# Colt Woodsman 2nd Series (4-1/2" barrel) Take Down



## Dubar (Sep 8, 2019)

Got this gun from my mother-in-law, she got it new in 1948:










Finding instructions on taking down the Woodsman 2nd series is impossible. Youtube has a couple of videos, but most of them do not show the 2nd series, but many say "It's just like taking down the series 1 or series 2"...not so from what I've found. Here's some instruction I have written, if anyone has a series 2 please try this and let me know if any changes are required.

Remove the magazine and make sure the gun is clear of ammo. Rack the slide as far back as you can, then press in the small button on top of the slide. This enables the slide to move freely back towards the barrel.

After removing the grips, there's a pin at the bottom on the sides of the grip frame that has to be removed in order to remove the mainspring housing. Once the pin is removed, the mainspring housing pops right out. The sear spring will probably come out as well.

Remove the slide, at this point the gun can be thoroughly cleaned.

*BE CAREFUL* - not to dislodge the recoil spring and guide rod. If you do, it has to be pushed back towards the front of the slide so the assembly lock holds it in place. A small spring clamp may help in keeping the recoil spring in place.

After cleaning, reposition the slide onto the frame to the closed position.

Reinstall the sear spring, making sure the bottom of the spring is in the slot in the frame. The hammer should be down and the hammer strut should be on top of the sear spring.

Reinstall the mainspring housing, make sure the the hammer strut falls into the small cupped indentation in the mainspring housing.

Putting upward pressure on the mainspring housing, reinsert the pin at the bottom sides of the grip frame.

At this point it's more or less complete. Rack the slide to make sure the gun functions, then reinstall the grips and magazine.

Mine was not as dirty as I thought it would be, but the mainspring housing had some dried up oil on it that looked like rust at first, cleaned right up. I doubt the gun has been taken down this far since my mother-in-law bought it back in 1948. The inside of the slide was pretty dirty as well, I believe all that was ever cleaned was the bore.

Again, if someone tries this and finds something that needs correcting, let me know and I'll re-write.

Sorry I didn't take any photos, they may come later.


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## berettatoter (Sep 1, 2011)

Damn, you got lucky! Nice Colt man!


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## Dvidos (Aug 23, 2019)

Looks great!


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## Dubar (Sep 8, 2019)

Never saw my MIL shoot it but my wife said she was a crack shot. Said she used to go shooting/hunting with her brothers. She was born in 1913, died in 2002.


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## berettatoter (Sep 1, 2011)

Dubar said:


> Never saw my MIL shoot it but my wife said she was a crack shot. Said she used to go shooting/hunting with her brothers. She was born in 1913, died in 2002.


Whoa! Bet I won't make it that many years.


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## Dubar (Sep 8, 2019)

Lucked out this past weekend.

Went to a gun show and stumbled across a table with Woodsman mags!!! I only got one as they were not cheap but now I have a spare,, and it actually works better than the old original.


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