The Tokarev Pistol

(Free permission to quote Church's articles is granted, as long as proper attribution is given. We request that if you use our work, you give us credit.)

This pistol is a rarity in my stable. I bought it new, an early commercial import, obtained from a long dead left coast importer. It now looks well used because it's been run around the track many times. This was in 1986, and was the first commercial "Tok" I ever saw. The unreliable ATF mandated thumb safety is the only hiccup on the otherwise classical, minimalist Stalin era pistol.

Finish on the pistol was inconsistent. The frame was well polished, and showed a nice, if ultimately fragile bluing. The slide was a different matter, and the front sight area showed a profusion of milling marks. Manufacturer markings on the slide were stamped about as crudely as possible.

Internally, there are plenty of milling marks, some fairly deep, mostly in places where they don't show, and all in places where they don't matter. Fit is very respectable, really much better than, for instance, my 1979 vintage Smith M39-2. It also displayed the admirable quality of working right out of the box. None of this "200 round break-in" business for this soldier of socialism. It arrived with its sleeves rolled up ready for labor.

The full and very interesting known history of the Soviet Tokarev is available from number of sources. My favorite is Remling's book " A COLLECTOR'S GUIDE TO TOKAREV PISTOLS". Suffice it to say that in the late 1920s the Soviet military was looking about for a service weapon more modern than the intrinsically weird Nagant gas-seal revolver. This semiauto would need to be capable of manufacture on limited complexity machine tools, and reliable. Caliber was chosen based on positive experiences with the Mauser C96 "Broomhandle", though Soviet manufacture of the round is dimensionally a little off.

The Tokarev operates on the old familiar Colt-Browning principle of a dropping barrel on a pivoting link. The magazine release, slide release, and recoil spring guide are exactly the Colt 1911 style. One other interesting and useful mechanical touch appears to derive from the detachable hammer group in the Mauser C. 96. The Tokarev packages the hammer, mainspring, sear, disconnector, ejector and cartridge feed guides in a readily detachable subframe. This makes repair simpler, and allows the convenient performance of needed trigger jobs as the sear is even visible through a little window in the subframe. Mine went from 11 pounds to 5 1/2.

Many other small changes have been made to internal parts and the Browning 1903 like frame to expedite machining. "Small Arms of The World" or Remling go into much more mechanical detail for those interested.

The Tokarev was chosen in 1930, and service showed a few shortcomings. These were corrected in the 1933 model, and this was the primary Soviet semiauto pistol of WWII. Production continued, according to most accounts, until the early 1950s. Mother Russia tooled up a number of her slave states to produce the pistol, and this included the People's Republic of China (hereafter ChiCom or ChiComs).

The ChiCom manufacture apparently continues to this day, both for hard-currency export and for provision to "National Liberation" movements all about the 3rd World.

The Soviet 7.62X25 AKA Type P round is essentially a copy of the 7.63 Mauser. The loading is rated in a Soviet manual for the 1930 variant as firing a 5.52 gram (88gr.) bullet @ 420 meters/second. The variations of the cartridge from the Mauser seem to lie in a slight change in neck length, and in shoulder angle.

Interchange with the Broomhandle cartridge is a "usually" arrangement. The tiny quantity of old Winchester I located chambered fine. The first batches of Fiocchi .30 Mauser I ever tried wouldn't fully chamber, but the last few boxes would. I had a conversation around 1988 with Carlo Fiocchi at the Ozark Missouri plant on that point, and it would be gratifying to think I had something to do with it, but likely a change was already in the works.

For most users, the option will most probably be shooting surplus. First, a word of caution: The Czech ammo (brass cased, typically headstamped with BXN and a date) is loaded for the VZ52 pistols and Czech SMGs and is very hot (1610 fps. from my pistol), and should be fired sparingly, if at all, in new condition, stiffly sprung guns. This ammo is getting scarce-I understand that the ferrous jacket has caused the Batmen in Washington to classify it as "armor piercing", and have prohibited further importation. It was no great bargain anyway-erratic and very corrosive. This stuff will produce the most beautiful 11" ball shaped purple muzzle flash, and will ring your ears 'til the next inauguration. Possession of it is legally iffy-if you have it, don't advertise it. It also has, like most arsenal made ammo in this caliber, very hard open-bolt SMG spec primers. That full length firing pin is needed.

