Working the Colt Huntsman Pistol

Colt has always offered premium semi-automatic handguns, many of which were designed by John M. Browning. One good example is the .22-caliber Woodsman pistol and its several variants, manufactured from 1915 until the mid-70s. Popular with campers, plinkers, smallgame hunters, and serious target shooters, Colt produced almost 650,000 of the Woodsman .22s in models known as the Target, Sport, Match Target, Challenger, Huntsman and Targetsman.

Here, I’ll cover the complete disassembly of the Colt Huntsman and offer some tips on keeping this fine little pistol running at the peak of its performance level. With some very slight differences, takedown for all the above models is the same, and many of my tips will apply to other models as well. Removing and Disassembling the Slide As always, we need to make sure we’re dealing with a completely empty firearm by first removing the magazine and then retracting the slide to verify that the chamber is empty.

Make sure the hammer is fully back in the cocked position. Then remove both grip panels. Push the safety lock (#36) down and retract the slide as far back as it will go, and then push down on the assembly-lock plunger (#6) located just in front of the rear sight. This action will force the front tip of a flat spring called the assembly lock (#7), captured on the inside top surface of the slide, onto the rear face of the recoil-spring guide (#2).

This will also maintain the compressed recoil spring (#1), holding both parts in place inside the recoil-spring tunnel in the slide. To keep the slide in the rearward position, a dowel or block of wood cut to fit between the front face of the slide and rear face of the chamber will hold the slide in place. Now drift out the mainspring-housing retainer pin (#26) from left to right, and then drift out the mainspring-housing lock pin (#23). The mainspring housing will now pivot out of the frame.

Watch for the searspring (#20) to drop out of the frame. The slide (#8) can now be removed from the receiver (#15). The magazine-catch assembly (#25) can be left in place unless this part needs replacement or a rebluing job is part of the plan. The button of the magazine catch is attached with a tiny rivet. In the case of the pistol I was working with for this article, both the button and the rivet were missing.

As luck would have it, I had a new magazine-catch assembly in inventory and didn’t need to make one. 22caliber Colt pistol. To disassemble the slide, mount the assembly in your vise between protected jaws, with the bottom of the slide facing up. Retract the recoilspring guide slightly, push down on the assembly lock, and ease the recoil-spring guide and spring forward. Try to keep the recoil spring from launching the plunger out of the slide, as it’s under quite a bit of pressure at this point.

Once the stored energy in the recoil spring is released, the spring and spring guide can be removed from the slide. Look over the head of the recoilspring guide to see if there are any burrs on the outside diameter that protrude out the rear of the recoil spring. Removing any burrs and polishing this diameter will keep gunk from collecting in the tunnel in the slide where these parts reside. This will also smooth up the rearward travel

of the slide during cycling of the action. This particular pistol showed little sign of use and reportedly had been stored in a drawer for many years. The oil, however, that had been used to prevent rusting during storage had coagulated into a sticky goo, and there were many sharp edges on the working surfaces inside the slide that would draw blood if not attended to. This is one of the main differences between the Woodsman Match Target and the more economically priced .22-caliber versions.

The Match Target model was "de-horned" during factory assembly to produce an action that worked as smoothly as possible. The Huntsman model I worked with was also much smoother after all the sharp edges were removed with a fine Arkansas stone, and now no one needs to worry about being wounded in the cleaning and reassembly process. The firing-pin stop (#5) has a threaded hole in the bottom of the part that will accept a #2-64 screw.

This size screw can be found in the Handy-Jo fillister-head screw assortment sold by Brownells, and makes an excellent handle to deal with the firing-pin stop, extractor (#10), and firing pin (#4). Install the #2-64 screw into the hole in the firing-pin stop and pull it up slightly until you feel it stop. The back end of the extractor has a slot cut in it for a small screwdriver blade.

