“Standard Manufacturing Resurrects The Colt Woodsman“

[rabid wombat]

This could be cool…

Standard Manufacturing Resurrects The Colt Woodsman

“…Now thanks to Standard Manufacturing Co., it is being resurrected based upon the 1918 patent which has long since expired...”

https://onlygunsandmoney.com/2023/03/24/standard-manufacturing-resurrects-the-colt-woodsman.html

 

[Roverguy]

Cool!

But pricey.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

I dunno, Im not crazy about the bone and charcoal look....the "royal blue" might be more appealing, but even then no thanks at that price when real vintage Colts can be found for less.

 

[PapaG]

I doubt you’ll find a like new Colt for much less than that. I have a second model Sport Woodsman 4” that I’ve turned down $1K in cash for.
I’ve seen the big slab side target models in 95% condition bring as much as Smith 41s.
I just hope Standard does a better job than most who reintroduce old favorites.
I wonder what a magazine would run. I need another one but not for eBay prices.

 

[kidneyboy]

All you guys pining for the Woodsman of your youth should be thrilled. I would expect Standard Manufacturing to make a quality example.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

I doubt you’ll find a like new Colt for much less than that. I have a second model Sport Woodsman 4” that I’ve turned down $1K in cash for.
I’ve seen the big slab side target models in 95% condition bring as much as Smith 41s.
I just hope Standard does a better job than most who reintroduce old favorites.
I wonder what a magazine would run. I need another one but not for eBay prices.

There are several 95% pencil-barrelled examples on GB now for $13-1400. For me, the extra couple hundo would be worth the real thing.
Ive seen "shooter grade" guns at the local show recently in the $700-900 range.
If Standard introduced a Target Model for under 15, Id probably bite.

 

[dogtown tom]

If I had $1300 and wanted another Woodsman I would get the genuine Colt.
And for $1300 I could get a nice one.

 

[CoalTrain49]

Isn't that always the case with the repros. Just look around awhile and an original can found for a few dollars more.

Not sure who buys those repros but my research says they don't sell that well once the new wears off. A lot less than an original.

 

[PapaG]

Pythons? Even though it is Colt, isn’t it really CZ. Not complaining.

 

[WestKentucky]

Next up Vest Pocket… one of the few Colt pistols I really would be happy to own.

 

[JCooperfan1911]

All that gorgeous case hardening paired with ugly pressed chequered grips.

 

[chicharrones]

This could be cool…

Standard Manufacturing Resurrects The Colt Woodsman

“…Now thanks to Standard Manufacturing Co., it is being resurrected based upon the 1918 patent which has long since expired...”

https://onlygunsandmoney.com/2023/03/24/standard-manufacturing-resurrects-the-colt-woodsman.html

Am I missing something? I don’t see a link to the gun on the manufacturers website in that blog entry.

 

[kidneyboy]

Am I missing something? I don’t see a link to the gun on the manufacturers website in that blog entry.

sg22-1

 

[PzGren]

I have had a few Colt Woodsman over the years and wasn't overly impressed with how they shot. There is a reason why S&W was coming up with the S&W M41 and why it looks like a Hammerli International: the 1936 Olympics, where Germany won five medals in the .22 competitions by using the superior design of the Walther Olympia 1936 model that was later developing into the Hammerli International.
I always wonder about the term " master gunsmith". What exactly constitutes a master? Especially with no sanctioning authority overseeing the title. SIG Sauer Eckernfoerde had a master shop but Germany has a three year associate program to become a gun smith with standardized tests and a lengthy master program for the very best afterwards.

 

[kidneyboy]

Not sure who buys those repros but my research says they don't sell that well once the new wears off.

Just a guess here but I'll bet that Standard has a pretty good idea how many of these will sell and who will be buying these. They already know how to sell a quality product ( SA revolvers) to a niche market.

 

[kidneyboy]

I always wonder about the term " master gunsmith". What exactly constitutes a master? Especially with no sanctioning authority overseeing the title.

