Tokarev TT-33

History of the Tokarev TT-33

The T-33 is a further development of the TT-30 series of pistols, itself based on the design of the famous American gunsmith John Browning. The TT-33 has proven to handle the field well, while retaining the specific "quality" that makes the weapon so beloved by soldiers. The pistol proved to be a popular system at home and abroad, since it was produced outside Russia. Beginning in 1933, approximately 1.7 million TT-33 pistols were produced by various factories in various countries.

The genre was used extensively in combat during World War II, the Korean War, the Chinese Civil War, and the Vietnam War (and no doubt other undocumented wars).

Need to trigger motion

In 1930, new small arms for the Soviet Army became the trend of the day. So a new movement is finally testing such systems to replace the outdated guns available to Soviet soldiers at the time, most notably the Nagant M1895 series - a revolver that originated in the last century and served with Tsarist Russia related.

In early 1931, several possibilities were tested, of which the TT-30 was the most notable.

TT-30

The core of the TT-30 is very similar to what made the Colt Browning automatic pistol so successful, especially the widely used and often copied pistol. 45 caliber M1911 (including its short rear seat tube system). As effective as the M1911 system was, it (and other Browning types) were hardly suitable for cheap and easy-to-manufacture but field-useable guns in the war-torn Soviet Union.

So the Soviet engineers made some changes themselves to make the pistol a more powerful red inventory system. One of the most notable changes to the new weapon is the machining of the magazine feed directly into the main receiver.

This is a great way to prevent misfeeds of potentially damaged ink cartridges. A modular hammer and latch mechanism has been incorporated into one piece for easier removal from the frame for faster cleaning and servicing - the module is accessible from the top rear of the frame.

The TT-30 is a single-action semi-automatic pistol developed by Feodor V. Tokarev in 1930, and owes much of its internal and external design to the original John Browning FN 1903 automatic pistol. Tokarev designed several other weapons for the Red Army at the time, including other types of pistols and automatic rifles. The TT-30 is designed with a simplified unlocked recoil system with a pivot link below the barrel that unlocks the barrel from the slider during recoil. About 1,000 prototypes were ordered for further trials, and the TT-30 was officially adopted as the standard sidearm for the Red Army.

Production began in 1931 at the Tula Arsenal ("Tula-Tokarev" formed the designation "TT" in the "TT-30" and "TT-33" series). The TT-30 was the first pistol designed by Tokarev for significant service.

While the TT-30 is promising, development is already underway to improve upon the type already in production. Within three years, the weapon was replaced by the improved TT-33 series, which was officially adopted by the Red Army in 1933.

TT-33

TT-33 exists as an evolved and modified form of the base TT-30. The TT-33 uses machined locking lugs around the barrel instead of the top mounting lugs on the TT-30 for easier production. The component is partially modified, as are the framework and triggers. Like most other war machines used by the Red Army, the finish of most TT-33s suffered before they even entered combat. However, once in service, this rarely compromises the functional braking power of the TT-33 mechanism.

This pistol proved to be relatively accurate, extremely lethal, reliable and tough - handy in the urban battles that raged at the end of World War II. The chosen cartridge, however, proved to be noteworthy, as it is a peak powered projectile that produces good recoil and has a high muzzle velocity - reducing range accuracy to some extent - especially with contemporaries compared to ammunition.

The TT-33 achieved remarkable success throughout World War II, including the Russo-Finnish War. However, it never reached the numbers needed to fully replace the Nagant revolver, which is still highly regarded by users for its excellent field characteristics.

It wasn't until 1945 -- the last year of World War II -- that the TT-33 completely overthrew Nagant.

TT-33 Drill

Externally, the TT-33 has a very classic design, and to the untrained eye, it looks identical to the Browning M1911. The pistol is relatively large and can fill the hand of the average person well. The trigger is mounted in a fixed trigger ring and integrated into the pistol grip.

The pistol grip has horizontal or vertical grooves for a firm grip. Sights are mounted on top of the muzzle (blade type) and rear (notch type). The barrel maintains a barrel length of approximately 8.86 inches and features four right-hand grooves. The weapon is loaded with Soviet 7.62x25mm M30 (Tokarev 0.3 inch) cartridges, 8 of which are in a detachable magazine under the pistol grip. The M30 itself shares some characteristics with the German 7.63x25mm Mauser cartridge used in the Mauser C96 series pistols.

The hammer is buried in the back and, interestingly, there is usually no obvious manual safety catch - there is only a half-cock notch on the hammer. The ejection port is located on the right side of the slide.

TT-33 production and variants

After 1945, production and range deliveries of the proven TT-33 continued to satellite countries and countries allied with the Soviet Union. Some eventually took over local production of this type, further increasing the number to hundreds of thousands.

Soviet production itself continued in the postwar world, culminating in 1952.

In China, Tokarev pistols were mass produced under the local names "Type 51" and "Type 54". Poland released their M48, while Yugoslavia called their local production variants the M57, M65 and M70A. North Korea followed, naming it the M68 (also known as the "Type 68"). Hungary, which proved to be one of the largest foreign manufacturers, has further improved the design in a number of ways, including the production of a 9mm Parabellum mold (M48).

One developed into the aptly named "Tokagypt 58," which was eventually exported to Egypt for police use. Egypt also produced its own local variant in the 1950s. Romania produced copies of the TT-33 as the TTC (or "Cugir Tokarev", also in the 1950s.

Including the aforementioned Soviet Tula Armory, production of NORINCO, Femaru, Radom Armory, Cugir Armory and Zastava Arms has been shown in factories all over the world. TT-33 operators include Afghanistan, Angola, China, Congo-Brazzaville, Egypt, Guinea-Bissau, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Libya, Madagascar, Malta, Mongolia, Mozambique, Soviet Union, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Today's TT-33

On today's modern battlefield, the TT-33 no longer has a significant place in the Russian army's arsenal. Other former operators have since abandoned it in favor of newer systems, although this type is still in service in several countries - proving that the rugged qualities of the war pistol are quite reliable.

TT-33s (and their respective copies) can still be found on parades or on soldiers in normal ceremonial attire (if applicable).

While most commonly associated with Red Army soldiers, the TT-33 also became the mainstay of Red Army gendarmerie units, usually carried in the left shoulder holster.

TT-33 replicas may continue to be produced today outside of Russia.

Specification

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