I recently bought this Heiser:
While the seller did not know what it fit, and I could not tell from the markings on the back, I was hoping it was for a 1st Series Colt Woodsman Target.
I earlier posted about a George Lawrence I purchased for this gun that turned out to be for a High Standard, per the markings in the back, and thus a bit loose. I also know that a 2nd or 3rd Series Woodsman will not fit into a 1st Series holster. Too tight.
From reading Turnerriver's posts here, I knew that the triple H snap meant prewar, before the forties. Since the Second Series Woodsman did not come out until after the war, I figured the holster had to be for a 1st Series or a High Standard.
The profile, too, so slim, gave me hope that it was more likely to be for a Woodsman than a High Standard.
When it showed up, it fit my 1st Series like the proverbial glove. (Pics below after Blackrock's Leather 'n Rich, brown shoe polish and some buffing.):
The hand markings on the back of the holster are very hard to read. Under the Heiser logo and the stamped 420 for the model, shown in the pic above, I have been able to discern "22," "ART" and "ORD." I think this is part of someone's name. There are additional letters preceding ART and ORD. Perhaps B and F, so Bart Ford.... But I think the name is even longer...
I see no signs anywhere of an inscribed "WOOD" or anything like that to indicate what gun it is for. Could be it's worn off. Could be it was never there.
The Woodsman came out in 1915. At the time it was not known as the Woodsman, though. Colt started to call it the Woodsman in 1927, marking the slide with "Woodsman" thereafter. Collectors now call the earlier guns "Pre-Woodsman."
The High Standard company was founded in 1926. Perhaps when the holster was made, since there was no danger of confusing it with an HS holster, there was no need to mark what gun it was for?
I also noticed that the holster stitching, the stitches, are closer together than my early 1940s Heiser for my Woodsman Sport.
What do you think?
While the seller did not know what it fit, and I could not tell from the markings on the back, I was hoping it was for a 1st Series Colt Woodsman Target.
I earlier posted about a George Lawrence I purchased for this gun that turned out to be for a High Standard, per the markings in the back, and thus a bit loose. I also know that a 2nd or 3rd Series Woodsman will not fit into a 1st Series holster. Too tight.
From reading Turnerriver's posts here, I knew that the triple H snap meant prewar, before the forties. Since the Second Series Woodsman did not come out until after the war, I figured the holster had to be for a 1st Series or a High Standard.
The profile, too, so slim, gave me hope that it was more likely to be for a Woodsman than a High Standard.
When it showed up, it fit my 1st Series like the proverbial glove. (Pics below after Blackrock's Leather 'n Rich, brown shoe polish and some buffing.):
The hand markings on the back of the holster are very hard to read. Under the Heiser logo and the stamped 420 for the model, shown in the pic above, I have been able to discern "22," "ART" and "ORD." I think this is part of someone's name. There are additional letters preceding ART and ORD. Perhaps B and F, so Bart Ford.... But I think the name is even longer...
I see no signs anywhere of an inscribed "WOOD" or anything like that to indicate what gun it is for. Could be it's worn off. Could be it was never there.
The Woodsman came out in 1915. At the time it was not known as the Woodsman, though. Colt started to call it the Woodsman in 1927, marking the slide with "Woodsman" thereafter. Collectors now call the earlier guns "Pre-Woodsman."
The High Standard company was founded in 1926. Perhaps when the holster was made, since there was no danger of confusing it with an HS holster, there was no need to mark what gun it was for?
I also noticed that the holster stitching, the stitches, are closer together than my early 1940s Heiser for my Woodsman Sport.
What do you think?
