Cutaway of the Day: TT-30/33

During the late 1920s the Soviet Army launched trials to find a new service semi-automatic pistol to replace the aging Nagant M1895 revolver.  A number of Russian konstruktors entered the competition including Sergey Korovin, S.A. Prilutsky and Fedor Tokarev.  It was Tokarev's pistol, which married a German-inspired cartridge, an American action and a Russian design, that was chosen following the trials and production was begun at the Tula arms works, resulting in the pistol's name: Tula-Tokarev Model 1930.

Tokarev's design melds the profile of John Browning's M1903 and some of the internals of Browning's M1911.    This gave the pistol a low bore axis making it a more naturally pointing pistol and has led to the pistol being described as the 'Russian 1911'.  

Chambered in 7.62x25mm (which was a Russian improvement on the German 7.63×25 cartridge) the TT-30 used the short recoil system and swinging link and tilting lock found in the 1911.  However, Tokarev's pistol integrated a lock and hammer assembly to the rear of the pistol which was easily removable for ease of servicing.  The TT also had integral magazine feed lips in the pistol's frame, this allowed the pistol to have a cleaner feed and minimised the damage to magazines if a round failed to eject.  

The TT's have a characteristically high rear sight post, a lanyard loop and slide lock on the left hand side of the pistol.  Unlike the Browning designs it is influenced by the TT has no safety mechanism.  The pistol's production design was revised slightly during the early 1930s with the locking ribs being forged with the barrel rather than being milled afterwards, similarly the grip's backstrap was forged with the rest of the frame rather than separately this simplified the manufacturing process removing several production steps.  These revisions were in place by 1935 and all future pistols were designated TT-33.

The pistol saw service during the Winter War where many captured examples of the pistol were used by the Finns as well as wide use during the Second World War although it did not fully replace the Nagant M1895. Similarly captured TT-33s were used by the German Army as they could fire the Mauser 7.63×25mm round.  They were widely used and copied throughout the Communist Bloc TT variants were used during the Korean War, Vietnam War, Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan and many surplus TTs found there way to Africa.

It is estimated that during the Second World War the Soviets produced approximately 280,000 TT-33s this relatively small number can be explained by the fact that not only was the Nagant M1895 still in production but also Soviet small arms manufacture focused overwhelmingly on the production of submachine guns.  All told it is thought that some 1,700,000 pistols were produced between 1930 and 1954 when production finally ended.  While production ended the pistol remained in service for many years alongside the Makarov which replaced it. The TT-33 has also been widely produced in other communist countries including China where the pistol was designated the Type 54, Romania and many other Communist Bloc states as well as many African states. Locally produced examples remain in service in both Pakistan and North Korea while Zastava in Yugoslavia still produce a version of the pistol in 9mm.

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