The initial speed of the TT combat bullet. The legendary "TT"

The TT pistol of the 1933 model is the first Soviet self-loading army pistol. It was developed by the talented gunsmith designer Fedor Vasilyevich Tokarev in 1930. The TT combat pistol was created as a result of tests conducted in the 1920s to develop a modern semi-automatic weapon to replace the outdated Nagant. At that time, the famous Mauser pistol was popular. These weapons were purchased from large quantities, and the troops appreciated its powerful 7.63 mm caliber cartridge. It was for this ammunition that they decided to create a new weapon.

History of the TT pistol

The Tula Tokarev pistol (TT) was created as part of a competition for a new pistol in 1929. An analysis of the Red Army's weapons showed that its small arms were obsolete. Therefore, it was decided, among other things, to consider new versions of pistols. Especially for this purpose, drawings and sketches of various designers were submitted to the competition. A thorough comparative analysis various systems, cartridges and designs. As a result, the development of F.V. Tokarev was recognized as the best, but it was recommended to use the Mauser cartridge, which has dimensions of 7.62x25 mm, as a standard cartridge for the TT pistol. As a result, the design of the Tokarev pistol had to be redone and modified.

Commission requirements:

• the weapon must have increased shooting accuracy;
• the Tokarev TT pistol must be safe to handle;
• the device must have a light release force.

The shortcomings were eliminated within a few months. The designer made a mock-up of the TT pistol, as well as a prototype of it. In December 1930, it was decided to hold additional tests, during which TT demonstrated its best side. This was the best combat version of all the samples submitted to the competition. The new combat pistol was adopted by the Army, where it acquired its legendary unofficial name"TT" (" Tula Tokarev»).

However, the pistol at that time still had some design and technological shortcomings:

• the safety cocking device allowed involuntary shots;
• the dimensions and design of the magazine were such that sometimes the clip fell out at the most inopportune moment;
• the clip was not modified - the cartridges were distorted and the pistol jammed;
• a powerful cartridge, more suitable for submachine guns, quickly wore out the TT bolt;
• the barrel of the pistol did not fit into the rifle embrasure - the weapon could not be fired from the tank;
• the pistol had low reliability and a short service life - only 200-300 shots.

Over the course of three years, the identified deficiencies were eliminated. In 1933, after various modernizations, the troops received a new weapon - the TT model 1933. It was this combat pistol that went through the Great Patriotic War, in which its main drawback was revealed - its insufficiently large caliber. The 7.62 bullet did not have the same stopping effect as the German 9 mm pistol bullet. In addition, the sensitivity of the weapon design to contamination, mechanical damage and low temperatures.

Design Features

1. The TT pistol has a simple design, which ensures low production costs, as well as ease of maintenance - simple assembly and disassembly.
2. A rather powerful cartridge, atypical for pistols, provides muzzle energy of about 500 J and very high penetrating power.
3. The pistol does not have a safety as a separate part, so its functions are ensured by the safety cocking of the hammer.
4. The barrel provides good shooting accuracy and a short, easy release; an experienced shooter can hit a small target at a distance of over 50 meters. The TT's shape is flat and compact, which is quite convenient for concealed carry.
5. The impact mechanism is made as a single unit, which simplifies factory assembly.

Technical characteristics of TT model 1933:

• Caliber - 7.62 mm
• Initial bullet speed - 420 m/s
• The pistol + magazine without cartridges weighed 0.845 kg.
• The pistol + magazine with cartridges weighed 0.940 kg.
• Total length - 195 mm
• Barrel length - 116 mm
• Magazine capacity - 8 rounds
• The rate of fire was 8 shots in 10–15 seconds.

Airguns

Several options are available today air pistols caliber 4.5 mm:

• Gletcher TT.
• Gletcher TT NBB.
• TTP "Sobr".
• Crosman C-TT.

The Glatcher TT air pistol is a replica of the Tula Tokarev pistol. The pneumatic glacier is equipped with a Blowback system, which allows the bolt frame to move backward when fired and create high realism when shooting, as there is a visual resemblance to the shot of a combat pistol. The glacier has dimensional characteristics identical to the original and fires with the hammer pre-cocked.

The glacier has the following characteristics:

• Caliber - 4.5 mm.
• The bullet's flight speed is 110 m/s.
• Magazine capacity - 18 shots.
• Energy source - CO2 12g.
• Bullet type - 4.5 mm caliber balls.
• Power - less than 3.0 J.

Gletcher TT Blow back externallyfullycopies the TT combat pistol. Only the holes for screws on the right side spoil the look somewhat.

Airsoft guns

The manufacturer of airsoft weapons, SRC, has appeared on the market relatively recently, but has already managed to win the respect of adherents of this game, especially its version of the SRC TT-33 pistol, which simulates recoil when fired. High quality Taiwanese SRC weapons served main reason popularity of this manufacturer all over the world.

