Original Colt M1911A1 Test Target T-10 Ring Sizes?

[RJ]

Just to finish out this project, below is a list of questions that I did not find addressed in all the research I did. These are just things which seem odd to me or don't have a satisfactory definition anywhere I've located to date. If any of the sources I contacted provide more data in future, I'll update, but if anyone has any knowledge on these, I'd appreciate it.


List of Additional Questions 7/17/23


I discovered an image of a test target labeled “T-25”. The target appears larger than a T-10. This range on this example is pen and inked “25 yards”. The target has two black rings, labeled 9 and 10. What were the dimensions of the “T-25”, and why did it exist? Was there a “T” series of targets?


What is the difference between a target labeled “T-10” and “T-10-A”? The one T-10-A I found a picture of has what appears to be a 3” circle, centered at the 6 o’clock position. Was a T-10-A just a T-10 with a circle (3?) superimposed at the 6 o'clock position?


What is the actual meaning of the phrase “Sighting Image” in Federal Spec 1297B/D.P.0355? Is it just a 3” circle, or is this a reference to a target graphical sighting image (target?) in use at the time? And if the specification was the pistol would be evaluated using a 3” requirement, why would they use a test target with a 2.75” center bullseye, when it would be far far simpler to use one with a 3” center bullseye?


And why are NRA "B-” series targets labeled with “B-” (you know, B-8, B-16, etc.), anyway? Was there an A series of targets that came before B series?

[RJ]

Just logging in this fascinating 2015 article on the history of paper targets. There are several things in here worth looking in to, not the least of which is the fact that targets weren’t sized in even increments so much as MOA. Woah. Mind blown.

https://www.ssusa.org/content/a-shor...and-evolution/

[RJ]

Two additional pieces of data to add to the thread, and a target update.

I heard back from a gentleman at the Colt Archives, who sent me a photograph of a T-10 target from a Colt Woodsman in their collection. This was useful for general orientation but because it was a photo, I could not extract any meaningful dimensions from it.

I paid $15 for the "10T" test target from the eBay supplier in Tennessee. This was purported to be "genuine". It is not marked with "10 T", but appears old stock and is printed on 9 1/2 x 9 1/2 paper. I was able to extract dimensions from this target. Using this data, I checked each ring size on my 7/15 release. The only ring size that changed was the 7 ring, which was originally drawn at 3 11/16. The 7 ring appears to be closer to 3 3/4. Additionally, there were some subtle nomenclature differences in the "stamp", and the stamp location itself was done lower on this target (I suspect stamps got affixed anywhere, really.) In addition, the ring line widths were 50% smaller than I had used on the 7/15 release.

With that in mind, I created an amended the T-10 as follows: Ring sizes set to 1.125, 1.875, 2.750, 3.750, 5.000, 6.625, and 8.750 inches. Edited stamp nomenclature. Ring line widths set to 0.020". I also used 3 figure precision for the target dimensions; my drawing tool shows 2 figure in rendering the graphic input object, but draws the graphics accordingly. Obviously there is some imprecision since we are talking differences of less than a mm, and this is a target print in hard copy. It is "as close as I can make it".

This version is dated 8/1, and has been uploaded to the Google drive at the same link, above.