After the end of World War II, the victorious Soviet Union used Eastern Europe as its sphere of influence and spread its influence to third world countries, and soviet-made weapons and equipment also spread to the whole world, including the Tokarev TT pistol. Countries to to the Tokarev TT pistol as a prototype imitation, derived pistol models, here can not be exhausted, and some of the exact same products as the original are not introduced one by one, can only introduce some characteristic products.
1. Poland
Poland is the country that produced the TT-33 pistol in imitation. As early as January 21, 1945, before the end of World War II, the Lublin government led by the Polish Communist Party began to evaluate the possibility of imitation production of TT-33 pistols after the war, and finally the Polish People's Army Ordnance Department decided to produce imitation production by Radom Arsenal. The Polish imitation TT-33 pistol, called the PW wz.33, was first rolled off the production line in October 1946.
The caliber, shape and structure of the Polish PW wz.33 pistol were almost identical to those of the Soviet TT-33 pistol, differing only in the inscription and grip piece pattern: the TT pistol grip piece produced in the Soviet Union before the war was black with vertical stripes, and there was a circle in the middle of the grip piece, with a five-pointed star and the letter cccp, and the products produced during the war were not so elaborate, and a simple slotted wood piece was generally used as a grip piece, while the PW wz.33 pistol grip piece produced in Poland after the war was the letter FB triangle logo of the Radom Arsenal. The Polish PW Wz.33 pistol was produced from 1946 until 1959, equipped with the Polish People's Army and police forces, and was eventually replaced by the P64 pistol of 9x18mm caliber, but until the end of the Polish socialist regime, there were still PW wz.33 pistols in the Polish auxiliary forces and police.
The Polish PW WZ.33 pistol, which was exported to the United States, was compulsorily equipped with manual safety (between the grip and the trigger guard) according to the requirements of the United States, and this kind of modification was often removed by collectors after entering the United States and restored to its original appearance.
In addition to the 7.62x25mm caliber military version, Poland also removed some PW wz.33 pistols from the latching device and barrel hinges, and changed them to a free bolt type that fixed the barrel, using a chamber adapter to fire .22LR edge fire shells, used as a training weapon, this small-caliber Tokarev pistol is called "Tokarev Sportowy", in order to distinguish it from the 7.62mm caliber, there is a prominent "Sportowy" inscription on the sleeve.
Tokarev Sportowy .22-inch training pistol with .22LR cartridges and chamber adapters below.
2. Hungary
Hungary was a satellite state of the Soviet Union during the socialist period, and its light weapons and equipment were basically identical to those of the Soviet Union, including the TT-33 pistol. The Hungarian imitation TT-33 pistol is called the M48 pistol, and the main feature is that the grip piece has the coat of arms of the Hungarian People's Republic.
The Hungarian M48 pistol, almost identical to the TT-33, except that the grip plate pattern was changed to the coat of arms of the Hungarian People's Republic.
In addition to the M48, Hungary also produced a 9x19mm caliber TT series pistol called the M58, mainly for export, Egypt was once a major user of this M58 pistol. In addition to changing to a 9mm caliber, the M58 pistol has a larger change in grip shape and greater curvature, and the grip piece is changed to an all-inclusive type that covers the rear of the entire grip, with transverse anti-slip lines; in addition, the M58 pistol also adds a manual safety to the left rear of the sleeve seat.
The Hungarian M58 pistol produced for Egypt
3. Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which has always had a "national character" in the manufacture of small arms and light weapons, has also copied the TT-33 pistol, called the M57 pistol, which is produced by the Zaswata Arsenal. The biggest feature of the M57 pistol compared to the original TT-33 is that the grip is extended, using a 9-round magazine, 1 more round than the TT-33, and the letters around the black five-pointed star in the center of the grip have also been changed to the abbreviation of the Yugoslav name.
Yugoslav M57 pistol, with an extended grip and a 1 round more ammunition capacity than the TT-33, to 9 rounds.
M57A1, an export type of M57, added manual insurance to accommodate the mandatory requirements of the United States for imported firearms.
Later Yugoslavia also produced an M70A pistol, which was an export version of the M57 pistol to a 9x19mm caliber, and the manual safety was changed from the left rear of the sleeve seat of the M57A to the left rear of the sleeve.
The M70A pistol, for the Yugoslav 9x19mm version of the TT-33, the manual safety was also moved to the rear of the sleeve side.
By the 1980s, Yugoslavia had shortened the barrel on the basis of the M70 and developed the M88 and M88A pistols of the 9x19mm caliber, which can be seen as a compact version of the M70 for export.
Yugoslav M88 pistol, the gun 9x19mm caliber, used for foreign trade. Despite major modifications to the appearance, the short-position hang-up fixing bolt still exposes the TT-33 pedigree.
4. North Korea
North Korea's imitation TT-33 pistol is called the Type 68 pistol, but North Korea is not copying as is, but has made many improvements. In terms of appearance, the rear contour of the sleeve seat of the Type 68 pistol was changed, with an extra angle, avoiding the drawbacks of the TT-33 pistol sleeve recoil hammer biting the tiger's mouth; more core improvements were made on the inside, the original TT-33 pistol let the barrel shift to open the lock, which was the same as its reference prototype Colt M1911 pistol, the Type 68 changed it to a bevel unlock similar to the Browning HP pistol.