SRC TT-33 has the following characteristics:

• Drive type – gas.
• Barrel length - 91 mm.
• Model material – metal.
• Total length - 195 mm.
• The initial shot speed is 90-100 m/s.
• Pistol weight - 611 g.
• Magazine capacity – 11 balls.

Created in 1930 by the Soviet weapons designer Fedor Vasilievich Tokarev, semi-automatic TT pistol(Tula, Tokarev) became the first domestic self-loading pistol adopted by the army. The purpose of the tests carried out in in this direction Since the mid-20s of the last century, there has been the creation of a modern self-loading pistol, capable of replacing the one in service Soviet army revolver of the Nagant system, model 1895, by that time obsolete and low-power, and also to replace a number of pistols purchased abroad for the needs of the Soviet Army. Among the self-loading samples imported into the territory of the Soviet Union, the then famous Mauser S-96 of 7.63 mm caliber was quite popular, the main advantage of which was the use of a powerful 7.63x25 mm cartridge, and the main disadvantage of this Mauser was its large dimensions and heavy weight. Having appreciated the advantages of the 7.63x25 cartridge, Soviet arms industry leaders decided to create a similar cartridge and their own model of a self-loading pistol for it, but more compact and easy to use than the Mauser S-96.

Weapons designer, creator of the TT pistol Fedor Vasilievich Tokarev

For these purposes, the Soviet Union acquires a license for the above-mentioned cartridge from the German company Mauser, after which it begins its production, but in caliber 7.62x25 (for the purpose of unification with Soviet technological equipment and equipment). Several gunsmith specialists began designing pistols for this cartridge at once, among whom, in addition to Tokarev, were Korovin and Prilutsky, who presented their models to the high commission. However, after official field tests were carried out, in June 1930 the commission made a clear choice in favor of the sample made by F.V. Tokarev, called TT-30. After eliminating some of the shortcomings of this pistol regarding accuracy and safety of handling, as well as after other modifications related to the wishes of the commission members, in December 1930 the TT-30 pistol was tested again, according to the results of which this pistol was approved by the commission and recommended for adoption by the Soviet Army. Over the next few years, the first batches were released of this weapon, tests of which led to disappointing conclusions. The pistol was unreliable, very dangerous to use, parts quickly failed, there were frequent delays in firing, the TT-30's lifespan was ridiculously short, amounting to about two hundred shots. After this, the designers made certain conclusions and the main shortcomings were eliminated, and the pistol also underwent several upgrades in order to simplify and reduce the cost of production. And finally, in 1934, a modified version of the Tokarev system was adopted by the Red Army under the name TT-33, which became the massive pistol that was tested in the battles of World War II.

It is worth noting that Tokarev at one time did an internship at the Belgian arms factory FN, where the arms genius John Moses Browning worked at the same time. It was this fact that influenced the design of the TT pistol, built according to the Browning system. And let’s be honest, Comrade Tokarev clearly tried to be similar in appearance to Sir Browning, at least in photographs. (I hope I won’t be bombarded with rotten tomatoes by adherents of the genius of exclusively domestic gunsmiths).

Left - photo by F.V. Tokarev, right - photo by J.M. Browning

In February 1931, the first batch of TT-30 pistols entered the troops for comprehensive testing, and mass production of an already modernized model called TT-33 began in 1933 at the Tula Arms Plant (TOZ), and by the time of the German attack on the USSR and the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the number of manufactured TT pistols reached more than six hundred thousand pieces. During the years of that terrible war, this pistol received recognition among the troops, although very dubious, and was widely used as a personal weapon for officers, intended for close combat at distances of up to 50 m, and at these distances the TT worked very effectively, thanks to a powerful cartridge. During the war years, the production of TT pistols, as well as other small arms, of course, increased significantly, as required by the developing situation. It should be admitted that the TT pistol has never been and was not considered good weapon, but for lack of an alternative, the military could only get this pistol. The pistol essentially did not receive nationwide or “all-army” recognition, it only received enormous distribution, and the fame and popularity of the TT pistol were only a consequence of the widespread use of this weapon. The TT-33 was unreliable and dangerous to handle, and was also afraid of dirt, which is a very significant factor in war. But, nevertheless, it was widely used; there was no other way. For example, compared to German Walter P38, used in the same war by the Wehrmacht, the TT looked like an unfinished homemade gun.

After the war, in 1946, the pistol was once again slightly modernized in order to further reduce the cost of production and eliminate shortcomings. It was not possible to eliminate all the shortcomings, but this will be discussed below. An external distinctive feature of post-war models is the presence of small corrugations on the bolt casing, instead of vertical depressions in the shape of pointed ellipses in pre-war models.

The Tula Tokarev was the most popular personal short-barreled weapon of the Soviet Army and Soviet police until the early 50s, when it was replaced by the Makarov pistol and the TT was discontinued. But even after this, TT continued to serve the Motherland in army units and in the police until the early nineties, until it was completely replaced by Makarov pistols (TT was removed from police weapons a little earlier, in the seventies). In total, about 1.7 million pieces were produced over the years of production of the TT pistol. After the army and police finally said goodbye to this pistol, the TT was in service with the paramilitary guards (VOKhR) and criminal gangs, in which, due to the weapons illiteracy of most bandits, it was and is considered great pistol, from which such an opinion spread to the people and is stably maintained among the masses to this day.

