Source: ATF P 5300.11 · Curios or Relics List · Jan 1972 – Apr 20253,573 entries · 4 sections
The C&R RegisterA finding aid to the ATF Curios or Relics List, for Type 03 collectors
C&R · II · 149

Colt Match Target Woodsman, Hemingway’s

Section II: curio or relic, still subject to the Gun Control Act

Official wording

ATF P 5300.11 · APRIL 2025 EDITION · SECTION II · VERBATIM · PDF P. 6 ↗

Colt, Match Target Woodsman Semiautomatic Pistol, cal. .22LR, S/N 128866S, owned by Ernest Hemingway.

What this entry requires

  • ATF REQUIRESYour serial number is one ATF listsATF: “S/N 128866S, owned by Ernest Hemingway”
  • INFOATF states no date; production was about 1953.

Editorial facts · Our research

Country
United States²
Manufacturer
Colt's Manufacturing Co.
Type
Pistol
Action
Semi-auto
Caliber
.22 LR
Made
S/N 128866S · c. 1953production; ATF states no date¹
Service
Commercial
Search listings ↗Check a specific gunReport an error ↗

Source

Official wording
ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section II · PDF p. 6 ↗ · ATF original ↗
Entries
1 line
Verbatim check
Checked against the PDF text before every release
Editorial facts
Confidence: High · Last revised 18 October 2026 (Evidence pass) · How we rate confidence
References
  1. oldcolt.com ↗, years: Second Series Woodsman: Jan 1953 123700-S, Jan 1954 137650-S, so 128866S is 1953
  2. Wikipedia, “Colt Woodsman” ↗, country: infobox origin United States; variants list Colt Woodsman Match Target
Fact tags
  • ATF the ATF wording states it.
  • REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
  • ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
  • NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
Source checked
20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
Corrections
2 changes · see below

Correction history

  1. Data-trust reviewEditorial confidence: Low → High. Re-rated after supporting references were added or re-checked.
  2. Data-trust reviewYears: 1947–1955 → 1953. S/N 128866S ships in 1953

All corrections · How corrections work

Historical context

Colt Woodsman (base model shown for Colt Match Target Woodsman, Hemingway’s)
Shown: a first-series Colt Woodsman, not Hemingway's Match Target.

Image: Wikimedia Commons, “Colt Woodsman - First Series.jpg” by Bardbom, CC BY-SA 4.0. Retrieved October 2026.

Summary: Wikipedia, “Colt Woodsman”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.

FROM WIKIPEDIA

The Colt Woodsman is a semi-automatic sporting pistol manufactured by the U.S. Colt's Manufacturing Company from 1915 to 1977. It was designed by John Moses Browning. The frame design changed over time, in three distinct series: series one being 1915–1941, series two being 1947–1955, and series three being 1955–1977.