The TT-30,, "7.62 mm Tokarev self-loading pistol model 1930", TT stands for
Tula
Tula may refer to:
Geography
Antarctica
*Tula Mountains
* Tula Point
India
* Tulā, a solar month in the traditional Indian calendar
Iran
* Tula, Iran, a village in Hormozgan Province
Italy
* Tula, Sardinia, municipality (''comune'') in the ...
-Tokarev) commonly known simply as the Tokarev, is an out-of-production Soviet
semi-automatic pistol. It was developed in 1930 by
Fedor Tokarev as a
service pistol for the
Soviet military to replace the
Nagant M1895 revolver
A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating firearm, repeating handgun that has at least one gun barrel, barrel and uses a revolving cylinder (firearms), cylinder containing multiple chamber (firearms), chambers (each holding a single ...
that had been in use since the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
, though it ended up being used in conjunction with, rather than replacing, the M1895. It served until 1952, when it was replaced by the
Makarov pistol.
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 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
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, but did not completely replace the Nagant. From 1931-1945, 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 does depend on the barrel bushing to hold it under tension. The TT-33 is chambered for the
7.62×25mm Tokarev
The 7.62×25mm Tokarev cartridge (designated as the 7.62 × 25 Tokarev by the C.I.P.) is a Russian rimless bottlenecked pistol cartridge widely used in former Soviet states and in China, among other countries. The cartridge has since been repla ...
cartridge, which was itself based on the similar
7.63×25mm Mauser cartridge used in the
Mauser C96
The Mauser C96 (''Construktion 96'') is a semi-automatic pistol that was originally produced by German arms manufacturer Mauser from 1896 to 1937. Unlicensed copies of the gun were also manufactured in Spain and China in the first half of the 2 ...
pistol. The 7.62×25mm cartridge is powerful, has an extremely flat trajectory, and is capable of penetrating thick clothing and soft body armor. Because of their reliability, large numbers of the TT-33 were produced during World War II and well into the 1950s. In modern times, the robust TT-33 has been converted to many powerful cartridges including
.38 Super
The .38 Super, also known as .38 Super +P, .38 Super Auto, .38 Super Automatic, .38 Super Automatic +P, or 9×23mmSR, is a pistol cartridge that fires a bullet. It was introduced in the late 1920s as a higher pressure loading of the .38 ACP, a ...
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 manual safeties added, which vary greatly in placement and function.
Variants
The
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...
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
The 9×19mm Parabellum (also known as 9mm Parabellum or 9mm Luger or simply 9mm) is a rimless, tapered firearms cartridge.
Originally designed by Austrian firearm designer Georg Luger in 1901, it is widely considered the most popular handgun ...
round was more common. Due to much higher pressures, using Russian cartridges in German Mauser pistols can induce damages, and is advised against.
Interarms marketed
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
–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 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.
Foreign production
The TT-33 was eventually replaced by the 8-round,
9×18mm Makarov PM pistol in 1952. 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 made 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
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the China, People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five Military branch, service branches: the People's ...
'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
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...
rebarreled the TT to fire
9×19mm Parabellum
The 9×19mm Parabellum (also known as 9mm Parabellum or 9mm Luger or simply 9mm) is a rimless, tapered firearms cartridge.
Originally designed by Austrian firearm designer Georg Luger in 1901, it is widely considered the most popular handgun ...
as the ''M48'', as well as an export version for Egypt known as the ''Tokagypt 58'' which was widely used by police forces there.
Tokagypts differ from the original Tokarevs by an external safety lever that can be engaged in safety decocking as well as cocked hammer position. By changing the barrel and magazine into original TT parts, a calibre change system can be made easily (after proof-shooting in countries affiliated with the
CIP).
Egypt, however, cancelled much of the order of the Tokagypt and PP-like pistols manufactured in Hungary; those were marketed then in the West, like the then
Federal Republic of Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated between ...
, where it was imported by Hege.
North Korea
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...
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 ''PW wz.33'', manufactured from 1947 to 1959.
In mid-50s a training version of PW wz. 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 TT33.
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
.32 ACP ( Automatic Colt Pistol, also known as .32 Automatic) is a centerfire pistol cartridge. It is a semi-rimmed, straight-walled cartridge developed by firearms designer John Browning, initially for use in the FN M1900 semi-automatic pi ...