The sanctioning authority for all trades are the trades themselves. It has been that way for generations. Being a Master means that you are highly skilled in all aspects of your trade. Apprentice > Journeyman > Master is the normal course of things. Not many make the jump from journeyman to master.

 

[someguy2800]

I see where people are coming from when they say they would rather pay a extra hundred or two to get an original. The flip side is in my opinion the originals really weren’t that great of a gun, so you might be getting a nicer pistol buying a new one. This will probably be an unpopular opinion, but the woodsman, like most colt products are better to look at then they are to shoot. Mine is a 1960’s targetsman. It’s a beautiful gun, but if you want a shooter you would be far better served with the woodsman’s grandson, a $400 buckmark.

 

[bannockburn]

When I was growing up I thought the Colt .22s were some of the most stylish and elegant looking pistols out there. But back then I had a "champagne taste on a beer budget" kind of financial situation so I went with Ruger Mk. IIs instead.

Even though these new Standard Manufacturing Colt-like .22s look nice and everything, I think they're still too pricey for me!

 

[CoalTrain49]

Just a guess here but I'll bet that Standard has a pretty good idea how many of these will sell and who will be buying these. They already know how to sell a quality product ( SA revolvers) to a niche market.

I can see the SA revolver having a large market with all of the CAS folks out there. Not too sure about the .22 target crowd. Is it dot ready, if not it won't make it with target shooters, especially at that price. I think it's being marketed to boomers who had one in their younger days. I never had one but worked with a guy who did. It was well used.

I had a MKII in my safe for 20 years which I never shot until I put a dot on it.

 

[someguy2800]

I can see the SA revolver having a large market with all of the CAS folks out there. Not too sure about the .22 target crowd. Is it dot ready, if not it won't make it with target shooters, especially at that price. I think it's being marketed to boomers who had one in their younger days. I never had one but worked with a guy who did. It was well used.

I had a MKII in my safe for 20 years which I never shot until I put a dot on it.

The only place to put one would be mounted to the barrel. A woodsman is kind of like a Ford model A. It was a revolutionary product in its day and basically was the blueprint for all the cars that have been built since, but I wouldn’t recommend it as a daily driver in 2023.

 

[CoalTrain49]

The only place to put one would be mounted to the barrel. A woodsman is kind of like a Ford model A. It was a revolutionary product in its day and basically was the blueprint for all the cars that have been built since, but I wouldn’t recommend it as a daily driver in 2023.

Probably had something to do with Bill Ruger designing the MK1, which is a much better design IMO.

 

[Jim Watson]

I think it's being marketed to boomers who had one in their younger days.

Seems to work for single action revolvers and "imitation Army surplus" 1911s.

 

[CoalTrain49]

Seems to work for single action revolvers and "imitation Army surplus" 1911s.

Cimarron model P, $500. Tisas 1911, $400. EAA P-35 $600. That's why it works. When you get close to originals prices you're going to shoot yourself in the foot.

 

[kidneyboy]

I think it's being marketed to boomers who had one in their younger days.

Yep. Boomers with expendable income.
That said, Standard has probably made it a high quality pistol.

 

[PzGren]

The sanctioning authority for all trades are the trades themselves. It has been that way for generations. Being a Master means that you are highly skilled in all aspects of your trade. Apprentice > Journeyman > Master is the normal course of things. Not many make the jump from journeyman to master.

That's not my point. In the U.S. the sanctioning bodies often have a financial interest in allowing somebody to become a master since they offer the courses for hard cash. A little googling will let you find out that "master gun smith classes" can be finished in 16 months. Maybe you overlooked that I had compared that to Germany, where an associate program is three years. That's 36 months. The resulting difference in quality and the sad demise of American trade schools is evident here. The guys that polished Pythons before the UAW strike on walrus leather, or the Babbit man, were not really considered masters but performed to a very high standard.

I am not all all saying that I find American gunsmiths having to universally take a back seat to German gunsmiths, after all there is no substitute for intelligence and no training or standardized testing will make up for talent. Les Baer, Nowlin, and a few others have proven to be world class but the marketing term "master gunsmith" used by Standard Manufacturing is objectionable to me and appears to be meaningless.