Other stuff I've used, all corrosive, is the Bulgarian and the Polish. Both performed satisfactorily, with the Polish shooting pretty close to point of aim. Both are corrosive, and brass quality on the Polish is poor. Lotsa' case splits with this stuff. The "surplus" of preference is Norinco. This will be in crude commercial packaging, has copper washed steel cases, stab crimped bullets, and will show late '80s to early '90s headstamps. This is good stuff-reliable, and in what little chronographing we've done, startlingly consistent. It is advertised as being non-corrosive, but I somehow don't trust that. Included in the purchase was a small quantity of repackaged Interarmco imported ammo of late '40s Soviet vintage. True to a lot of the old ammo, it was filthy, apparently hot, and corrosive as can be. The Warsaw pact, believers in simplicity, do not appear to have been believers in flash inhibitors in their powders.

The Miles & I went by the JbarT Ranch range for targeting & velocity tests. We used my pistol & one of his. The following five round average velocities were obtained using a Pact chronograph, screens 10 feet from the muzzle. Air temperature, 75f. All loads with the 88gr fmj round nose bullet.

One, is that these are sighted in the 19th Century blackpowder big-bore revolver manner. Set up to shoot HIGH. This isn't a bad thing, as flash shooting with a rapidly acquired middle-of-torso sight picture will put you in the vitals. This isn't, however, a pistol for the SWAT type who will be doing head shots around hostages. The pistol was aimed at 6 o'clock on the bull @ 25 yards& here's what we got for our trouble. There is one saving grace to the sights. You have plenty of rear sight height to cut down to achieve a dead on hold.

Two, is that the original slide and barrel of the pistol will group far better than the mail-order spares on my gun @ the time of firing. The spares aren't serial number matched to each other, let alone the rest of the gun. They functioned 100% right out of the box, but driving tacks isn't in the job description. It has grouped considerably better using the original slide and barrel, especially with the good Norinco ammo.

Brother Miles has acquired a genuinely neat El Paso Saddlery model 1920 Tom Threepersons rig for his pistol. It is likely the only lefthanded Tokarev Threepersons in captivity. The holster, belt and dedicated double magazine pouch are lovely and of superb quality. The rig was also much more expensive than the last dealer price of the pre-Clinton guns.

I like this pistol. It's fun to shoot through both sides of junked cars, and impress even Contender shooters with the muzzle blast. The hot cartridge and the 26 ounce dry weight notwithstanding, the little pistol is very controllable. It's not my favorite cartridge, but if I got caught in a fire fight with this gun, I'd not feel badly armed.

EMail me with comments, questions, complaints or Mexican Rice recipes at: akchurch@bigfoot.com. And we DO get email here folks! AK likes to attach useful or interesting letters from readers to his articles. Please state in your letter if he may use your correspondence. He can do this with or without your name or address, according to your wishes.

NOTE: Author Church regrets that he is unqualified to do appraisal, and cannot establish a value on your gun.

Interesting piece on a Norinco 9 Mil commercial. Useful disassembly stuff, too:

Drikus

Author Church declaimeth:

A reader sent me a letter which I have inadvertently deleted. It requested information on conversion of the Tokarev to 9mmP.

Conversion from 7.62mm to 9mm appears in the one instance I have tried it to be a straight forward parts replacement issue. Change to a 9mm barrel, a 9mm magazine, and you have a 9mm Tokarev.

The reverse appears to carry a complication. I have twice attempted to convert 9mm Norincos to 7.62mm. Apparently Norinco (I do not know about other manufacturers) uses a different sub-frame or hammer housing on the 9mm pistols. The ejector appears to have been moved forward around six to seven millimeters to compensate for the reduced overall length of the 9mm round. This can play hob with ejection timing on the 25mm Soviet case.

Use of my 7.62mm sub-frame in the originally 9mm pistol functioned flawlessly with both rounds. It appears that use of the 7.62mm sub-frame is a prerequisite to reliable use of 7.62x25mm ammunition. It further appears to be problem-free in 9mm.