Popularity of TT in underworld This is explained mainly by the low cost of the pistol and the penetrating ability of the cartridge, which ensured reliable destruction of a target through glass or car doors, as well as penetration of light body armor of class 1 protection.

It should be noted that in addition to Soviet Union, the TT pistol was also produced in other countries, such as Hungary, China, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, Egypt, Iraq, Poland. It makes no sense to consider each of them, since the TTs produced abroad generally repeated the design of the Soviet model with minor differences. For example, one of the Chinese samples called “Model 213” had a caliber of 9 mm and used a 9x19 Parabellum cartridge, and was also equipped with a mechanical flag-type fuse. Some foreign-made models differed in barrel and handle length and magazine capacity.

Nowadays, on the basis of TT pistols accumulated in military warehouses, the production of traumatic weapons has been launched as a means of self-defense for citizens. After making appropriate design changes, TT pistols are adapted to fire rubber bullets. Modern titles traumatic TT - “Leader”, produced by the Vyatsko-Polyansky plant “MOLOT”, as well as Izhevsk MR-81 and MR-82. Such pistols can often be found on the shelves of gun stores. However, this weapon, in addition to external resemblance has nothing in common with the legendary TT, and is more suitable for the role of its firing model. In addition to traumatic options, Izhevsk also produces a pneumatic TT, powered by a standard cylinder with compressed carbon dioxide, called MP-656K.

Design

In general, the design and operation of the automatic pistol TT repeated the design of the famous Colt M1911 pistol designed by John Moses Browning, with the difference that the TT used a block trigger mechanism system, like the Mauser S-96. This was done to simplify production and to simplify the repair and maintenance of the weapon. The automatic operation of the pistol is based on the principle of recoil of the barrel during its short stroke, according to the Browning system. The differences also affected some other components and mechanisms, which will be described in more detail below.

Briefly, the automation system in TT pistol as follows. When fired, the sleeve exerts an impact on the bolt, the bolt moves back along with the barrel, which is engaged with the bolt frame by lugs. The barrel is attached to the pistol frame by means of a swinging earring, which ensures that the breech of the barrel is lowered and moves backward. With this reduction, the barrel disengages from the bolt frame, that is, the protrusions of the bolt frame come out of the corresponding grooves on the thickened part of the barrel. After this, the bolt frame moves backward by inertia, cocking the hammer and ejecting the spent cartridge case. On reverse stroke, under the action of the return spring, the bolt sends the next cartridge from the magazine into the chamber and puts the previously skewed barrel in its original place, locking it in its original position on the lugs. More details about the operation of the automation will be written below.

The difference from the Browning design in terms of automatic operation is that the barrel of the TT pistol does not have protrusions for engagement with the bolt, but on the contrary, in its thickened part it has two grooves into which the protrusions of the bolt frame fit when locked.

The absence of a separate mechanical safety was a consequence of the simplification of the trigger mechanism, while an accidental shot was prevented by a disconnector and a special groove for setting the trigger to the safety cock. That is, the TT could be put on safety only by means of the trigger, putting it on the safety cock, without bringing it to the combat cock. Such a system ensured the safety of the weapon in the event of a fall or accidental blow to the trigger, because even an uncocked hammer upon impact could transfer this blow to the firing pin, causing the cartridge in the chamber to fire. But people often ignored the safety platoon, which resulted in many accidents. For this reason, an order was even issued banning the carrying of a TT pistol with a cartridge in the chamber.

At first, Tokarev also assumed there would be an automatic safety on the back of the handle, like on the Colt M1911 pistol. But military officials were against it, which left the TT with the only safety feature - the middle position of the trigger. Legend has it that Comrade Budyonny, who, as is known, at that time had enormous influence on the country's military leadership, forbade equipping the new Soviet pistol with such an automatic safety. He explained the reason by saying that once during Civil War, when the "whites" were chasing him, he turned back, sitting in the saddle on a horse, and tried to fire his Browning backwards. But cavalry gloves and an awkward position did not allow squeezing the safety on the back of Browning's handle. This turned out to be enough for such a fuse not to be installed on the TT.

The pistol is fed with cartridges from a box-shaped single-row magazine with a capacity of 8 cartridges, with a push-button locking system. Sights, front and rear sights, non-adjustable, which were sighted by the manufacturer at a distance of 25 meters.

The gun consists of the following parts:

The frame is one piece with the handle and trigger guard. Designed to connect parts of the pistol, being its basis.

The handle cheeks are a decorative element that covers the side windows of the handle, and also serve to conveniently hold the weapon in the hand. The cheeks were made of corrugated plastic and wood.

Magazine latch – holds the magazine in the frame handle.

