TT33
From Gwn
| TT33-Tula Tokarev model 1933 | |
| |
| Type: | Semi-automatic pistol |
| Place of Origin: | Russia |
| Date Created: | 1930 |
| Weight: | 840 g |
| Length: | 196 mm |
| Barrel Length: | 116 mm |
| Ammunition: | 7.62 mm x 22 mm Tokarev |
| Action: | Single action, recoil-actuated |
| Muzzle Velocity: | 420 m/s |
| Feed System: | 8 round box magazine |
The 1933 Soviet TT (Tokarev-Tula) was a standard military side-arm in 1930-50s. It uses a high-velocity round with good penetration capability. The bottlenecked cartridge, essentially a souped-up 7.63 Mauser, gives a flat trajectory but, being common to longer-barreled submachine guns, also a considerable muzzle blast. For the ease of production, the locking lugs are lathed rather than milled and so encircle the barrel.
The grip angle is not conducive to point shooting. Sights are quite good for slow fire (if difficult to pick up in low light) but the inherent accuracy is surprisingly poor. An eight-shot group of 3" at 21ft is typical. However, the rate of fire, the power of the cartridge and the reliability represented a big improvement over the previous Soviet sidearm, the Nagant.
The safety visible on the left of the frame was fitted to comply with BATF edict requiring an external safety on imports. In fact, the normal safety of the TT33 is the half-cock notch. The retrofitted safety should not be relied on for cocked and locked carry.
History
The TT-30 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.
Production of the TT-33 in the USSR ended in 1954, but copies 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 9mm 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.
Norinco, the People's Liberation Army's state weapons manufacturer in China, manufactures a commercial variant of the Tokarev pistol for many years. It was chambered in the more common 9mm Parabellum round as well as in the original 7.62x25. It features a safety catch, which was absent on Soviet-produced TT-33 handguns.
Ammo
The 7.62 x 22 mm Tokarev is more powerful than standard weapons. The cartridge has 25% higher pressure loading, meaning that it produces significantly more velocity and energy than other common loads and may present a danger to the user when fired from weapons not specifically designed to use it.
The Soviets produced a wide array of loadings for this cartridge for use in submachine guns. These include armor-piercing, tracer and incendiary rounds. This cartridge has excellent penetration and can defeat lighter ballistic vests (class I and II). Although most firearms chambered in this caliber were declared obsolete and removed from military inventories, some Russian police and special forces units still use it for its superior penetration, rather than the more popular 9 mm Makarov ammunition in current use. 7.62 mm Tokarev rounds.
GWN Usage
Tom used it, he modified it, and kicks ass with it. Got a problem with that? No. Know why? Because.
