Colt Woodsman mag confusion

jonk

Hi all,

My dad recently came into posession of a 3rd series Woodsman made in 1956 fairly cheaply, as it had no magazine.

I see a number for sale on auction or at various sites on the web. However, they just say, "This is for old style" or "New style" woodsmen. So my confusion:

1st series- bottom catch mag release.
2nd series- side button mag release
3rd series (at least some)- bottom catch release.

So... if "old style" and "new style" are my only choices, even having a fairly late gun which style mag should I order?

bobski

i would venture to say old style refers to the 2nd design. new refers to the 3rd. i believe 'early' refers to the 1st design.

rufe-snow

Your Woodsman, if it is the 3rd series? Is very close to the transition point, ( circa mid 50's ), between 2nd & 3rd series.

If it doesn't have a push button mag release on the left side of frame? It is a 3rd series.

The replacement mag would be the "New Style",

Looking at my current Triple K catalog. They note all the post 1947 Woodsman type pistol magazines, are the same dimensionally. Except the 2nd series has a notch cut on the body of the magazine, for a push button mag release.

jonk

New Style. Gotcha. Will do.

COLT

...This one was born in 52 or 53..I forget...but when I called Colt back when for the "born-on" date, Colt referred to it as one of the transition Match Target Sportsmans...so somewhere around the time rufe stated as the transition between 2nd and 3rd generation, is correct.

As you can see, it has the mag catch. The mag has the button to depress to facilitate it's loading, if that helps. I don't know that much about the differences between the generations.

...Hell, I dont know much about these at all. I had it trying to sell it for a friend...couldn't even get $400 for it, and it is one sweet little .22, accurate w/that heavy barrel and functions perfectly...so I bought it because it is after all, a Colt.[:p]

If you have/get a pic (off a site maybe) and post it I can tell you if it looks like mine for this one.
I would take a pic of the mag....but it's raining and dark here..and I NEED outside to take pics ([:0][:D]) and then they still suck, but not as bad as the ones I try to
take inside.
...and it ain't the camera...