Description
MINT, MATCHING & UNMOLESTED!
The TT-30 commonly known simply as the Tokarev (Tok), is a Soviet-made semi-automatic pistol developed during the late 1920’s by Fedor Tokarev as a service pistol for the Soviet Armed Forces.
It was based on the earlier pistol designs of John Moses Browning, albeit with detail modifications to simplify production & 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 (PRC) & Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia before it imploded in the early 1990’s.
Before 1930, the USSR utilised a wide variety of foreign sourced pistols including the FN Model 1900, FN Model 1903, FN Model 1905, Colt 1911 & Mauser C96.
In an attempt to simplify production the Soviets decided to adopt a 7.62mm calibre. Apparently, this was so they could use Mosin Nagant rifle barrels to make pistol & sub-machine gun barrels!
In 1930, the Red Army conducted trials to select a new standard-issue pistol & Tokarev’s design was tested against upscaled versions of the Korovin pistol & Sergei Aleksandrovich Prilutsky’s 1920−1921 self-loading design, as well as foreign pistols. Tokarev’s design, considered to be lighter, more accurate & reliable than its competitors (despite being harder to disassemble), was adopted as the Tula-Tokarev Model 1930, even though the pistol would only be officially adopted in the next year.
After being accepted for service, the TT-30 was modified, primarily to simplify the manufacturing process & the newly improved pistol received the designation TT-33.
The pistol lacks an external safety & is usually carried in ‘Condition 2’, with a round loaded & the hammer half-cocked which prevents the pistol from firing. The safest method for carrying the TT-33 is to leave the chamber empty, though it requires the slide to be manually pulled back & released to ready the gun for use, which isn’t ideal when confronted with pissed off Nazi’s coming at you I’m guessing.
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 & is capable of penetrating thick clothing & indeed, soft body armor.
Despite the power of the 7.62 mm round, the TT-33 has a relatively mild recoil which was a significant consideration for the millions of untrained peasant Soviet soldiers with no experience with handguns.
Although the Tokarev was mass produced for the Red Army, the Soviet Union continued producing Nagant 1895 revolvers during World War II due the material demands of the war & its simplicity.
As early as 1938, the Soviets mulled on a replacement for the TT-33 & again, trials were conducted. After testing several designs, including a submission from Tokarev, an 18-round design chambered for the 7.62mm round by Pavel V. Voyevodin was chosen, but development was halted after the Germans came to party uninvited.
Early production TTs have a high-quality black or dark blue finish, while wartime models (1942−1945) have rougher finish & wooden grips instead of rubber, as this pistol does while retaining the lanyard ring which some late war didn’t had omitted.
Note: All imported guns which were manufactured without a safety catch are required to have one added, regardless of the damage done to a historical gun in its original configuration.
What makes this a very desirable example is not just the condition but that it was never required to have an additional, modern safety catch added, thus bastardising the gun & demolishing its value so as you can understand, this pistol is significantly more valuable to collectors in its original condition.
We are offering this pistol as a collectable piece of military history & acknowledge the grievous atrocities committed by the Soviet regime & some of its military, particularly toward the Polish, Latvian, Czech, Lithuanian, Bulgarian, Rumanian & German civilian population in Europe plus whoever got in their way.
We think we have described it accurately & correctly but do not claim to be infallible so if we have got anything wrong, it is unintentional & are happy for feedback from people who know more than we do.
We think we have described it accurately but please make your decision based on the photos as these form the main description & override all other.
Whilst we check these out for serviceability, the warranty has expired & this is sold on an ‘as is’ basis. As with all used guns, we recommend you have this checked by a suitably qualified person prior to shooting.
We have a pretty unique refund policy on our collectable guns whereby we will refund your money if it is not as described when you receive it. Just let us know before you decide to send it back.