Persons wishing to convert 9mm pistols to 7.62mm should consider purchase of this sub-frame if their conversion causes ejection problems.

I have no experience with the uncommon .38 Super Tokarevs briefly imported by Keng's. Sub-frame sources are listed below.

(Added 28. VI .03 by Church)

I am currently in possession of a Sportarms imported 213 in 9x19. It is much different than the same pistol in 7.62 mm. Serial is in the 715XXX range, vs. Church's original gun, serialled in the 200XXX range. The breech face has moved forward approximately the length difference between the Parabellum round and the original 1930 Soviet round. A small lug has been added to the underside of the slide under the breech face, to aid feed. It will apparently not work with a 7.62 barrel, at least not so far. The magazine is shorter front to back, and the sheet steel spacer as described in the M213 link is present. Apparently the barrel bushing is caliber specific, at least it does not interchange with 3 other 7.62 guns. As described, the ejector is around 6 mm further forward. Nothing else appears different. I have converted it "back" to 7.62 mm. A new slide, used barrel, magazine, barrel bushing, and a transfer of pieces from the 9 mil subframe over to the 7.62 number appears to have served the job.

More on this as it develops. The pistol was a clean $125 pawn shop item, and I would have liked to retained easy caliber switch. But the availability of the magazines is at this time is problematic. I gave the nine-mil specific piecies to Miles Fortis.

We will keep you informed on what is learned as life allows.

If you have info regarding your experiences, which may well differ from mine, let me know. This stuff intrigues me all to bits.

(Added America's Independence Day 2003)

Today was spent at the range with 2 caliber-switched Tokarevs.

The first is my M213, converted "back" to 7.62x25. The slide was serialled to a Chinese military, the subframe pulled from my 200XXX range 7.62 pistol, and magazines were of unknown nationality, some seriallized, some not. Ammunition was from my dwindling supply of '80s Norinco commercial.

2 magazines I had earlier refinished in electroless nickle, and they have functioned well in #200XXX. Not in 715XXX, though. 2 bolt-over base failures to feed, one failure to eject. Three blued magazines were then tried and no malfunctions of any sort occurred. I was so concerned with function that I failed to really try shooting for groups.

The second was Mile's 7.62 gun, another Norinco serialled in the 415XXX range. It was very perfunctorily converted to 9 mm with the addition of the 9 mm barrel from 715XXX. A parts box bushing connected the barrel, the only 9 mil part used, to the 7.62 slide. The ejector was the shorter 7.62 type, and magazines were all the long 7.62 models. Ammo was loaded to the front, or to the rear, all variously. Function, feed, ejection were all flawless. Ammo was both S&B and Rem-UMC yellow box.

Grouping was acceptably tight at 2"-25 yards. Point of aim was 9 inches or more below the impact of the 9 mm projectiles, and Mile's had whittled his (7.62) rear sight to hit point-of-aim at 25 yards with Norinco 7.62 ball. So this is the one fly. Function was fine.

(Added 14JUL03)

In blistering heat, the 9mm converted to 7.62 Tokarev was taken back to the range.

I had previously, in view of the Independence Day failures to feed, disassembled the plated magazines. All were found to have springs installed backwards. Which would have been done by me. Not a proud moment.

I reassembled them correctly, loaded them with Norinco commercial ball, and proceeded to have over 50 rounds of troublefree shooting.

I'm personally inclined to pronounce the garbled together M213 reliable and happy. Which makes me happy, if not reliable.

Miles has just turned a NIB M213, and will hopefully contribute his experiences.

(29JUL03)

Shooting in decadent airconditioned comfort, the re-calibered M215 was shot. All magazines functioned perfectly, ejection and feed with Norinco 86 grain ball was 100%.

The old nine-mil hammer group bits had earlier been swapped over to a 7.62 subframe. Miles got around to doing a trigger job, and this was nice-grouping was a usable 1.75-2" at 25 yards, maybe an inch left and a full half-foot high.

I installed a set of Tokagypt style grips, which are a great comfort improvement. I'd had a defective pair which would gradually shoot loose, maybe 10 years back. These didn't. They also are said to have a tendency to throw POI upward for some shooters. This was a non-issue for me.

