Why doesn't my Colt Targetsman have a slide stop?

[someguy2800]

Hey guys, something I have been very curious about. I have a 1969 Colt Targetsman that I bought this spring. I didn't even realize it till I brought it home and shot it but there is no slide stop on the gun other than a notch for the safety to be pushed up into manual.





Inspecting the gun I could see there is obviously a place where one would go and the grips and frame are cut for where it should go. But after looking online to see if possibly the parts were just missing, I noticed that the plate on the side of the frame does not have the hole drilled for it nor does the frame. Also the slide does not have the notch in the front for it to catch into.

For reference here is what a 3rd series woodsman with the slide stop looks like. Notice the front of the side stop going into the side of the frame ahead of the grips and the notch cut into the front of the slide.



The manual that came with the gun does not show a slide stop in the diagram but interestingly I haven't been able to find another picture of a targetsman like mine with no slide stop.



Obviously it was built that way on purpose but I am just curious, how common or rare is it for a 3rd series targetsman to not have a slide stop? Are these the correct grips for the gun or did someone change them out to one that are cut for the slide stop? I briefly considered machining the missing hole and notch but it would be a shame to mess up a classic gun.

 

[dogtown tom]

The 3rd Series Targetsman did not have a slide stop. (neither did the Huntsman)

To get a slide stop you had to buy the Woodsman (Target, Sport or Match Target)

Wood grips are standard after 1960. (those are factory wood grips)
http://www.colt22.com/ will tell you a lot more.

 

[someguy2800]

I was not aware there was a woodsman target model. I thought it was just the hunstman, woodsman, targetsman, and match target. So the model I have is the target version of a huntsman rather than the target version of a woodsman?

 

[JT-AR-MG42]

The second and third series Woodsman 'Sport' - 4 1/2" barrel and 'Target' - 6" barrel names were used in the advertising of the two models
and on the boxes they came in. The pistols themselves were never marked with their respective handles, just the Woodsman name.
Both were equipped with ramped, replaceable front blade sights and either the Coltmaster - (early) or Accro - (later) adjustable rear sight
in addition to the slide stop.

The Targetsman represented Colt's attempt to provide a lower cost (over the woodsman Sport or Target) pistol by adding an economy adjustable rear sight
to a pistol that was otherwise configured as a Huntsman.
Hence, the name 'Targetsman'.

Colt did not provide a slide stop on any Targetsman pistols I've seen. Maybe share photos of them?

Those wood stocks are correct. Colt simply put Woodsman stocks (with the right hand thumb rest and slide stop cut out ) on the Targetsman to dress it up.



JT