) or
9mm Kratak (
.380 ACP
The .380 ACP (9×17mm) ( Automatic Colt Pistol) is a rimless, straight-walled pistol cartridge developed by firearms designer John Moses Browning. The cartridge headspaces on the mouth of the case.Wilson, R. K. ''Textbook of Automatic Pisto ...
).
Since 2012, the M57A, M70A and M88A was formerly imported into the U.S. by
Century International Arms, but has since been replaced by
Zastava USA.
Usage
The TT-33 is still in service in the Bangladeshi and North Korean armed forces today, while
police
The police are a Law enforcement organization, constituted body of Law enforcement officer, persons empowered by a State (polity), state, with the aim to law enforcement, enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citize ...
in Pakistan still commonly use the TT pistol as a sidearm, though unofficially, as it is being replaced by modern 9 mm
Beretta and
SIG Sauer pistols. In China, the TT-33 pistol is also occasionally supplied to the
People's Armed Police
)
, abbreviation = PAP ("People's Armed Police") CAPF ("Chinese Armed Police Force"), formerly abbreviated''Wujing'' ( zh , s = 武警 , p = Wǔjǐng , l = Armed Police , labels = no ), or WJ as on vehicle license plates
, patch ...
and
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the China, People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five Military branch, service branches: the People's ...
under the name Type 54.
The Tokarev, as well as its variants in 9mm, have been renowned for their simplicity, power and accuracy.
Users
*
[Jones, Richard D. ''Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010''. Jane's Information Group; 35 edition (January 27, 2009). .]
*:
Albanian police
The Albanian State Police ( sq, Policia e Shtetit) is the national police and law enforcement agency which operates throughout the Republic of Albania. The collapse of the Communist system and the establishment of political pluralism post-1991 ...
and
RENEA
The Department of Neutralization of Armed Elements () commonly known by its acronym RENEA, is the main Albanian counter-terrorist and critical incident response unit. The force was constituted in the early 1990s in response to the growing crime le ...
.
*
*
*
*
*: Uses Chinese ''
Type 54'' copy
*
*
*
*
* : Burundian rebels
*
*
*: Used by
Red Guards during
Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goa ...
and
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the China, People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five Military branch, service branches: the People's ...
Officers. Produced in large numbers as the
Type 54.
[Marchington, James (2004). ''The Encyclopedia of Handheld Weapons''. Lewis International, Inc. .]
*
*
*: Used by pro-Russian separatists.
*
Issued in small numbers to Volkspolizei (Peoples Police) in the early 1950s, replaced by Makarov PM in late 50s.
*: Produced from the 1950s.
[Hogg, Ian (2002). ''Jane's Guns Recognition Guide''. Jane's Information Group. .]
*
*: Captured TT-33 pistols were carried by Finnish soldiers during the
Winter War
The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
(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.
*
*
*
*: Produced locally.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*:
People's Movement for the Liberation of Azawad
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Used captured pistols
*: Produced locally as the ''Type 68''.
*: TT pistols are manufactured in various Pakistani Khyber Pass factories.
*: Produced locally in the
FB „Radom” arms factory.
Used by military and law enforcement groups; replaced by the
P-64 pistol in the 1960s.
*: Produced locally at the Cugir factory under the designation "TTC".
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*: used by
Vietcong and
North Vietnamese Army
The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN; vi, Quân đội nhân dân Việt Nam, QĐNDVN), also recognized as the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) or the Vietnamese Army (), is the military force of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the armed wi ...
Officers during
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
*: Produced locally as the
Zastava M57.
*
*
See also
*
List of Russian weaponry
*
Table of handgun and rifle cartridges
This is a table of selected pistol/ submachine gun and rifle/ machine gun cartridges by common name. Data values are the highest found for the cartridge, and might not occur in the same load (e.g. the highest muzzle energy might not be in the s ...
References
External links
{{WWIIUSSRInfWeapons
7.62×25mm Tokarev semi-automatic pistols
9mm Parabellum semi-automatic pistols
Police weapons
Semi-automatic pistols of the Soviet Union
TT platform
Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1930
World War II infantry weapons of China
World War II infantry weapons of the Soviet Union
Cold War firearms of the Soviet Union
Tula Arms Plant products
Izhevsk Mechanical Plant products