I was standing next to a .357 Sig shooter. 2 higher intensity bottlenecked cases in one indoor range-the concussion was intense, and the Sig was perhaps no worse than the Tok.

I pronounce this project a success.

Sources fairly likely to have parts:

Omega Weapons Systems, 2918 E. Ginter Road, Tucson AZ 85706. 520-889-8895.

Exploded drawing, and link to another good parts source: http://www.marstar.ca/tokt33b.htm

The Dealer Warehouse, 4813 Enterprise Way Unit K, Modesto CA 95356 Phone 209.545.2800

Surplus Firearms has Tokarev parts too.

Report on a conversion set (7.62 to 9 mm): http://nationlink.net/sksman/access/tokarev2.html

NIB 7.62 Norinco Commercial

NIB M213 Norinco Commercial

LETTERS TO A.K. CHURCH

NOTE: Author Church regrets that he is unqualified to do appraisal, and cannot establish a value on your gun.

Added 29 Aug 2002:

Enjoyed your web page. I was interested in your reference to Remling's book. I have tried to find a copy for the last two years without success. Wonder if you know of a source or if it is small enough to copy, I would happily pay for even that.

Since no one has pointed it out on your web site, I'll mention that Drikus K's Tokarev is a cleaned up North Korean variant. Wonder how that got to such southern climate!

I shoot a Chinese and Polish TT for fun. Hate the safety. Have accumulated small piles of Soviet and Chinese military, including two with Vietnam capture papers. Always looking to learn more about these historic pistols.

Regards, Scott

Email received 30 Sept 2002:

I've had mine for around ten years now, and I've been very pleased with it, especially since I only paid
$80.00 or so when I purchased it.

I've found it to be very reliable and easy to shoot well, once you get used to the sights and somewhat
crunchy trigger pull. As with many Eastern Bloc weapons, it isn't pretty, but you can sure count on it
to work. My pistol operates well with both 7.62x25 and 9mm.

I have been trying off and on for many years to locate a 38 Super barrel. I was told that the 7.62x25
magazine will work with 38 Super, so all I should really need is the barrel. Any suggestions on where I
might be able to locate one would be appreciated.

(name withheld by request)

Email received 30 Sept 2002:

Mr. Church:

I need a lot of your expertise and knowledge in identifying what appears to be a Tokarev TT-33 Pistol. I recently acquired this pistol, but it is unlike any of the Tokarev Pistols shown in any of my books. The gun is completely devoid of any makers marks, or. for that matter any importation marks. The gun has the serial number shown on the slide, frame, barrel bushing and internal parts unit. It also has what appears to be a Model number inscribed into the slide just to the rear of the ejection port, "M 20". The grips, what I surmise, are Black Plastic, vertically ribbed with a five pointed star in a circle on each. The magazine is numbered but not matching the gun. The slide does not have the usual Tokarev serrations for with drawing the slide. but rather has fine serrations much like those found on M1911 Colt ACP. The overall condition of the gun is virtually new with the few stampings standing proud which would preclude, I believe, any refinishing. The gun has a very fine polished blue-black finish much like those found on Smith and Wesson revolvers.

Any help you can give me on identifying this item would be greatly appreciated. I hope there in enough information to assist you.

Many Thanks

(Name & email address withheld by request)

Church replies:

M20s are a "sterile" ChiCom made variation from the 1960s.

Added 07 Feb 2003:

A quick cautionary tale about the Tokarev types in general and the 213 in particular. I was dragging a magnet along an old lock site on Alabama's Black Warrior River - looking for the remains of a river ferry - and found a very fresh and pristine Norinco 213. After reporting the numbers to the local
police, I flushed and cleaned the gun, then test-fired it... and found out why it was in the river.

When I released the slide to chamber a round it fired - twice! After several attempts at repair I gave up and put the gun aside for several years, then finally found the problem. The sear was incorrectly installed, with the flat spring that holds the sear in contact with the hammer notch unflexed.

Every example that I found while I was in Alabama was assembled this way. None of the reference materials mentioned the correct assembly arrangement of this component, and several of the photos of the hammer assembly showed this part incorrectly installed - just like my example.

I finally found a photo of a correctly assembled hammer assembly (on E-Bay, of all places!) and re-arranged the gun's internals.