Barrel - designed to tell the bullet a certain direction when fired. It is completely closed with a shutter casing and connected to the frame with a Browning earring. The barrel bore has 4 right-hand rifling with a pitch of 240-260 mm (depending on the year of manufacture), to impart a rotational movement to the bullet, stabilizing its flight path. In the breech of the barrel there is a chamber, which serves to accommodate the cartridge during loading and before firing. The barrel has two annular grooves on a special thickening in the breech area, which ensure adhesion of the bolt to the barrel due to the insertion of the supporting protrusions of the bolt frame (lugs) into them. At the bottom of the thickened part of the breech there is a boss with an eye for the Browning earring; on the rear section of the chamber there is a protrusion for hooking the ejector, as well as a bevel at the bottom for feeding the cartridge from the magazine into the chamber.

Earring – connects the barrel to the frame, and also serves to engage and disengage the barrel with the bolt, ensuring the barrel swings and skews in a vertical plane.

The bolt is integral with the casing and performs the bulk of the functions of the pistol. The bolt ensures the ejection of a spent cartridge case or unused cartridge, the supply of a new cartridge from the magazine to the chamber, cocks the hammer and locks the barrel before firing. On the outside of the bolt casing there are sighting devices (front and rear sights), an ejector window, a groove for placing the ejector, notches for conveniently holding the bolt when retracting it to the rear position when reloading in case of a misfire and when chambering a cartridge. The bolt also has a hole for the striker, in the casing there is a cutout to accommodate the bolt stop protrusion, a tube for the return spring, and in the rear there is a groove for the trigger.

The firing pin is designed to break the cartridge primer and is located in a special groove in the bolt between the hammer and the barrel chamber.

Ejector - to hold the cartridge case (cartridge) until it meets the reflector when the bolt moves to the rear position, which ensures the ejection of the cartridge case (cartridge) from the ejector window.

Return spring - serves to return the bolt to the forward position after it has been rolled back.

The tip of the return spring is a stop for the return spring.

The guide rod also serves as a stop for the return spring and limits the movement of the bolt back, and most importantly, it guides the return spring.

Guide sleeve - serves to guide the muzzle of the barrel when the bolt moves, and also serves as a stop for the tip of the return spring.

Bolt stop - ensures that the bolt is locked in the rearmost position when the magazine is empty, which ensures quick loading of a cartridge into the chamber from a new magazine.

Slide stop spring - secures the delay to the frame and holds it in the lower position until the bolt is locked after the magazine is empty.

The trigger mechanism consists of the following parts:

Block - connects the trigger, mainspring, sear and disconnector.

Trigger – strikes the firing pin.

Mainspring - activates the trigger, giving it rapid movement for a sufficiently strong blow to the firing pin.

Sear - holds the trigger on the combat and safety cocks and ensures that the hammer is released when the trigger is pressed, which on a TT is essentially a button.

Disconnector - designed to disconnect the trigger rod from the sear after firing a shot. This is necessary in order to exclude the possibility of firing a shot when the shutter is not fully closed.

The trigger is made as one piece with the trigger rod. When you press the trigger with your finger, it pulls the sear back, causing the trigger, under the influence of the mainspring, to break off and hit the firing pin, and when the rod is in the forward position, it acts on the disconnector, raising it to the top for safe handling of the weapon.

Trigger spring - pushes the trigger forward and upward.

Magazine - serves to accommodate eight rounds and consists of a steel box, feeder, feeder spring and cover.

Operation of parts and mechanisms

When the bolt is moved to the rearmost position, acting on the trigger, it rotates, thereby cocking the trigger. Also, due to the impact of the supporting protrusions on the annular grooves of the barrel, the bolt retracts the barrel back. If there is a cartridge case or cartridge in the chamber, the ejector removes it and, using a reflector, throws it through a special window.

The barrel, when moving backwards, due to the rotation of the earring, lowers its thickened breech down, which causes the barrel to skew, and at the same time disengages with the bolt, since the supporting protrusions of the bolt come out of the annular grooves of the thickened part of the barrel.

The disconnector goes down under the action of the recess in the lower part of the bolt, while deflecting the trigger rod towards the bottom, thereby disengaging it from the sear.

The return spring, when the bolt moves backward, is compressed.

The sear, under the action of a spring, is pressed against the front of the trigger and successively goes behind the safety cock, and then behind the firing cock. The disconnector is then released.

As the bolt moves forward (due to the force of the return spring), the bolt moves the upper cartridge from the magazine along an inclined bevel into the breech of the barrel, into the chamber.

The barrel, due to the pressure of the bolt mirror on the bottom of the new cartridge case, moves forward and upward through the earring, while the supporting protrusions of the bolt enter the annular grooves of the thickened part of the barrel. The barrel is locked with a bolt.

