COLT WOODSMAN DATES OF MANUFACTURE

Compiled from the production and shipping records at Colt Firearms.

Listed serial numbers represent ranges only. The Woodsman was not assembled in numerical sequence, and overlaps of several thousand numbers are common! A single shipment of a dozen or so guns often contained serial numbers spanning a range of several thousand, which might be typical of numbers used over a period of two or three years.

Several different sets of serial numbers were used, so it is important to use ALL of the numbers and letters in the serial number. For example: 1001, MT1001, 1001-S, 1001-C, and 001001S are all valid serial numbers dating from 1916, 1938, 1948, 1950, and 1969, respectively.

For specific information on a particular Colt, send your model name, caliber, serial number, and check to:

Colt Historian
PO Box 1868
Hartford, CT 06144-1868
Phone: 1-800-962-COLT
Check with Colt Historical Dept. for current prices.

FIRST SERIES WOODSMAN: 1915-1947
Manufacture Dates by Serial Number
Target and Sport Models
(Sport introduced at approximately serial number 86000)
DATE Approximate Serial Number DATE Approximate Serial Number
Mar 1915 1 Jan 1929 63150
Jan 1916 850 Jan 1930 71300
Jan 1917 4000 Jan 1931 77900
Jan 1918 6400 Jan 1932 84400
Jan 1919 7000 Jan 1933 86300
Jan 1920 20200 Jan 1934 89200
Jan 1921 25000 Jan 1935 94500
Jan 1922 27200 Jan 1936 99200
Jan 1923 33500 Jan 1937 109100
Jan 1924 38700 Jan 1938 121300
Jan 1925 43000 Jan 1939 131000
Jan 1926 46650 Jan 1940 137600
Jan 1927 51700 Jan 1941 144400
Jan 1928 55800 Jan-Jun 1942*: 151800-157037
*Some numbers from the 1942 block were shipped after WWII, in 1946 and 1947.
Shortly after World War II, from Oct, 1946 to June, 1947 a number of prewar type guns were assembled and shipped. Some were numbered in the 157038 to 159024 range. The rest were assigned a new block of serial numbers beginning at 180000, and continuing to 187423 (with some numbers skipped).
First Series Match Target "Bullseye" Model: 1938-1944
The Woodsman Bullseye model was numbered in non-sequential blocks, so a gun with a lower serial number might well have been assembled and shipped later than one with a higher serial number. As a result, any table of manufacture dates by serial number for the First Series Match Target can only be approximate at best.
DATE Jun 1938 (begin) Jan 1939 Jan 1940 Jan 1941 Feb 1944 (end)
Approximate
Serial Number		 MT1 MT3000 MT7000 MT10000 MT16611

SECOND SERIES WOODSMAN: 1947-1955
Manufacture Dates by Serial Number
Target, Sport, and Match Target Models Models
Challenger (Introduced May, 1950)
DATE Approximate
Serial Number		 DATE Approximate
Serial Number
Nov 1947 1-S    
Jan 1948 250-S
Jan 1949 35750-S
Jan 1950 68900-S May, 1950 1-C
Jan 1951 86200-S Jan 1951 20400-C
Jan 1952 100100-S Jan 1952 40600-C
Jan 1953 123700-S Jan 1953 63700-C
Jan 1954 137650-S Jan 1954 72850-C
Jan 1955 142600-S Jan 1955 75400-C
Dec 1955 146137-S Dec 1955 77143-C
The Huntsman replaced the Challenger in 1955, with the introduction of the third series. Serial numbers then skipped to 90001-C and restarted.

 THIRD SERIES WOODSMAN: 1955-1977
Manufacture Dates by Serial Number
Target, Sport, and Match Target Models Models
Huntsman (Begin at 90001-C) and Targetsman (Begin at 129300-C)
DATE Approximate
Serial Number		 DATE Approximate
Serial Number
Late 1955: The first 1001 Woodsmans of the 3rd series were assigned serial numbers 146138-S to 147138-S, from the end of the 2nd series block. The numbers then skipped to 160001-S and restarted.    
Nov 1955 160000-S July 1955 90001-C
Jan 1956 161600-S Jan 1956 96100-C
Jan 1957 172200-S Jan 1957 112900-C
Jan 1958 182500-S Jan 1958 124699-C
Jan 1959 185200-S Jan 1959 129900-C
Jan 1960 189250-S Jan 1960 141100-C
Jan 1961 193300-S Jan 1961 146700-C
Jan 1962 196900-S Jan 1962 151500-C
Jan 1963 200600-S Jan 1963 154600-C
Dec 1964 204500-S Jan 1964 158800-C
Jan 1965 208300-S Jan 1965 162400-C
Jan 1966 215000-S Jan 1966 168200-C
Jan 1967 222350-S Jan 1967 175200-C
Jan 1968 231250-S Jan 1968 182200-C
Jan 1969 241811-S Jan 1969 193501-C
  Jun 1969 194040-C
DATE Approximate
Serial Number		 DATE Approximate
Serial Number
Serial numbers for all models: Sport, Target, Match Target, Huntsman, and Targetsman, integrated early in 1969 and restarted at 001001S.
Feb 1969 001001S Jan 1974 049000S
Jan 1970 019900S Jan 1975 067000S
Jan 1971 024050S Jan 1976 090600S
Jan 1972 030700S Apr 1976 S100000S*
Jan 1973 042100S  
Due to reaching a serial number range (100,000S) that had already been used in 1952, serial numbers were restarted again in May, 1976, beginning with 300001S. Contrary to some published reports, all models of the Woodsman line - Target, Sport, Match Target, Huntsman, and Targetsman - were manufactured in the serial number range that began with 300001S. *Double S Huntsman: The serial number series that began with 001001S passed 100000S in 1976, and reached 101336S before it was noticed that numbers used in 1952 were being duplicated. In order to salvage the 1336 guns already numbered past 100000S, they were hand stamped with an S prefix, in addition to the suffix, thereby creating the "Double S" variation. All KNOWN examples are Huntsmans. (Thanks to Ed Brink, in his Colt Rimfire Automatic Pistols, for the "Double S" information.)
DATE May 1976 Jan 1977 Apr 1977
Approximate Serial Number 300001S 312350S 317736S End production