Woodsman Match Target versus....

[tex_n_cal]

I have found a decent Colt Woodsman Match target, about 1960's vintage, which is a "shooter" - enough wear to take it out of "collector" status, at a price of $500 or so. I'm thinking of getting it for casual target shooting.

For those with experience, how does the WMT compare to similar .22 target autos, like the High Standards, the S&W Model 41, Browning Medalist, New Berettas, etc. ????

Or should I just order a Marvel conversion for one of my 1911's ?

 

[Majic]

Performance wise they all are about equal (with certain HS having an advantage), but a lot depends on the individual shooter. WMT has a small grip and though I like my 3rd gen WMT my HS has a larger more handfilling grip and it's heavier so I shoot it better. You may find just the opposite.

 

[Ala Dan]

Hard to beat a Colt Match Target Woodsman, from any generation!

 

[Jim Watson]

I am not a good enough shot to tell a difference in accuracy but my Colt does not have as nice a trigger pull as S&W M41 or HS Supermatic Citation.

 

[Rockstar]

Jim, I'm going to have to break down and try one of those pistols you mentioned. My Woodsman pulls @ 2#, with no discernable creep or overtravel. If yours are better than that, I've gotta try 'em.

 

[Jim Watson]

No, my Colt's trigger pull is heavier than yours.
I actually prefer shooting the High Standard. I think its only weak point is the difficulty of getting good magazines.

 

[Majic]

Good HS magazines are getting few and far between, also pricey too. Everything else you have to tweak to get any kind of reliability out of them.

 

[Michael Zeleny]

About 25 years ago I had to give up a mint condition Third Series Match Target Model Colt Woodsman that would seldom go through a full magazine without a couple of misfeeds, regardless of the type or brand of ammunition used. I cannot recall my Browning Medalist ever failing to cycle with anything I put through it.

I have no personal experience with the M1911 conversion kits, but since the accuracy of a .22 l.r. pistol depends on its fixed barrel and sight arrangement, whereas its reliability depends on the low mass of its slide and rate of its mainspring, the proper use for a rimfire conversion kit on a centerfire pistol lacking all of these attributes is for low cost and light recoil training, mostly suitable for breaking in novice shooters. That is how I use such kits on my SIG P210-6 pistols. They are fun to play with, but a dedicated semiautomatic rimfire target pistol is a serious firearm in an entirely different class of precision. Every shooter ought to have at least one in his collection.

 

[azzhandler]

ive always wanted a medalist {left hand grips} but for now my buckmark varmit is a 2x7 scope shoots better then i do any day of the week

 

[Souris]

I have a pre-woodsman that I like alot and I have a Huntsman.
I shoot the Huntsman when I can as it's my favorite .22 handgun. I was at the range w/ my buddy who had just recently bought a Buckmark target model. I have to say that my old Huntsman was a much better pistol in my hands than his Buckmark. YMMV

 

[Rockstar]

I'd like to add that my Woodsman never jams. Guess I've been lucky.

 

[Standing Wolf]

On average, the best triggers will be on High Standards.

The problem with the Woodsman and High Standards is that the guns haven't been made in quite awhile. Factory original repair parts aren't readily available, and qualified gunsmiths are even scarcer.

I've been a High Standard afficionado for decades, but am finally having to conclude it's time to consign them to the gun safe and accommodate myself to shooting something else on a regular basis. I have a pre-agreement Smith & Wesson model 41 that's reliable and accurate, but the trigger isn't quite match-legal, and has some creep.

I'm having to think about Walthers, Pardinis, Moronis, and the like.

All that said™, I'll gladly buy a Woodsman Match Target if I ever find the right one at a more or less reasonable price. They're awfully pretty guns, and I'd love to shoot one now and then.

 

[Majic]

I'll gladly buy a Woodsman Match Target if I ever find the right one at a more or less reasonable price.

I know exactly what you mean. There are plenty of the right ones out there, but the reasonable price is never attached.

 

[Brian Williams]

I got my 1st series for $225 with crappy grips.

 

[BBBS]

How much would you give for a 1st issue?