The ejector hook fits into the annular groove of the cartridge located in the chamber. When you press the trigger with your finger (while firing a shot), the actions of the pistol parts will be as follows: The trigger rod, by pressing the sear ledge, moves its lower part back, which leads to the sear nose coming out of the cocking groove of the hammer, after which the trigger turns on its forward axis, under the action of the mainspring, strikes the firing pin. The firing pin, moving forward, hits the cartridge primer, igniting it. From the pressure of the gases formed during the combustion of gunpowder, the bullet begins to move along the rifling and flies out of the barrel, while part of the powder gases affects the walls and bottom of the cartridge case, forcing the barrel and the bolt coupled to it to move back. After this, the pistol parts repeat the same actions as when manually retracting the bolt to the rear position (described above). As the bolt moves backward, the ejector hook removes the spent cartridge case from the chamber, continuing to hold it until it meets the reflector, upon impact with which the cartridge case flies out into the bolt frame window located on the right. At the same time, the next cartridge in the magazine, under the action of the feeder spring, rises upward. If there are no cartridges in the magazine, after the last shot, the feeder, with its hook, raises the bolt stop, which, in turn, stops the bolt in the rearmost position. The trigger, in the absence of pressure from the finger, due to the elasticity of the trigger spring, returns to the forward position, while the disconnector rises upward, entering the bolt recess with its stem.

And this is how the automatic operation of a TT pistol looks more clear. Especially for you, I found an animation of the operation of parts and mechanisms in a TT pistol during and after a shot. (God bless the one who did this. Otherwise, in such animations, all Colts and Glocks...)

Advantages and disadvantages

The simplicity of the design makes Tula Tokarev pistol inexpensive to manufacture and easy to maintain pistol. The main advantage of the TT is a powerful cartridge that provides high muzzle energy of about 500 J, a significant direct shot range and excellent penetration ability. And due to the relatively long barrel and short trigger stroke, the pistol provides good accuracy and shooting accuracy, which allows an experienced shooter to hit a target even at a distance of more than 50 meters. Also, good accuracy of combat is facilitated by the automatic operation system, which ensures that the bullet leaves the barrel without shifting the axis of the barrel in the vertical plane and without the movement of other mechanisms, which can negatively affect the trajectory of the bullet. When fired, the barrel moves backward, and the barrel is skewed and disengaged from the bolt frame only after the bullet leaves the barrel. The flat and fairly compact TT is well suited for concealed carry.

As for the shortcomings, the main one is considered to be the pistol’s low lifespan. This drawback follows from the advantage of the pistol: the use of a high-power cartridge causes intense wear on the barrel locking unit. Often, after several hundred shots, delays in the operation of the pistol appeared in the form of jamming of the cartridge case in the chamber, misalignment of the cartridges, or tearing off of the bottom of the cartridge case. Other disadvantages include the excessive sensitivity of the pistol mechanisms to clogging and minor deformations, which requires careful handling and careful maintenance of the weapon.

Another serious drawback is the unreliable fastening of the magazine in the handle; the latch mechanism, especially on worn-out TTs, often does not hold the magazine, which simply falls out of the pistol, of which there are many examples, especially from the fronts of the Second World War.

The practice of using the TT pistol has shown the low stopping power of its ammunition. The reason for this drawback lies in the relatively small caliber of the bullet, its shape and high initial speed, which in turn resulted in its undeniable advantage - excellent penetration ability.

The lack of a manual safety can also be considered a serious flaw, causing numerous accidents involving this pistol. So, if you fall or accidentally hit the trigger, if the cartridge is in the chamber and the trigger is not set to safety cock, the possibility of the primer being punctured by the firing pin cannot be ruled out, which will lead to a spontaneous shot.

The high persistence of the ammunition and the retention of sufficient energy by the bullet to inflict a wound at a distance of 800 - 1000 m are another disadvantage when using a pistol in urban conditions: in case of a miss when shooting at the enemy, there is a high probability of causing harm to third parties (civilians).

Complaints about the ergonomics of the pistol can hardly be called a significant omission in the design; it is rather individual feature weapons, moreover, it is not fair to demand something outstanding from a pistol developed at the beginning of the last century. However, it would not be correct to compare this pistol with modern models created using high technologies and new scientific achievements.

The TT went down in history as a legendary pistol of its time, tested in the battles of the bloodiest war in human history. And the geography of its production and popularity in many countries of the world give reason to be proud of the thought of the Russian gunsmith and once again confirm the need for such weapons for the era, in the fate of which he occupied not the last place.