For North Korean Type 68 pistols, the shape of the tail of the socket seat has been modified, and the magazine release button has been changed from the side ear surface of the grip to the bottom of the grip.
5. China
Finally, it is also important, of course, to talk about China's "big black star". China's imitation of TT-33 pistol work began in the early 50s during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, when the Soviet side had not officially provided technical information on TT-33 pistols to China, so the 626 factory surveyed and mapped imitations according to the TT-33 pistols, and the imitation products were called 51 pistols.
In 1952, Soviet experts went to the 626 factory for guidance, and brought a full set of technical information, process documents and tooling of the TT-33 pistol, at this time it was officially "from scratch" to imitate the TT-33 pistol, and the official imitation product was the "Big Black Star", the "Big Black Star", which was very trusted by our people, the Type 54 pistol.
Type 54 pistol, the sleeve has the Chinese characters "Type 54" and the gun number on the top
For a long time, including many military magazines and military popular science books, it has been said that in the process of imitating the production of Type 54 pistols, China has improved the Su TT-33 and Type 51 pistols, changed the shape of the grip curve to be more suitable for Asian hand types, changed the sleeve anti-slip pattern to fine lines, modified the trigger shape to hyperbolic, and removed the hanging ring at the bottom of the magazine... However, a careful study of the development history of the TT-33 pistol will find that some so-called "differences between Type 51 pistols and Type 54 pistols" Zhang Guanli Dai describes the difference between TT-30 and TT-33 as the difference between Type 51 and Type 54.
The "difference between the Type 51 pistol and the Type 54 pistol" found on the Internet is actually the difference between the TT-30 and the TT-33.
As for the features of the trimmed grip, the fine anti-slip grain of the sleeve, and the absence of a hanging ring at the bottom of the magazine, which were once considered exclusive to the Type 54, they also appeared in the late TT-33 products, or more precisely, products after 1947. For example, the one on the right in the picture below, the sleeve is fine anti-slip pattern, the magazine has no hanging ring, and the Chinese Type 54 is exactly the same, but the CCCP around the five-pointed star in the middle of the grip shows that this is undoubtedly a Soviet TT-33. Therefore, the so-called Type 54 has been improved for the TT-33 and Type 51, but in fact, the drawings of the Soviet Union's 1947 type TT-33 were obtained when they were formally imitated, not the improvements made by China itself.
The sleeve on the right is thin, there is no hanging ring at the bottom of the magazine, and it was once thought that these features were exclusive to the Type 54, but this is actually a TT-33 produced by the Soviet Union after 1947.
After the mass production of the Type 54 pistol to equip the troops, a large number of old miscellaneous pistols retained in the People's Liberation Army were eliminated, becoming self-defense weapons for grass-roots commanders and special service personnel, and in the 1980s, they were equipped with public security departments to replace a large number of old miscellaneous pistols used by the public security. The gun also greatly affected the Chinese's perception of the pistol, so that for a long time, as soon as they saw a large pistol with a sleeve to pull, they thought it was a Type 54 pistol, or an "imitation Type 54 pistol", and everyone must have seen a lot of jokes in this regard.
In addition to equipping the People's Liberation Army, the Armed Police Force and the public security department, the Type 54 pistol has also gone abroad. In the 60s and 70s of last century, in order to support Vietnam's resistance to US imperialist aggression, China exported a large number of weapons and equipment to Vietnam, including type 54 pistols. To conceal the source of weapons, these Type 54 pistols in support of Vietnam were named "M20 pistols" with the inscription "M20" on the sleeve. Some of the "M20 pistols" were captured by the US military and brought to the United States, and are now collectibles on the market.
M20 pistols and inscriptions to aid Vietnam
In the 1980s, in exchange for foreign exchange, China's North Industries Company began to export firearms to the North American market, and the Type 54 pistol was exported under the name of 54-1 and M213. In addition to the 7.62x25mm caliber, there is also a 9x19mm caliber (originally I thought that the 54-1 was a 7.62mm caliber, and the M213 was a 9mm caliber, but later found that the 54-1 also had a 9mm caliber, so I guessed that the naming of the export weapon had changed, and the original 54 series foreign trade guns were changed to the M213 series). Because the United States has many mandatory standards for imported pistols, the 54-1 and M213 pistols exported to the United States are mandatorily equipped with a manual insurance. Among the many outlet models, the most variable shape is the M213B, which is a 9x19mm caliber, using a curved grip, and the appearance is very similar to the M58 pistol exported from Hungary to Egypt.
A 7.62x25mm caliber 54-1 foreign trade pistol with an ugly manual safety behind the grip piece.
It's also a 54-1, but the inscription on the sleeve shows it's a 9x19mm caliber
Still labeled 54-1, but also known as the M213B, this one is 9x19mm caliber and has a modified grip shape, much like the Hungarian M58 pistol.
The Type 54 pistol has been in service in our army for more than 50 years, and the performance of all aspects has lagged behind, such as imperfect insurance institutions, unmatched motion firing function, small magazine capacity, poor man-machine efficacy, etc., most of which have been replaced by 9mm and 5.8mm QSZ92 pistols.