Colt T4

In 1948 Colt and High Standard were contracted by the US Army to develop a new lightweight 9x19mm sidearm to replace the Colt M1911A1. High Standard submitted the T3 and Colt submitted both the T4 and a prototypes of the Colt Commander, which Colt originally developed as a lightweight officer’s sidearm.

Initial US Army Ordnance requirements called for a pistol under 7-inches in overall length, weighing less than 25 ounces (709g) unloaded and chambered in 9x19mm. The pistols were to use straight blowback actions and the requirement for a folding winter trigger guard was added. In response to this Colt developed a trigger guard which could be swung forward when the operator was wearing gloves. Colt’s system is much simpler than the patented system High Standard developed for the T3. The T4′s in the Springfield Armory’s collection, pictured above, have lost their trigger guards.

To meet the weight specification both Colt and High Standard developed  aluminium alloy frames for their pistols - reportedly Colt also made examples with steel frames. The Colt weighed 28 ounces (790g), however, in 1950 the Ordnance Corps relaxed the specifications increasing the weight restriction to 29 ounces and length to 7.5 inches. The minimum magazine capacity was also increased to 13-rounds. Externally the T4 resembled a mix of the M1911A1 and Browning Hi-Power. The Colt fed from a 13-round double stack magazine and used a double-action/single-action type trigger.  

In his book, Random Shots, Ray Rayle recalled that while the pistols tested well in preliminary trials, the funding for the adoption of a new pistol was not granted. The Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics felt there were sufficient M1911A1s remaining in inventory and plans for further trials were shelved in the summer of 1955. As a result the Ordnance Corps testing of lightweight pistols ended and the development work at Colt and High Standard was abandoned. The Springfield Armory collection holds T4′s with the serial numbers #1 and #3, as many as five prototypes are believed to have been made, some of these survive in private collections. 

Sources:

If you enjoy the content please consider supporting Historical Firearms through Patreon!

Recent Recap

Since the last recap we’ve covered everything from experimental combat shotguns of the 1980s to the history of French semi-automatic service pistols. There have also been posts covering the FN P90′s unusual prototypes, the High Standard T3 - developed to replace the M1911A1 in the late 1940s, the M1E5: Folding Stock Garand Carbine and a review of the fascinating 1930s war movie 'Stoßtrupp 1917′ check out the links below.

Thanks again for following, reading and supporting HF.  If you enjoy the content please consider supporting Historical Firearms through Patreon! You can also help spread the word about HF and the content I cover by sharing links with friends and sharing on social media, don’t forget you can also follow HF on facebook. As always if you have any questions, suggestions feel free to send me a message here.

Thanks guys, ~Matt

For more content check out the Historical Firearms facebook page which has some additional pictures and other content.

If you enjoy the content please consider supporting Historical Firearms through Patreon!

High Standard T3

The programme to develop a new US Military sidearm began in 1947 at the request of the US Army Air Force. In 1948 Colt and High Standard were contracted to develop a new lightweight 9x19mm sidearm to replace the Colt M1911A1. 

Initially the pistols were not to exceed 7-inches (17.7cm) in overall length and be no heavier than 25 ounces (0.7kg) unloaded. The military requested that the pistols use a blowback action and have a folding trigger guard to allow use with thick gloves. An initial request for the pistols to incorporate a ‘squeeze charger’ system were quickly dropped.

The US Army approached several companies to submit bids to develop the new pistol. High Standard, Colt and Harrington & Richardson all submitted bids, while Ithaca declined to bid and Harrington & Richardson’s bid was turned down. The military accepted Colt and High Standard’s bids and contracted them to begin development of the new pistols. The Ordnance Corps designated High Standard’s submission the T3 and Colt’s the T4. 

Several batches of the T3 were made each with incremental improvements. The position of the safety and magazine releases were altered with each iteration of the T3. The prototype and first batch of pistols had heel magazine releases while the second batch placed the magazine release on the frame. The first prototype High Standard pistol (see image #1) did not yet have the pivoting trigger guard which would become standard in the later experimental models. The second batch of pistols had a thicker trigger guard than the first set and a repositioned enlarged safety (see images #5 & #6).