The history of the TT pistol can begin at the end of the last century, when Hugo Borchardt used a cartridge with smokeless powder, which became one of the first ammunition for self-loading pistols. A powerful cartridge in combination with an attached butt made it possible to conduct aimed fire from the pistol at a distance of up to two hundred meters. A few years later, the Mauser brothers used an improved Borchardt cartridge in the Mauser K-96 pistol. The new 7.63x25 mm (Mauser) cartridge was ideal for the pistol-carbine concept they adopted.
Firing accuracy at distances prohibitive for conventional pistols was excellent, although the presence of divisions on the adjustable sight, implying the ability to fire at a distance of five hundred to thousand meters, was difficult to take seriously. When the Mauser pistol appeared in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century, the cartridge was assigned a designation that was more understandable to American shooters. 30 Mauser. For forty years, until 1935, when the .357 Magnum revolver cartridge was developed in the United States, the Mauser cartridge was one of the most powerful among all revolver and pistol ammunition. And it was this cartridge that Tokarev chose for his pistol. In order to unify technological tools and equipment, the 7.63 mm Mauser cartridge was matched with the Russian 7.62 mm caliber. The first Tokarev pistol was designed for this caliber.
The pistol had a blowback bolt and a hammer-type firing mechanism. The fuse was located on the right side of the bolt. The pistol allowed single and automatic fire. The cartridges were fed from a box magazine with a capacity of 22 cartridges, which were arranged in a checkerboard pattern, or from a clip that was inserted into the grooves of the bolt. The sights were designed for a firing range of up to seven hundred meters. During testing, the pistol showed high ballistic characteristics. Having won in all respects over other models, it was clearly inferior to them in weight and dimensions. True, the experience gained was not in vain when developing the next sample, which became the future TT; the designer tried to ensure that all parameters corresponded accepted standards.
The TT pistol was created by a design team headed by F.V. Tokarev. Given the importance of the work, this group was included in the design bureau created in 1927 at the Tula Arms Plant, which was initially involved in the development of new small arms and cannon weapons for the rapidly developing Soviet aviation. Nine years later, the bureau was renamed the Central Design Bureau (TsKB), later TsKB-14, and then the Instrument Design Bureau.
The first official tests of the TT pistol took place in June 1930. The commission, chaired by V.F. Grushevsky, conducted field tests of the Tokarev pistol along with Korovin, Prilutsky pistols and the best foreign examples of the Walter, Browning and Parabellum systems. The commission's conclusions were clear: the TT pistol is the most acceptable and suitable for adoption, provided that the identified deficiencies are eliminated. The commission's claims were quite serious - to increase accuracy, improve safety, and others. It sometimes takes years to eliminate such shortcomings; Tokarev managed it in a few months.
In December 1930, tests of the TT pistol and other new models took place again at the Shot school training ground. The report of the chairman of the commission, K.P. Uborevich, noted that “during testing, the Tokarev pistol gave quite satisfactory results in terms of combat, reliability of the mechanisms and ease of handling, as a result of which I consider it possible to introduce it into service.”
Success for the TT pistol came in February 1931, when the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR decided to order the first batch of pistols in the amount of a thousand pieces for comprehensive testing among the troops. The pistol was given the official name 7.62 mm self-loading pistol arr. 1930. The situation repeated forty years ago, when Nicholas II deprived the Mosin rifle of its name by decree, ordering it to be called the 7.62-mm rifle mod. 1891. Justice triumphed later, when the pistol gained worldwide fame as the TT pistol (Tulsky, Tokarev). For several more years, the pistol underwent constant modernization in order to reduce the cost and simplify its production. Mass release began in 1933 at the Tula Arms Plant and reached more than 100 thousand units per year by the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.
However, the fate of the TT was not cloudless. For many years it was unable to completely supplant the 1895 revolver. Its production either fell or increased again. It was only during the fighting on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War that the TT pistol received final recognition.
At the beginning of the war, the advance of fascist troops to Moscow threatened Tula, the forge Russian weapons. The USSR government decided to transfer defense production to the east of the country. Thus, the production of TT pistols and Nagan revolvers was entrusted to the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant. However, even in such difficult conditions, Tula gunsmiths were able, using the equipment and tools remaining after the evacuation and repairing old machines, to repair pistols coming from the front and assemble new ones from the remaining stock. In two last month In 1941, workers at the plant's repair shops sent more than five hundred TT pistols to the front lines.
As soon as German troops were thrown back from Moscow, the restoration of the plant began, which in a matter of months, having managed to restore production and the energy sector, began to work at full capacity again, but never began to continue producing TT. After the end of the war, mass production of Tokarev pistols was launched only at the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant. Until the early fifties, when the Makarov pistol replaced the TT, these factories produced more than a million Tokarevs.

Development was also constantly underway to improve the TT pistol; in 1942, prototypes were made with high-capacity magazines for 15 rounds, but these pistols did not go into mass production; about 1000 copies were produced.
The difference from a regular TT was in the magazine capacity, in the shape of the handle, and the principle of fixing the magazine was also changed.

PISTOL DESIGN

During the Great Patriotic War, the TT pistol was the main personal weapon of officers and generals of the Soviet Army and was intended for close combat at distances of up to fifty meters.
The pistol is a self-loading short-barreled weapon in which the feeding and chambering of a cartridge into the chamber, locking and unlocking of the barrel, removal from the chamber and ejection of the spent cartridge case are carried out automatically. The automatic operation is based on the well-known Browning principle, in which the inertial mass of the recoil is formed by the bolt engaged with the barrel during a short stroke. The pistol is fired in single shots. The cartridges are fed from a flat box magazine located in the pistol grip. Among domestic and foreign pistols, the TT is distinguished by its high penetration ability and lethal force. These qualities are ensured by a powerful cartridge and a fairly long barrel length.

