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Gun of the Day: Modified Colt Woodsman

Gun of the Day: Modified Colt Woodsman

This Colt Woodsman .22 pistol was accurized by A.E. Berdon, a noted gunsmith in the post-WWII years. The only rifled portion of the barrel is the inch-long section in front of the compensator.

Using this modified pistol, Captain Thurman Barrier won the 1949 smalbore pistol aggregate championship. Berdon’s combination of smoothbore and rifled sections of the bore allowed the soft lead projectile to uniformly expand, and then receive stabilization from the rifling just before leaving the muzzle. While an interesting competitive alternative, it was noted that additional barrel fouling was a problem with this design.

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