Insert the blade into this slot, and rotate the extractor 180 degrees until its front hook is pointing to the right side of the slide (if it’s in the upright position). The extractor can now be removed toward the front face of the slide. Look over all the corners along the extractor for burrs and sharp edges. I like to run a cotton swab over these areas. If cotton fibers are left behind, these edges can be slightly rounded with the fine Arkansas stone’but don’t mess with the extractor hook that grabs the shell rim.

Using the aforementioned #2-64 screw, pull the firing-pin stop up and out of the slide as you hold the firing pin in place with your thumb. Ease the firing pin and spring out of the tunnel they reside in. Look over the chisel point on the tip of the firing pin to make sure it’s not deformed and the edges are sharp and crisp. Clean out the tunnel in the slide for the firing pin, and brush off the firing-pin spring (#3) with an old toothbrush dipped in solvent.

A few drops of Break-Free CLP in the firing-pin tunnel will provide enough lube to keep these parts working in a friction-free state. For reassembly, insert the firingpin spring, then the firing pin and the firing pin stop, making sure that the relieved side of the firing-pin stop is positioned toward the right side of the receiver. It may take a bit of wiggling to get the cutout in the back end of the firing pin lined up to accept the firing pin stop.

Install the extractor, oriented the same way that it was when removed, and then use the small screwdriver to rotate the extractor into place so that the extractor hook is facing toward the center of the breechface. Frame Disassembly To gain access to the trigger (#27) and a few of the other fire-control components, we need to remove the side- Smoothing the tool marks will result in smoother slide movement.

plate (#30) by first removing the sideplate screw (#31) using a #240-3 Magna-tip bit. Once the sideplate has been removed, the safety lock (#36) can be pulled out of its place in the frame. This action will also allow removal of the hammer (#33) and hammer strut (#34) that pivots on a pin in the safety lock. Give the hammer/sear notches a thorough cleaning, and inspect the notches for any chips or cracks. That, followed by a few drops of Break-Free CLP, is usually all that’s necessary for these components.

With the sideplate removed, we now have access to the trigger and trigger bar (#28), which can be pushed out of the frame by poking the left index finger through the right side of the trigger guard. Watch for the trigger spring (#18) to fly quickly to the left once the tension on the legs of the spring is relieved. Clean all these components with whichever solvent you prefer and set them aside. The last two components that remain in the frame are the ejector (#12) and sear (#29).

Unless the ejector is visibly damaged, it can remain in the frame. The sear is held in place with a pin (#32) that can be driven out with a 3/32-inch-diameter punch from right to left. After cleaning the sear with solvent and a stiff brush, inspect it for any chips along the edge that engages the hammer notch. Assuming there are no visible signs of damage that would require replacement, a wipedown with an oiled cloth will provide enough lubricant for this part.

Inspect the edges of the track that the trigger bar rides in for any sharp edges or burrs. Also check along the top of the frame where the slide rides. The edges of the trigger bar will also need to be looked over for burrs that would impede its duty. If burrs are found, the fine Arkansas stone should be used to slightly smooth these edges’using only enough pressure to remove any sharp edges.

To reinstall the trigger, trigger spring, and trigger bar, we need to first insert the trigger bar in its place in the trigger. Slide the trigger spring into the trigger with the rear leg of the spring resting against the flat on the front leg of the trigger bar. Align the hole in the trigger spring over the trigger pin (#17) in the frame, and slide the trigger and trigger bar down over the trigger pin allowing the front leg of the trigger spring to poke straightforward.

Push down until the front leg of the spring comes to rest on the left side of the frame. Now carefully push the front leg of the trigger spring upward with the tip of a small flatblade screwdriver until it enters the gap between the front of the trigger and the rear edge of its place in the frame. Push the trigger down into place, while keeping the front leg of the trigger spring rotated backward. A few drops of Break-Free CLP will be all that’s needed here.