For the P-4 model, an attached holster was developed - a butt, which was attached to the back of the handle. In most cases, the shooters “refined” the trigger force allowed by the competition rules, equal to one and a half kilograms.
The use of a stock when firing from the R-4 allows for fairly high fire efficiency at distances significantly exceeding the usual 25-50 meters provided for personal weapons.
TT has become widespread in foreign countries. In the early nineties, this pistol returned home again: thousands of TTs, mostly made in China, poured into the Russian arms market like an avalanche.

The history of the TT pistol, as we know, speaks of two main modifications. This does not include its sports clones, prototypes and low-volume samples.

These are a 7.62mm Tokarev pistol of the 1930 model and a 7.62mm Tokarev pistol of the 1933 model. In addition, since 1947, the pistol began to be mass-produced with a fine notch on the bolt housing, although similar pistols were produced in 1946, along with pistols with a large notch. This can hardly be called some kind new modification, but outwardly it differs from previous production pistols. In this topic, I decided to illustrate the changes in the Tokarev pistol using the example of the MMG Tokarev pistol that I came across.

Considering the technical characteristics of the TT pistol, it is worth noting that the weight is 910 g, in turn, the length is 116 mm.

The clip is designed for 8 bullets, and the length of the aiming line can be considered within 156 mm. 50 m - sight range. This pistol is zeroed at a distance of 25 m.

The bullet speed is 420 m/s. In the structure of the mechanism, 45 main parts can be distinguished. The pistol operates using recoil energy with a short barrel stroke.

The locking function is carried out by connecting the protrusions of the shutter casing with certain figures on the trunk. Next, the sliding earring lowers the barrel to the level of the breech, based on this, the barrel and bolt are separated. In TT, all parts of the impact mechanism are combined into one common block.

Expert Note: In order to partially disassemble the pistol, no tools are needed, since it can be disassembled very easily.

History of creation

During the formation of the Red Army in the early 20s, the problem of reconstructing weapons in general and private weapons used in close combat arose.

Soviet developers had to develop a pistol that would be suitable for firing 7.63 mm caliber bullets from the Mauser model 1897.

Designers such as Tokarev, Korovin and Prilyutsky participated in the competition held by the government.

Tokarev won by a large margin over his players. Since the first production of the TT was launched in Tula, it was therefore named Tula Tokarev.

Note: There is no safety in the TT as a separate element of the body; the pistol is secured by setting the trigger to safety.

According to technical specifications it was no match for the military pistols of those times, and even surpassed them in a number of characteristic features.

For example, you can consider Western shooting standards at a distance of 50 m, at which the maximum dispersion allowed is 35.5 cm, although when shooting from a TT, the dispersion distance is 15 cm.

Along with the pistol, 7.62 mm “P” type cartridges (7.62x25 mm), which were made on the basis of the well-known powerful 7.63 mm Mauser cartridge, were also used. However, later various cartridges were introduced, for example with armor-piercing and tracer bullets.

Flaws

The TT pistol is very easy to maintain and has a fairly low cost. Designer Tokarev achieved this effect through a very simple weapon design.

Due to the significant kinetic force of the bullet (just under 500 J), this pistol has very high penetration power, as well as fairly effective accuracy for this type of weapon.

However, during operation some shortcomings also emerged. A serious drawback was the lack of an ordinary fuse. Many accidents have been recorded that occurred due to the lack of a fuse.

When the weapon with a cartridge in the magazine fell, a shot was fired. The archive even had a separate section with accidents, in order to distinguish them from real crimes falsified as accidents.

Also a very important drawback is the insufficiently strong fixation of the magazine, which leads the shooter to a disarmed state during combat operations.

Back in 1931-32. Several thousand copies were manufactured and tested in field tests, which revealed some shortcomings, one of which was the clip falling out during use.

Designer Tokarev carried out some reconstruction of the weapon and in 1933 introduced the updated TT-33, which solved the problem with the magazine falling out.

Already in 1934, this model was put into service. Including the period of the Great Patriotic War, the TT was manufactured simultaneously with.

After a short time, the TT was completely eliminated from production by Nagan. It should be noted that on June 22, 1941. There were approximately 600 thousand TT-33s in service with the Red Army. However, during the war production increased even more.

Analogs

Usually, when producing a decent, high-quality product, the manufacturer is accused of plagiarism. This is what happened with the Tokarev pistol. The TT, since ancient times, has often been compared to a pistol

Browning, which was produced in 1903. And in the United States, the TT is often called the Browning-Tokarev.

Maybe it’s not for nothing that people say so and Tokarev based his development on this Belgian pistol, because if you compare the TT and Browning, they are not much different.

