It is interesting for me to compare the Pre-War/Post-War Woodsmans with my own example. I have a Target Model that is within 10 digits (mid-180,000 range) of one shown that is a Sport Model. I believe it was originally shipped with the plastic, extended style stocks although the gun was wearing a hideous, warped and cracked set of white plastic Franzite stocks when I bought it.
The Pre-War/Post-War guns from the Pauli Collection range from #157417 - #186848 in both Target & Sport Models. You can see both pre-war oven bluing and post-war "Black Magic", a hot oxide bath bluing and both the earlier checkered walnut stocks and the extended brown plastic stocks examples. A perfect tutorial about "parts clean up" manufacturing and the odd combinations that were assembled as Colt's was just trying to get guns out the door to a gun-hungry populace and to start the transition to the new 2nd Generation Woodmans.
The Pre-War/Post-War guns from the Pauli Collection range from #157417 - #186848 in both Target & Sport Models. You can see both pre-war oven bluing and post-war "Black Magic", a hot oxide bath bluing and both the earlier checkered walnut stocks and the extended brown plastic stocks examples. A perfect tutorial about "parts clean up" manufacturing and the odd combinations that were assembled as Colt's was just trying to get guns out the door to a gun-hungry populace and to start the transition to the new 2nd Generation Woodmans.