In June 1948, High Standard submitted the first batch of three T3 test pistols. The T3 had a frame made from 75ST aluminium and a steel frame. It used a straight blowback action but had annular grooves cut into its chamber which caused the cartridge case to expand, in theory slowing the rearward travel of the slide and the opening of the breach. This was believed to mitigate some of the gun’s sharp recoil impulse. Otto-Helmuth von Lossnitzer, technical director of Mauser Werke, designed this system. Interestingly, at least one, presumably blowback, prototype had a slide-mounted muzzle break, possibly in an attempt to prevent the breech opening too early in the cycle. This feature seems to have been subsequently abandoned.  

To fulfil the military’s specification for firing while wearing gloves George Wilson designed a pivoting trigger guard which neatly folded into a recess in the frame. In addition to allowing the user to operate the pistol while wearing thick gloves High Standard’s design also incorporated a spring-loaded plunger. This plunger was pushed into place against the trigger when the user pivoted the trigger guard into the open position and latched to the pistol’s frame. The plunger impinged against the trigger making the trigger pull heavier. in theory this would compensate for the operators lack of sensitivity caused by their gloves.

The first batch of T3s used a double action trigger and had a single stack magazine holding 7-rounds - on par with the M1911A1. Testing of this first batch of pistols took place at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in May 1949. Several failures occurred and testing identified a number of problems. One pistol's hammer broke due to inadequate heat treatment which left it brittle. A number of failures to feed also occurred with cartridges upending in the breech. High Standard rectified with the addition of a guide shelf at the top of the chamber to guide the cartridge into the chamber.  

In April 1950, High Standard were paid $20,000 (approximately $200,000 today) for a second batch of three improved pistols. These were to meet the Ordnance Corps' revised specification which allowed the weapons to weight up to 29 ounces and requested a 13-round minimum magazine capacity. The second batch of T3s abandoned the annular chamber grooves and had a redesigned frame to take the larger magazines. The Springfield Armory tested the new batch of pistols in March 1951, the 75ST aluminium frames suffered a series of failures at stress points - probably due to the enlarging of the frame. The Ordnance Corps recommended that High Standard make the frames from heat treated 14ST aluminium, reinforce and weak points in the frame. High Standard designed the second batch's controls to be more similar to the M1911 and the trigger was redesigned for a better double action pull. Interestingly, High Standard independently developed the annularly grooved chamber and submitted a spare barrel and recommended the Ordnance Corps test it.

In April 1951, a preliminary report noted the second batch of refurbished T3s were unsatisfactory, suffering 19 failures in 150 rounds. The hammer of one pistol broke and the Ordnance Corps recorded further failures to feed. The army returned the pistols to High Standard. High Standard refurbished the pistols and a second test at Springfield was held in September. Testing officers recorded seven failures with further misfeeds and discovered stress fractures in all three of the pistols.

The army ordered a third batch of pistols with the design reverting back to a single stack magazine holding 8 or 9 rounds.This was a reversion to the first batch of T3s which had fared better in testing. Despite this, during testing in November 1952, the pistols suffered numerous failures and an excessive number of malfunctions. During an endurance test the magazine release broke 35-rounds into the test and the slide stop malfunctioned. The second pistol’s hammer cracked and suffered extraction problems. The pistols were again returned to High Standard to fix these issues. A final trial took place in March 1953, however, the pistols were again found to be unsatisfactory and the Ordnance Board officially cancelled the T3 programme.

In his book, Random Shots, Ray Rayle recalls that in the summer of 1955, the US Army prepared a solicitation pamphlet to release to manufacturers on the 4th July. The pamphlet was to announce the Army’s plan to adopt a new 9x19mm handgun with the successful design winning an award of $150,000. While initial testing had taken place and the designs from Colt and High Standard had shown initial promise, the Army wanted to examine pistols from manufacturers around the world. Rayle explains that the launch of the pamphlet and the official pistol trials program were cancelled when the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics refused the $150,000 of funding on the grounds that sidearms were seldom used and that existing stores of M1911A1s were more than adequate.   

Sources:

If you enjoy the content please consider supporting Historical Firearms through Patreon!

