistol suitable for both target shooting and practical outdoor use. The name “Woodsman” reflects the pistol’s original marketing as an outdoorsman’s companion for hunting small game and informal plinking.

The Woodsman was designed by John Browning in collaboration with Colt engineers and underwent significant evolution through three distinct production series. The first-series Woodsman, produced from 1915 to 1947, used a design that required high-velocity .22 LR ammunition to function reliably, as the recoil spring was calibrated for the higher-energy loads of the era. Post-war second-series pistols (1947–1955) and third-series guns (1955–1977) incorporated improvements including a stronger magazine, improved safety features, and mainspring modifications that improved reliability with standard-velocity ammunition.

The Woodsman Sport model occupies a particular place of affection among American rimfire collectors—compact enough for comfortable field carry, accurate enough for serious target work, and mechanically elegant in a way that reflects the thoughtful design attention Colt applied to this commercially important product over six decades of production. First-series Woodsman pistols in original condition are particularly valued, as their place at the beginning of a long and distinguished production history gives them historical significance beyond their mechanical attributes.

The Woodsman’s disappearance from the Colt catalog in 1977 ended an era of American rimfire pistol production, and excellent original examples have appreciated steadily as the surviving population of unaltered, well-preserved examples decreases.