TT pistol

The TT-30, commonly known simply as the Tokarev, is a Soviet semi-automatic pistol. It was developed during the late 1920s by Fedor Tokarev as a service pistol for the Soviet Armed Forces and was based on the earlier pistol designs of John Moses Browning, albeit with a number of detail modifications to simplify production and maintenance. The Soviet Union ceased production of the TT in 1954, although derivatives of the pistol continued to be manufactured for many years in the People's Republic of China and a number of nations aligned with the Soviet bloc.

Development


In 1930, the Revolutionary Military Council approved a resolution to test new small arms to replace its aging Nagant M1895 revolvers. During these tests, on 7 January 1931, the potential of a pistol designed by Fedor Tokarev was noted. A few weeks later, 1,000 TT-30s were ordered for troop trials, and the pistol was adopted for service in the (USSR) Red Army. The TT-30 was manufactured between 1930 and 1936, with about 93,000 being produced.

Even as the TT-30 was being put into production, design changes were made to simplify manufacturing. Minor changes to the barrel, disconnector, trigger and frame were implemented, the most notable ones being the omission of the removable hammer assembly and changes to the full-circumference locking lugs. This redesigned pistol was the TT-33. Most TT-33s were issued to commanding officers. The TT-33 was widely used by Soviet troops during World War II, but did not completely replace the Nagant. From 1931 to 1945, a total of 1,330,000 Tokarevs were produced in the Soviet Union.

Design details
Externally, the TT-33 is very similar to John Browning's blowback operated FN Model 1903 semiautomatic pistol, and internally it uses Browning's short recoil tilting-barrel system from the M1911 pistol. In other areas the TT-33 differs more from Browning's designs—it employs a much simpler hammer/sear assembly than the M1911. This assembly is removable from the pistol as a modular unit and includes machined magazine feed lips, preventing misfeeds when a damaged magazine is loaded into the magazine well. Soviet engineers made several alterations to make the mechanism easier to produce and maintain, most notably the simplifications of the barrel's locking lugs, allowing fewer machining steps. Some models use a captive recoil spring secured to the guide rod, which depends on the barrel bushing to hold it under tension.

The TT-33 is chambered for the 7.62×25mm Tokarev cartridge, which was itself based on the similar 7.63×25mm Mauser cartridge used in the Mauser C96 pistol. The 7.62×25mm cartridge is powerful, has an extremely flat trajectory, and is capable of penetrating thick clothing and soft body armor.

Variants
Due to their reliability, large numbers of TT-33s were produced during World War II and well into the 1950s. The TT-33 was eventually replaced by the 8-round, 9×18mm Makarov PM pistol in 1952.

The Wehrmacht captured TT-33s and issued them to units under the Pistole 615(r) designation. This was made possible by the fact that Russian 7.62 mm Model 1930 Type P cartridges were nearly identical to the German 7.63×25mm Mauser cartridge, although in German service the 9×19mm Parabellum round was more common. Russian cartridges are loaded to much higher pressures, so using them in German Mauser pistols can cause damage, and is advised against.

In 1949, a silenced variant was produced. Uniquely, the silencer is attached to the barrel bushing rather than the barrel itself. The combined weight of the suppressor with the slide prevents semi-auto cycling of the action, forcing the user to manually cycle it in the same manner as pump action firearms. It would later be replaced by the PB pistol in 1967.

Interarms marketed World War II–surplus Russian-made Tokarevs in Europe and the United States as the Phoenix. They had new wooden grips with a phoenix design on them and were overstamped INTERARMS on the barrel. Later gun laws banned their sale due to their lack of a safety.

In modern times, the robust TT-33 has been converted to many powerful cartridges including .38 Super and 9×23mm Winchester. The TT-33 omitted a safety catch other than the half cock notch, which rendered the trigger inoperable until the hammer was pulled back to full cock and then lowered manually to the half cock position. Many variants imported into the US have had manual safeties added, which vary greatly in placement and function.

Foreign production
Production of the TT-33 in Russia ended in 1954, but copies (licensed or otherwise) were also made by other countries. At one time or another, most communist or Soviet bloc countries created a variation of the TT-33 pistol.

China


The TT pistol was copied in China as the Type 51, Type 54, M20, and TU-90.

Norinco, the People's Liberation Army's state armaments manufacturer in China, manufactured a commercial variant of the Tokarev pistol chambered in the more common 9×19mm Parabellum round, known as the Tokarev Model 213, as well as in the original 7.62×25mm caliber.

The 9mm model features a safety catch, which was absent on Russian-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 1980s and 1990s are common. Norinco now makes the NP-17, a modernized, two-tone variant on the Model 213.

7.62×25mm ammo is also rather inexpensive and locally produced or imported from China, also made by Norinco. The Type-54 was replaced in the mid to late 1990s by the QSZ-92 in PLA service.

Hungary


Hungary produced licensed copies of the TT-33 as the Pisztoly 48 Minta commonly referred to as the M48 or 48M, as well as an export version for Egypt known as the Tokagypt 58 chambered for the 9×19mm Parabellum round which was widely used by police forces there. Tokagypts differ from the M48 by an external thumb safety, an ergonomic wraparound grip, and a magazine with a finger rest.

