Iver Johnson Trailsman 22lr

Don't know a thing about it, but I sure do admire the lines of it. Think I might have had something like this one as a kid, back in my Space Patrol days.

Looks a lot like a Colt Woodsman.

It is indeed a copy of the 2nd gen Woodsman.
I had one years ago. It was accurate (~2.5" @ 25 yards) and reliable - until the firing pin broke.
I put in a replacement and after that I got a lot of light strikes and I never could fix it.
I traded it off about 15 years ago.

A buddy had one when they came out and it seemed OK. If I had been in the market I might have bought one....but likely would have bought a Ruger Mark II or late "mark I" RST, which ever was new that year. I think the IJ was the Cheapest of the .22lr Autos worth having that year though. I seem to recall they could take Colt magazines. Certainly would not turn one down as a gift!

-kBob

Nice looking pistol.

Reminds me of a Healthways Plainsman CO2 BB pistol I had as a kid.

Speedo66 said:

Nice looking pistol.

Reminds me of a Healthways Plainsman CO2 BB pistol I had as a kid.

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nice. didn't that use lead BB and have a rifled barrel?

I had to make do with the Daisy CO2 200.

-kBob

kBob said:

nice. didn't that use lead BB and have a rifled barrel?

I had to make do with the Daisy CO2 200.

-kBob

Click to expand...

Not that I know of. I think it just used steel BB's, at least that's what I used.

I wonder if the name "Plainsman" was a takeoff from "Trailsman". I think production of the BB gun started about 2 years after the start of the Trailsman.

OK I did some research.

The Plainsman BB pistol came out in 1969, so predated the Iver and Johnson.

The most common used standard BBs

But there were models that used a Healthways propritory nickel coated lead BB and had a rifled barrel. They even made a short barrel one that used even rarer nickel plated .22 round lead shot!

Thanks for "making" me do the research.

-kBob

Hoyte said:

View attachment 975640 Who has actual experience with one? Are they unreliable? Accurate in any way? What is your experience with them? Thanks

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I got one new in the late 1980's. Woodsman copy. Mine shot well, but I traded it a couple of months later and shortly after it gave my friend issues. I dont remember what they were. We were just broke kids in our mid 20's.

kBob said:

OK I did some research.

The Plainsman BB pistol came out in 1969, so predated the Iver and Johnson.
9
The most common used standard BBs

But there were models that used a Healthways propritory nickel coated lead BB and had a rifled barrel. They even made a short barrel one that used even rarer nickel plated .22 round lead shot!

Thanks for "making" me do the research.

-kBob

Click to expand...

The IJ Trailsman is a copy of Colt pistol introduced in 1913 (IIRC) and made by them until about 1980. It was very popular and copied by High Standard in the early 1930`s. The Healthways BB gun could easily have been styled to resemble it as well.

I wonder what technology allowed IJ to make a copy of it cheaply?

kBob said:

OK I did some research.

The Plainsman BB pistol came out in 1969, so predated the Iver and Johnson.

The most common used standard BBs

But there were models that used a Healthways propritory nickel coated lead BB and had a rifled barrel. They even made a short barrel one that used even rarer nickel plated .22 round lead shot!

Thanks for "making" me do the research.

-kBob

Click to expand...

OK, turns out I was looking at info for their revolver, also called the Trailsman (66). Couldn't they come up with another name? lol

Monoc,

Speedo66 asked if the Heathways was named after the IJ not modeled after it. I am aware of the Colt Woodsman and you may note I mentioned that I thought the IJ took Colt magazines... it was a while ago...

As for what it was the Healthways Plainsman was modeled after.... how about the Browning Nomad that came out a few years earlier? Or maybe even the very successful Daisy CO2 200?

Now the air pistol that really looked like something was the Crossman Mark I and Mark II which looked awfully Ruger Mark I. Single shots, but very accurate. Some claimed that inside 50 feet both the .22 cal Mark I and .177 Mark II with lead diablo pellets were as accurate as the Ruger .22 RST4 (and 6) and Mark I.

Maybe we should take the airgun discussion to that section of THR

-kBob

Thanks for setting me straight, kBob. I need to borrow a motto from woodworking: "Read twice, post once".

I had one a few years ago that was fine once I figured out how to get it all put back together. Got a few other .22s I like better so it got sold down the road. It was a nice gun, but nothing really special.

Damn nice .22LR semi-auto. I agree it looks a lot like a Colt. No doubt where they got their inspiration:
View attachment 976438
Though they went Colt one better with a saner mag catch/release button.

You can learn something every day. I have paid little attention to Iver Johnson over the years and thought they only made revolvers.

doubleh

Iver Johnson also made from imported parts another .22 though this one was quite a bit smaller. It was the TP22 and was basically an Erma Werke EP 552S with a few changes to it. I had one and it was a decent little .22 pocket auto.

I kind of like the Iver Johnson’s. Pretty neat guns that are still cheap enough to collect. A lot of like new specimens out there.