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1st series match target?

3K views 19 replies 8 participants last post by  Baltimoreed11754 
#1 ·
I would love to own one of these to shoot (not a pristine one). Do ones in rough condition ever come up for sale? I seem to only see “collectors grade” ones for sale. And if so, how many bills should I expect to drop?
 
#2 · (Edited)
I also looked for years for a 1st series MT not wanting to spend that much on something that I wouldn’t really shoot very often. Over a thousand dollars then, much more now. I stumbled up on a 1st series MT parts gun a couple years ago and having amassed a nice collection of Woodsman parts over the years I put it back together. How in the world it became a parts gun I’ll never know. But it turned out pretty sharp. Considerably cheaper than a legit pistol. Don’t know what to tell you other than watch the GB and the other auctions for one. Decide if you want a shooter or collector but nowadays any MT is considered a collectible by the seller. Good luck.
 

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#3 ·
I've hunted guns and other antiques for my whole life. There is a cost vs time equation. If you spend enough time, you'll find one cheaper than the going rate. That amount of time may be a year, or 5 years. If you don't want to wait that long, simply spend the extra $400 cost between a "good deal" and the "going rate". I'm a patent man, I've found most of what I want very cheaply. But as I get older, I realize life is short, and eventually you run out of time. Or are too old to enjoy what you covet. Take my advice, decide if you want one, and pay what they cost, just not on Gunbroker, the most expensive place in the world to buy. Look at shops, lots of shops, and call them and network. You will have one within a month, for about 25% less than GB prices. Or one in 25% better condition at the same price.
 
#4 · (Edited)
To expand on what azshot said, one of my grail guns was a Model 41 Smith. An expensive automatic in todays world. A few years ago on the way home from town, a 35 mile trip, I went by a house with a moving sale sign out front so after I dropped off my wife and her bud at the house I went back to check it out. I didn’t see any firearms so I asked. He said that he had some but wasn’t dragging them out so what was I looking for. I naturally said Colts, Webleys and Smiths. He had a Colt, no Webleys but one Smith—an older Model 41 .22 5.5 bull bbl for only 750.00 with 2 mags and an aluminum case. I bought it and have since bought more mags and nicer aftermarket grips. It’s a honey of a pistol. It’s kinda like deer hunting, you never know when or where one will pop up. Only 2 miles from my house.
 
#5 ·
Thanks both of you. I am not in any hurry, I can be patient and find one. I have woodsmans I shoot so I’m not waiting to buy a match target in order to hit the range. I just would like to own one eventually. So now I’m asking myself if I should wait and find a deal or are prices climbing and I should pay up on the first one I see? Congrats on that rebuild you did.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Found one that fit the bill. It was posted locally and has significant pitting on one side of the gun and looks to have suffered years of neglect. But now for the good news, I took it apart and all the parts have matching numbers. The grips are not the original elephant ears but they are custom target grips, possibly Ropers or Sanderson. I did research and the front sight is a Roper sight. The serial number is 13x, yes it is among the first 130ish to be made!
I shot it and am very happy with the grips and how accurate it is. It functions flawlessly. I’m sure the collectibility of the gun is gone but i would not want to pay up for one in collectible condition.
 

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#7 ·
Oh, I almost forgot the best part, it set me back less than $600. That is the cheapest I’ve seen for a working bullseye match target so I didn’t hesitate, especially since I don’t expect a better deal to come along for a while.
 

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#10 ·
Thanks, I have had at least one in each series. Recently sold a couple but I have enjoyed a third series sport, second series target, a Huntsman, first series target, and I still enjoy a third series Targetsman. this is my first Match Target I have owned. I'm very happy with it since I won't worry about impacting the value of it while shooting it. I only sold a few of the others to finance new purchases and refine my collection to a handful of ones I want most.
 
#17 ·
Since my last comment I was fortunate to do some horse trading here and there and now I have a match target from each series. All are in shooter condition, but hey, the price reflected as such so I'm a happy camper
May I impose on your thread for an education? I've been a Ruger shooter for decades, but I have little experience and am out of my depth in the Woodsman and S&W41 neighborhood.

I've a mid 1960s example of one that looks like your middle pistol above, but doesn't seem to have the wear or patina yours does. I see a lot of these on Gunbroker for $1300, but with 0 bids, so that seems too high. The current market I see on GB isn't sensible.

If you could offer any insights into what makes an example desirable, I'd read it with interest*.

Why are these more interesting to you than a S&W41 or a Ruger that's been rolled around in the Volquartsen catalogue?

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*I don't always appreciate how narrow my interests are until I see someone else's collection and wonder what they were thinking. I recently visited a fellow with a Daewoo AR-ish rifle. I wouldn't have paid $10 for it, but it was the pride of his modern arms collection.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Well said. I would also add the design of a Woodsman has much more esthetic appeal than a Ruger [reminds me of a VW Beetle, they kept the design with minor changes for how many years?], the new Smith Victory [yuck] or even the short lived Colt Cadet. The only other .22 auto with really nice esthetics are the High Standard target guns which also bring a high premium. I didn't mention the old Model 41 as I consider it the pinnacle of .22 auto design. It has the looks, weight, fit, finish and accuracy. Of course this is only my opinion. I own NM Colts, an older 41, a Supermatic Tournament and have shot several Ruger Marks [even bought a few for friends and family]. I did own a Colt Cadet but as my old Woodsmans would outshoot it she got sold.
 
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