Insert the hammer into the frame and align it with the hole in the frame for the safety-lock pin, and then slip the safety lock into place. Lift the safety lock up slightly while sliding the sideplate up and into place. The upper, top leg of the sideplate must fit

underneath the front of the safety lock. Finally, install the screw that holds the sideplate in place. Reinstalling the Mainspring Housing Before reinstalling the mainspring housing into the frame, test the action of the mainspring (#21) and mainspring cap (#19) to ensure that the cap will retract and return without any hesitation. The mainspring should be strong enough to return the mainspring cap with some authority.

Clamp the mainspring housing in your padded-jaw vise and push down on the mainspring cap with a punch several times to get a feel for how it’s working. If there is a gritty feel to the action, you’ll need to clean out the tunnel where these parts reside. While holding the mainspring cap down with the punch, push out the mainspring cap pin (#22) with a 1/16-inch punch. Ease up on the punch holding the mainspring cap down, and remove the cap and spring from their place.

Clean the tunnel and mainspring parts with solvent and dry them thoroughly. Look over the cap for any burrs around the top end that rides along the inside walls of the mainspring tunnel in the frame.

If you find any rough edges, remove them with Colt Huntsman .22-Caliber Semi-Automatic Pistol 1 Recoil Spring 2 Recoil Spring Guide 3 Firing Pin Spring 4 Firing Pin 5 Firing Pin Stop 6 Assembly Lock Plunger 7 Assembly Lock 8 Slide 9 Rear Sight 10 Extractor 11 Stock, Right-Hand 12 Ejector 13 Ejector Pin 14 Stock Screw Nut 15 Receiver 16 Barrel – 4 inch 16 Barrel – 6 inch the fine Arkansas stone. Again, a few drops of Break-Free on these parts is all that’s needed.

Insert the mainspring and cap, push these parts down into place with a punch, and reinstall 17 Trigger Pin 18 Trigger Spring 19 Mainspring Cap 20 Sear Spring 21 Mainspring 22 Mainspring Cap Pin 23 Mainspring Housing Lock Pin 24 Mainspring Housing 25 Magazine Catch Assembly 26 Mainspring Housing Retainer Pin 27 Trigger 28 Trigger Bar 29 Sear 30 Sideplate 31 Sideplate Screw 32 Sear Pin 33 Hammer 34 Hammer Strut 35 Hammer Strut Pin 36 Safety Lock 37 Stock, Left-Hand 38 Stock Screw 39 Magazine Follower 40 Magazine Spring 41 Magazine Follower Stud 42 Magazine Spring Guide 43 Magazine Tube 44 Magazine Base the pin to hold them in place.

Installing the mainspring housing back into the frame can be a little tricky, as we need to align the hammer strut over the cup in the main-

spring cap while making sure that the sear spring doesn’t fall out of place. To help with this process, clamp a Mayhew SP5 tapered alignment pin in your vise with the tapered end pointing upward. Install the slide onto the frame with the recoil spring held forward by the assembly lock, and make sure the hammer is in the forward (fired) position so the hammer strut doesn’t need to overcome much tension from the mainspring.

See that the hammer strut enters the mainspring cup, and then install the mainspring housing, carefully positioning it to the mainspring housing lock pinhole. You are most likely to see partial alignment of these two holes as you center the holes over the tapered end of the alignment pin. Move the frame until the tapered pin achieves alignment of these two holes, and then insert the mainspring-housing lock pin part way to hold these two parts in place.

Tap the pin home with a plastic-faced mallet until it’s flush or slightly below the frame. Pivot the bottom of the mainspring housing down toward the bottom back of the frame, while making sure that the sear spring remains in place. Install the mainspring-housing retainer pin. After pulling back the slide to release the assembly lock, the pistol should function as it’s supposed to. Reinstall the grip panels.

Conclusions There’s very little information on the disassembly and reassembly of these Colt pistols in the books I have, and I have quite a few. In a case like that, I make a habit of jotting down notes and making sketches, so that when I encounter another firearm of the same type, I don’t need to learn the takedown procedure all over again. But now when one of these pistols (or any of its variants) crosses your bench or mine, we’ll have a simple procedure to follow that will make the job go much faster. I