Tokarev TT 33
* Caliber:7.62 x 25 mm TT (7.62 mm P model 1930)
* Length:19.6cm
* Barrel Length:11.6cm
* Unloaded weight:0.910 kg
* Loaded weight:-
* Capacity:8 rounds
The Tokarev TT 33 (in Russian Пистолет Тульский Токарева, модель 1933 года, Tula-Tokarev model 1933 pistol) is a single-action semi-automatic pistol developed for the Red Army during the 1920s. It is a simplified version of the TT 30 which was designed by Fedor Vasilevitch Tokarev based on the Colt M1911 (mechanism) and the Mauser C96 (ammunition copied and interchangeable with the 7.63 mm Mauser). Adopted in 1933 this weapon inexpensive to produce was at the same time precise, powerful and simple to maintain (removable plate) for its time. However, it suffers from a lack of safety devices (apart from a half cocked notch of the outer hammer) and a particularly uncomfortable handle. There are two 22 Long Rifle derivatives of the TT 33:the TT R3 (identical to the TT 33 and intended for training) and the TT R4 (long barrel and exposed for sport shooting).
The Tokarev TT 33 was produced by a large number of Warsaw Pact countries, including Hungary (FEG 48/Tokagypt), North Korea (Type 68), Poland (FB TT), Romania, as well as Yugoslavia (Zastava M57) or China (Type 54) in forms more or less close to the original. The Hungarians, Yugoslavs and Chinese notably produced versions chambered in 9 mm Parabellum and equipped with reinforced security for export.
It was used more than 2 million TT 33 by the police and the army until the 1960s in the USSR despite the appearance of more modern weapons after the war. It was then massively distributed to countries aided militarily by Moscow or Beijing. In 2000, the Tokarev TT 33 and Type 51 could still be commonly found in Asia (Afghanistan, Cambodia, China, Iraq, Laos, Syria, Vietnam, Yemen), in Europe (Albania, Bulgaria, Malta, Romania, Russia and in Africa (Benin, Congo-Brazzaville, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Libya, Mauritania, Madagascar, Mozambique, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Zimbabwe).