After that, the 213 quickly became my favorite semi-auto.

(name withheld by request)

Author Church presents a dissenting opinion. As with all hand loading, we assume no liability.

Added 21 February 2003:

Hi,

I have tried to clear up some things, but I am just a voice in the wilderness of the huge gun culture:

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&selm=b271sh%24g8t%241%40grapevine.wam.umd.edu

I bought a C-96 for the purpose of showing it could take a higher powder charge than a CZ-52. So far I have only shot it with Ramshot Enforcer Powder [same as AA#9], Starline brass, 110 gr FMJ Hornady #3017 .684" long bullet, 1.390" OAL, compression required seater compensation from 12.8 gr but possible to 17.3 gr, WSP, 11.3 gr pierces primer in C-96 [45kpsi, 1456 fps per Quickload], as soon as I solve the primer problem, I will continue the work up.

"Accurate Arms Load Book Number Two" 2000, has loads for the CZ52, Starline brass, and AA#9. "Accurate Arms 2002 Reloader's Guide", a free publication from AA, has some of the same loads. "11.7 gr AA#9, 110 gr
SPR RN, 1.3" OAL, (CZ-52 only) 1688 fps" These are the most powerful 7.62x25mm loads published that I have found. One might infer from these publications that the CZ52 is the strongest 7.62x25mm pistol.

My tests contradict that conclusion. I have blown two CZ52's into pieces with loads that my Tokarev and Mauser C96 have fired and survived.

In addition I have worked up to 30% more powder in the Tokarev than it took either time to blow up a CZ52. At that point the brass fails, and the primer falls out, and the work up ended.

In addition to my finding the Tokarev a stronger pistol, I have also found that S&B [pulled] brass and LONGHOT powder are capable of more velocity than Starline 7.62x25mm brass or AA#9 powder.

I think one problem with the question of the strength of the CZ52 may come from the locking action. The two rollers are a unique and distracting factor in the strength. The locking action is not what fails, the barrel splits through the chamber. When this failure occurs, the rollers fall out and the slide splits as secondary failure. The
extractor takes off a mock one, and the right side of the CZ52 is a dangerous place to be.

In contrast with the thin weak barrel of the CZ52, the Tokarev and C96 Mauser have thick steel in that region.

I think another problem with the question of the strength of the CZ52 is the rumors surrounding Czech ammo.

The methods used for Accurate Arms load development was to get ammo from all over the Eastern block and test the pressure. Except for the lower Russian ammo, most came in at about 42 cup [even the Czech ammo]. Similar loads were then worked up with AA powder, the velocities were checked in a CZ52 loaned to AA, and then the loads were published. I have three small criticism of this:

1) Most of that Com block ammo was intended for the Tokarev
2) There were no proof tests of the CZ52
3) There were no comparative proof tests of the Tokarev or C96 Mauser

I would also like to commend AA for taking the risk of doing anything new, unlike other load manuals that just reduce 30 year old loads by 10% and publish it as new data.

9x23
The numbered entries are book loads the letterred entries are test loads. The percentages are the amount of powder in addition to the book load:

1) 7.7 gr 3N37 9x23 max Vihtavuori, 5", 130gr, 1.280", 1414 fps 47.1kpsi
a) 10.2 gr P11*, 130 gr 1.30" FMJ, primer pierced, 32%
b) 10 gr TU-90**, 130 gr FMJ RN, 1.3" OAL, primer fell out, extractor
groove increased .006", 30%

2) 10.1 gr N105 VV max 38 Super 130 gr FMJ Sierra, 5.5" 1.260", 1457 fps
a) 11.5 gr N105, TU-90**, 130 gr FMJ RN, 1.3", Win9x23 pri brass, ok,
case full, 14%

3) 6.8 gr Power Pistol max Alliant 38 Super 130 gr, 1.26", 34.6 kpsi,
5",1255 fps
a) 13 gr TU-90*** 130 gr FMJ .59", 1.3", ok , case full, 91%
b) 13.5 gr, case full, primer fell out, cut +.003", 99%

