POTD: Colt Woodsman Factory Engineering Concept Model
Sam.S 09.20.21
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a particularly interesting piece of developmental history. The Colt Woodsman is one of those first real extremely popular semi-auto .22 long rifle pistols. This block of aluminum may look extremely vague at first glance, and well, that’s because it is. These concepts are made as fast and cheaply as possible in order to convey an idea. Grip angle, bolt position, and magazine position are all things to be evaluated in order to decide if a design is doable – first and foremost – and how hard it would be to make happen.
“This is an example of an Engineering Concept Model rarely seen outside of the Colt factory. These are used in the first stage of testing to see if it is desirable and patentable. This particular piece originally came from the estate of a former Colt Engineer whose work and patents involved the Colt Colteer .22 rifle, .400 Colt Magnum cartridge, Model 1971 stainless steel pistol and rifling the M16. This model is constructed of solid aluminum with a steel bolt assembly and is exploring the concept of a lightweight semi-automatic pistol with a longitudinal magazine located over and in line with the barrel. The dynamics of moving a cartridge backwards and down into the chamber were being evaluated. The second concept would appear to be the one-piece frame and barrel without the traditional grip magazine. Being in the first stage of testing, the pistol has no markings. This model never progressed beyond the first stage. The pistol is accompanied by letters describing the model and some brief information on the Engineer, who was not named.”
Lot 216: Colt Woodsman Pistol 22 Lr. (n.d.). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved September 19, 2021, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/55/216/colt-woodsman-pistol-22-lr.
