TT pistol
| Tula Tokarev model 1933 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Semi-automatic pistol |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1930–1951 |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1930 (TT-30) |
| No. built | ~ 1,700,000 |
| Variants | TT-30 Type 51/54 (China) M57 (Yugoslavia) Type 68 (North Korea) Tokagypt (Egypt) |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 840 g |
| Length | 196 mm |
| Barrel length | 116 mm |
| Cartridge | 7.62 x 25 mm TT (7.62 Tokarev) |
| Caliber | 7.62mm (.30") |
| Action | Single action, recoil-actuated |
| Muzzle velocity | 420 m/s |
| Feed system | 8 round box magazine |
| Sights | Blade (front), U-notch (rear) |
The TT-30 (7,62 mm Samozarjadnyi Pistolet Tokareva obraztsa 1933 goda, Russian: 7,62-мм самозарядный пистолет Токарева образца 1933 года) is a semi-automatic pistol developed by Fedor Tokarev for the Soviet military to replace the old Nagant M1895 revolvers in use since tsarist times. The TT-33 (Tokarev-Tula) was adopted in 1933 as an improved design of the TT-30, and was widely used by Soviet troops during World War II. Mechanically and externally, the TT-33 is very similar to John Browning's blowback operated FN Model 1903 automatic pistol in design and function, combined with Browning's short recoil principle and a much simpler hammer/sear assembly with an external hammer. This assembly is removable from the weapon as a single unit and includes cartridge guides that provide reliable functioning.
The TT-33 is chambered for the 7.62 x 25 mm Tokarev cartridge, which was itself based on the similar 7.63 mm Mauser cartridge used in the Mauser C96 pistol. Able to withstand tremendous abuse, large numbers of the TT-33 were produced during WWII and well into the 1950s, although it never completely replaced the Nagant M1895 revolver.
Production of the TT-33 in the USSR ended in 1954, but copies (licensed or otherwise) were also made by China (as the Type 51, Type 54, M20, and TU-90), Poland and Hungary (as the M48), as well as an export version for Egypt (the Tokagypt 58 chambered in 9 mm Parabellum), Yugoslavia (as the M57 and M70A) and North Korea (as the Type 68). At one time or another most communist or Soviet bloc countries made a variation of the TT-33 pistol, until it was eventually replaced by the Makarov in military service.
The Tokarev is gaining in popularity with pistol collectors and shooters in the West because of its ruggedness, reliability and ready availability of cheap ammunition (in the US). However, some complaints include poor-quality grips (which are often replaced by the wrap-around Tokagypt 58 grips) and a painful-to-hold handle, as the pistol's handgrip extends at a vertical angle awkward for many Western shooters. Nonetheless, the Tokarev, as well as its variants in 9mm, is renowned for its simplicity and accuracy (for a handgun with fixed sights)[1]
Norinco, the People's Liberation Army's state weapons manufacturer in China, still manufactures a commercial variant of the Tokarev pistol chambered in the more common 9 mm Luger Parabellum round, known as the Tokarev Model 213, as well as in the original 7.62×25. It features a safety catch, which was absent on Soviet-produced TT-33 handguns. Furthermore, the Model 213 features the thin slide grip grooves, as opposed to the original Russian wide-types. The 9mm model is featured with a magazine well block mounted in the rear of the magazine well to accept 9mm type magazines without frame modification. The Norinco model in current production is not available for sale in the United States due to import prohibitions on Chinese firearms, although older handguns of the Model 213 type imported in the 1960s' and 1970s' are common.
In popular culture
Despite being a popular pistol, posessed by almost all Soviet officers, the TT-33 is often not shown in movies featuring Russian troops. In the Nintendo 64 game GoldenEye 007, the TT-33 is featured as the DD44 Dostovei. However, considering the game takes place from the mid-1980s onwards, the TT-33 (DD44) is an anachronism, since by the late 1960s it was largely out of service.
References
- [1] Information concerning the Norinco Type 213, its disassembly, and handling.
- Soviet Military Pistols Tokarev & Makarov (Download) by Gerard HENROTIN (H&L Publishing - HLebooks.com 2002)
External links
- The Official Fedor Tokarev Guns And Rifles Website
- Da komrade: the Tula Tokarev Model 1930/1933
- Guns World
- Modern Firearms
- 13 photos of TT33 and its parts
See also
- ^ 1