Of course, Tokarev modified it and made the weapon a class higher. I would like to add that the Browning prototype that Tokarev chose had been in production for 37 years and was one of the most popular pistols in Russia and beyond. In Russia, Browning was used to arm the gendarmerie corps.

Watch a detailed video about the TT and its technical characteristics:

At the end of the 20s of the last century, the command of the Red Army announced a competition for the creation of an automatic pistol. The new pistol, as conceived by the command, was supposed to be easy to use, reliable, naturally, automatic and technologically advanced in production. The announced competition was under the personal control of People's Commissar Voroshilov and Supreme Commander-in-Chief Stalin.

Soviet designers began developing a new pistol. The talented gunsmith Fyodor Vasilyevich Tokarev, who represented the Tula Arms Plant, also took part in the competition.

First, Tokarev, based on the American Colt 1911, created a heavy pistol chambered for the 30 Mauser cartridge, 7.62 mm caliber, 25 mm long. The decision to cross the American Colt with the German Mauser cartridge was made by Tokarev for two reasons:

— Firstly, cartridges of caliber 45 ACP (11.43 mm) used in Colt were not produced in the USSR;

— Secondly , pistol barrels for a 7.62 mm caliber could be made from defective barrels of three-line rifles, and could also be produced separately; several arms factories had equipment suitable for these purposes, and the technology was quite well developed.

The resulting pistol was heavy, bulky and expensive to manufacture, although it could fire both single shots and bursts at a distance of up to 700 meters. It did not pass the tests; a strict military commission rejected the sample, but at the same time gave valuable recommendations for improving the prototype.

Therefore for further work The modernized Colt 1911 of the 1921 model was taken as a model. The second modernized version of the Tokarev pistol received from its predecessor a successful layout, the principle of automatic operation and a colorful appearance, while becoming significantly lighter, simpler and more technologically advanced.

Unlike its “dad” Colt, who had two mechanical fuses, the Tokarev pistol had none, which significantly simplified the design of the mechanism. The mainspring was located in the trigger itself. When the hammer was cocked to a quarter, it locked the bolt casing, preventing the shot from being fired. And the trigger itself was designed completely differently - a semi-closed type, with a protruding wheel for cocking.

At the field tests, in addition to the Tokarev pistol, pistols from two more Soviet designers were presented - Prilutsky and Korovin, as well as foreign pistols from the famous weapons companies Walter, Browning and Luger (Parabellum). Tokarev's pistol outperformed all competitors and was recognized as the best based on the results.

The new pistol received the official designation " 7.62 mm pistol model 1930"and was adopted by the Red Army, where it received its legendary, more famous throughout the world, unofficial name "TT" (Tula Tokarev). Over the next three years identified technological shortcomings were eliminated.
The pistol also had design flaws.. Thus, the safety cocking of the hammer allowed involuntary shots, the magazine sometimes fell out at the most inopportune moment, and the cartridges became distorted and jammed. The low service life (200–300 shots) and low reliability caused fair criticism.

A powerful cartridge, intended more for submachine guns, quickly broke the bolt in the TT. Particularly ardent critics of the new pistol called one of its shortcomings the inability to shoot it from a tank: due to the design, the barrel of the pistol did not fit into the shooting embrasure.

After three years of various modernizations, the troops received a new TT (1933 model), which went through the Great Patriotic War. During this war, the main drawback of the TT was revealed - its small caliber. The 7.62 mm bullet, despite its high speed, did not have the stopping effect that was inherent in 9 mm German pistols. It also turned out that it is very sensitive to low temperatures, mechanical damage and pollution. The Germans had the designation Pistole 615(r), and they quite often used captured TTs, despite its shortcomings.

Main characteristics of the TT pistol of the 1933 model:
caliber – 7.62 mm;
initial bullet speed – 420…450 m/s;
weight with magazine without cartridges - 0.845 kg;
weight with loaded magazine - 0.940 kg;
total length – 195 mm;
barrel length – 116 mm;
magazine capacity, number of cartridges – 8;
rate of fire – 8 shots per 10–15 sec.

Production and modernization of the TT continued throughout the war and after the war. The last modernization was carried out in 1950; pistol components began to be produced by stamping, making the weapon much more technologically advanced in production. The volume of production of TT pistols in the USSR for the period from 1933 until the completion of production is estimated at approximately 1,740,000 units.

In 1951, the Makarov PM was adopted by the Izhevsk arms plant. Production of the TT has ceased, its time has passed.

Pistol "TT" in different time was produced in different countries: Hungary - “Model 48” and “TT-58” (“Tokagypt-58”), Vietnam, Egypt, China (Type 54), Iraq, Poland, Yugoslavia, etc.

The traumatic model of the Leader TT pistol is still sold in gun stores. The pneumatic version is produced at the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant. Combat pistols“TT” is still made in China (the main difference between the Chinese version and the Soviet one is the presence of a non-automatic safety lock that blocks the trigger).

/Based on materials topwar.ru And en.wikipedia.org /