1950s US Army Pistol Testing

Throughout the early 1950s the US Military was actively investigating the replacement of the .45 ACP M1911A1 pistol with a new sidearm chambered in 9x19mm. 

The initial push for a new weapon was led by the US Air Force in 1947. Pistols were to be smaller and lighter, not exceeding 7-inches (17.7cm) in overall length and no heavier than 25 ounces (0.7kg) unloaded. Interestingly they were to use a blowback action and have a magazine capacity of no less than 9-rounds and use a double action. The Army realised that the pistol was seldom used and that a lighter pistol with a larger magazine capacity would be easier to train with and carry in the field than the heavier single action M1911A1. With NATO moving towards 9x19mm as its standard pistol calibre the US began to seriously consider moving to the smaller calibre. Throughout the early 1950s the Ordnance Corps tested a number of pistols from various manufacturers.

Colt and High Standard were subsequently contracted to develop pistols conforming to these specifications. High Standard submitted a pistol for testing first, the Ordnance Corps designated it the T3 (see image #2). The double action T3 was just over 7 inches long and had an aluminium alloy frame. Early versions had grooved chambers which caused spent cases to expand and temporarily slow the rearward travel of the slide. Later prototypes would abandon this and use a standard blowback action. Early iterations of the T3 had a single stack magazine holding 7-rounds - on par with the M1911A1. Later prototypes would have 13-round double stack magazines.

Colt also submitted a pistol, designated the T4 (see image #1 - example missing its folding trigger guard). Like the T3, the T4, had a double action trigger met the 7-inch overall length requirement and had an aluminium alloy frame. By 1950 the Ordnance Corps had relaxed the specifications increasing the weight restriction to 29 ounces and length to 7.5 inches. The minimum magazine capacity was also increased to 13-rounds. The T4 had a 13-round magazine like the Hi-Power. Both the High Standard and Colt pistols appear to have followed a specification request for folding trigger guard to aid firing while wearing thick gloves. A system which George Wilson of High Standard filed a patent for in July 1949. Colt developed a similar hinged trigger guard system. 

In the late 1940s the Canadian manufacturer Inglis developed a lightweight, experimental Hi-Power with alloy frames and a scalloped slide (see image #4). In total Inglis made just six prototype Hi-Powers, two remained in Canada for testing, Britain received two and two were sent to the US for testing and evaluation. The light aluminium frames proved too weak to withstand extended firing and US Ordnance rejected them.  

Some of the other pistols examined included early prototypes of the Colt Commander (see image #5) which Colt originally had developed in the late 1940s as a lightweight officer’s sidearm. Single action examples in both .45 ACP and 9x19mm were tested. The 9x19mm Commander had a 9-round single stack magazine. In 1952 the Ordnance Corps relaxed their specifications further and examined a pistol from Smith & Wesson, the X100 (see image #3), which later became the Model 39. The double action X100 series had a 7-round single stack magazine and a more raked grip angle than later commercial examples. The Colt Commander and Smith & Wesson X series pistols also tested were not designed to the same specification as the ‘T’ pistols. 

In his book, Random Shots, Ray Rayle recalls that in the summer of 1955 the US Army prepared a solicitation pamphlet to release to manufacturers on the 4th July. The pamphlet was to announce the Army’s plan to adopt a new 9x19mm handgun with the successful design winning an award of $150,000. While initial testing had taken place and several designs had proven reliable the Army wanted to examine pistols from manufacturers around the world. Rayle explains that the launch of the pamphlet and the official pistol trials program were cancelled when the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics refused the $150,000 of funding on the grounds that sidearms were seldom used and that existing stores of M1911A1s was more than adequate.  

The US Army’s interest in a new 9x19mm sidearm continued into the early 1970s. Believing a contract was forthcoming Colt began developing the Model 1971. However, serious attempts to adopt a 9x19mm pistols would not begin again until the Joint Service Small Arms Program (XM9) trials began in 1977, resulting in the adoption of the Beretta 92F as the M9 in 1985.  

Sources:

Pistols in the Springfield Armory’s Collection:

If you enjoy the content please consider supporting Historical Firearms through Patreon!