Egypt, however, cancelled its order after less than half of the 30,000 pistols ordered were delivered. The remaining pistols were sold commercially by FÉG.

North Korea
North Korea manufactured them as the Type 68 or M68.

Pakistan


Both legal and illegal TT pistols are still manufactured in various Pakistani Khyber Pass factories.

Poland


Poland produced their own copies as the Pistolet wzór 1933 (P-33), manufactured from 1947 to 1959. In mid-50s a training version of P-33 was created, chambered in .22lr called TT Sportowy. All of those pistols were converted between 1954 and 1958 from the 7.62mm variant by changing the barrel and removing the locking lugs from slide.

Additionally, the Radom M48 was created in Radom, Poland as another slightly modified copy of the TT-33.

Romania
Romania produced a TT-33 copy as the TTC, or Tokarev Cugir well into the 1950s. These have been made available for commercial sale in great numbers in recent years. However, to be importable into the United States, a trigger blocking safety was added.

Vietnam
The K54 is a copy of the TT-33. An updated version known as the K14-VN is made by Factory Z111, and has an increased capacity of 13 rounds, with a wider grip to incorporate a double stack magazine. Research and development started in 2001. The K14-VN began to see service with PAVN forces on May 10, 2014.

The industry name for the regular K54 and the K14-VN is known as SN7M and the SN7TD.

Yugoslavia / Serbia
Zastava produces an improved version of the TT-33 designated M57.

The M57 has a longer grip and longer 9-round magazine (versus 8 rounds in TT). A 9×19mm version is also made by Zastava designated M70A as well as a compact version M88.

Zastava manufactures a sub compact pistol M70 (a.k.a. Pčelica ("little bee")) roughly based on TT design in 7,65mm Browning (.32 ACP) or 9mm Kratak (.380 ACP).

Prior to 2012, the M57A, M70A and M88A were formerly imported into the U.S. by Century International Arms, but have since been replaced by Zastava USA.

Conflicts

 * Winter War
 * World War II
 * Korean War
 * Arab–Israeli conflict
 * Bangladesh Liberation War
 * Hungarian Revolution of 1956
 * War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
 * South African Border War
 * War in Donbass
 * Russian invasion of Ukraine

Users



 * 🇦🇱 Albania:
 * 🇩🇿 Algeria
 * 🇦🇴 Angola
 * 🇦🇲 Armenia
 * 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan
 * 🇧🇾 Belarus: Used by reserve military units.
 * 🇧🇯 Benin
 * Bosnia-Herzegovina
 * 🇧🇬 Bulgaria
 * 🇧🇮 Burundi: Burundian rebels
 * 🇰🇭 Cambodia
 * 🇹🇩 Chad
 * People's Republic of China: Used by Red Guards during Cultural Revolution and People's Liberation Army Officers. Produced in large numbers as the Type 54.
 * Congo-Brazzaville
 * 🇭🇷 Croatia
 * Donetsk People's Republic: Used by pro-Russian separatists.
 * 🇪🇬 Egypt: Produced from the 1950s.
 * 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea
 * Georgia
 * 🇬🇳 Guinea
 * 🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau
 * 🇭🇺 Hungary: Produced locally.
 * 🇮🇩 Indonesia
 * 🇮🇶 Iraq
 * Ivory Coast
 * 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
 * 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan
 * Laos
 * 🇱🇾 Libya
 * Luhansk People's Republic Used by pro-Russian separatists.
 * 🇲🇬 Madagascar
 * 🇲🇱 Mali: People's Movement for the Liberation of Azawad
 * 🇲🇹 Malta
 * 🇲🇷 Mauritania
 * 🇲🇩 Moldova
 * 🇲🇳 Mongolia
 * 🇲🇪 Montenegro
 * 🇲🇦 Morocco
 * 🇲🇿 Mozambique
 * 🇰🇵 North Korea: Produced locally as the Type 68.
 * 🇵🇰 Pakistan: TT pistols are manufactured in various Pakistani Khyber Pass factories.
 * 🇵🇱 Poland: Produced locally in the FB Radom arms factory.
 * 🇷🇴 Romania: Produced locally at the Cugir factory under the designation "TTC".
 * Russian Federation
 * 🇷🇸 Serbia
 * 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone
 * 🇸🇴 Somalia
 * 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
 * Syria
 * 🇺🇦 Ukraine
 * 🇺🇬 Uganda
 * Vietnam
 * 🇿🇲 Zambia
 * 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

Former users

 * Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
 * 🇫🇮 Finland: Captured TT-33 pistols were carried by Finnish soldiers during the Winter War (1939–1940) and Continuation War (1941–1944) with the USSR. It was nicknamed the "Star Pistol" (tähti-pistooli) due to the large Red Army star embossed on the grip panels. Although large numbers were acquired, the Finnish military never produced ammunition or spares for them because they were in a non-standard caliber.
 * East Germany
 * Nazi Germany: Captured from the Soviet Union.
 * People's Liberation Army of Namibia
 * Soviet Union
 * Umkhonto we Sizwe
 * Yugoslavia