The TT-33 went on to see marked actions throughout all of World War 2 including the Russo-Finnish War. However, it was never available in the numbers required to fully replace the Nagant revolvers, the latter still held in high regard by its users for its excellent field characteristics. It would not be until 1945 - the final year of World War 2 - that the TT-33 would supplant the Nagant in whole.
TT-33 Walk-Around
Externally, design of the TT-33 was classic and proved outwardly identical to the Browning M1911 to the untrained eye. The pistol was relatively large and could fill up the average hand quite well. The trigger was set within a fixed trigger ring and integrated into the pistol grip. The pistol grip featured horizontal or vertical grooves for a firm grip. Sights were affixed atop the muzzle (blade type) and at the rear (notch type). The barrel maintained a running length of about 8.86 inches and featured four grooves with a right-hand twist. The weapon was chambered for the 7.62x25mm M30 Soviet (0.3-inchTokarev) caliber cartridge of which eight were held in a detachable box magazine inserted into the bottom of the pistol grip. The M30 itself shared some characteristics with the German 7.63x25mm Mauser cartridge of the Mauser C96 pistol series. The hammer was buried at the rear and, interestingly, there was usually no noticeable manual safety catch - just a half-cock notch on the hammer. The ejection port was located along the right-hand side of the slide.
TT-33 Production and Variants
After 1945, production and reach of the proven TT-33 continued with deliveries to satellite states and Soviet-allied nations. Some eventually undertook local production of the type to further boost numbers into the hundreds of thousands. Soviet production itself continued on in the post-war world, eventually wrapping up in 1952.
In China, the Tokarev pistols were produced in large quantities under the local designations of "Type 51" and "Type 54". Poland issued theirs as the M48 while Yugoslavia called their local-production variants the M57, M65 and the M70A. North Korea followed suit and named theirs the M68 (also the "Type 68"). Hungary proved one of the largest foreign producers and took the design even further along several respects including manufacturing a 9mm Parabellum form (the M48). One development became the aptly-named "Tokagypt 58" eventually exported to Egypt for police force use. Egypt also produced their own local variant in the 1950s. Romania produced the TT-33 copy as the TTC (or "Cugir Tokarev", also in the 1950s.
Including the aforementioned Soviet Tula Arsenal, production was featured at NORINCO, Femaru, Radom Arsenal, Cugir Arsenal and Zastava Arms at plants worldwide. TT-33 operators encompassed Afghanistan, Angola, China, Congo-Brazzaville, Egypt, Guinea-Bissau, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Libya, Madagascar, Malta, Mongolia, Mozambique, Soviet Union, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The TT-33 Today
On today's modern battlefield, the TT-33 no longer maintains a large presence in the Russian Army armories. It has also since been dropped in favor of newer systems by other former operators though the type is still in service with several nations - proving the robust characteristics of the war-time pistol to be quite sound. TT-33s (and their respective copies) can still be found on parade or on soldiers with customary ceremonious dress when applicable.
While most often associated with the Red Army soldier, the TT-33 also became a fixture of Red Army military police units, usually carried in a left-side, shoulder-slung holster.
Production of TT-33 copies may be ongoing in nations outside of Russia today.
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