4) 6.8 gr LONGSHOT Hodgdon max, 130 gr 38 Super, 1.275", 32kcup, 1215
fps
a) 13 gr LONGSHOT, TU-90**, 130 gr, 1.3", ok, 91%
b) 13.5 gr LONGSHOT, TU-90**, 130 gr, 1.3", case full, 99%

5) 10.1 gr N105 VV max, 38 Super, 1.260", 130 FMJ, 5.5", 1457 fsp
a) 11.5 gr TU-90***, 130 gr FMJ .59", 1.3", case near full, powder
springy 14%

6) 5.3 gr 800X, IMR max 9x19, 147 grXTP, 4", 1.25", 1025 fps, 32.9kcup
a) 8.5 gr TU-90**, 147 grXTP, 1.3", case near full, 60%
b) 10 gr TU-90***, 147 grXTP, 1.3", case full, 89%

7) 8.6 gr Blue Dot Alliant max, 38 Super, 147XTP, 1.275", 33.9kpsi, 1220
fps
a) 10.4 gr TU-90***, 147XTP, 1.3", case full, 21%

8) 6.2 gr Power Pistol Alliant max, 38 Super, 147XTP, 5", 1.275"
34.9kpsi, 1155 fps
a) 12 gr TU-90**, 147XTP, 1.3", ok, case full, 94%

9) 6 gr LONGSHOT Hodgdon max, 38 Super, 5", 147XTP, 1.26", 30.9 kcup,
1119 fps
a) 13.5 gr TU-90**, 147XTP, 1.3", ok, case full, 125%

10) Hodgdon site LONGSHOT load for 357 mag 158 gr XTP is 8.4 gr, 1.58"
OAL, 1394 fps 10" barrel, 43.2kcup
a) 15 gr TU-90***, 158 gr LSWC, 1.36", case full, ok, 79% powder, -14%
OAL
b) 20 gr TU-90***, 158 gr LSWC, 1.36", double compression to get powder
in, ok, bullet tip rounding from seating force + 138% powder
c) 3.7 ~ 3.9 gr 54-9 158 gr LSWC, 1.36 threshold of cycling, -45% powder

11) STEEL, no data
a) 7~10 gr, 54-9, .358" 158 gr LSWC, 1.3", 10 gr case full, ok, can go
higher with double compression

12) Star Super B with FAC barrel and welded up and re cut breech
10 gr LONGSHOT, 158 gr LSWC .358", 1.29" OAL, brass chewed up, recoil
horrendous, stopped work up

*1.06" throat mod to Kel-Tek P11 9x19, single shot 1.3" 9x19, using RP
primed 9x19 brass

**9x19 Tokarev barrel with 23mm x .380" chamber and .358"x 1.37" throat
mods, feeds
1.3" using 9x23 Win primed brass

*** " with Starline Supercomp brass WSP primers

-------------------------------------------------------------

Here is a synopsis of my 7.62x25 load development with WSP primers:

1) 15.3 gr H110, CZ52, 86 gr, S&B brass, ok, case full.

2) 13.5 gr AA#9 is max AA book load, 86 gr FMJ, 1913 fps, 41.8k cup
a) 13.6 gr, CZ52, S&B brass .. OK, more powerful than above H110 load
b), 13.7 gr, CZ52, Polish 55 Berdan brass [compressed load] .. Kaboom
[case head separation caused slide to split][bye bye $200 gun] 1%.

3) 11.7 gr AA#9 is max AA book load, 110 gr , 1688 fps, 42k cup
a) 13.7 gr splits a second CZ52 barrel and slide [bye bye $150 gun] 17%.
b) 13.8 gr in Tokarev, shakes trigger bar loose with stock recoil spring
c) 14.2 gr in Tokarev, Starline brass, primer falls out
d) 14.6 gr in Tokarev, Starline brass rim ripped off, failed to extract
e) 14.9 gr in Tokarev, Starline brass bulges and rim rips off.
f) 15.1 gr in Tokarev, OK with S&B brass
g) 15.3 gr in Tokarev, S&B brass, primer falls out. 31%

4) No book loads available for these powders, I am just making up the staring point, in Tokarev, 110 gr Hornady FMJ, 1.3", WSP primer, Starline brass:

a) 17 gr LIL'GUN ok, case full
b) 12 gr N105, primer fell out, case almost full
c) 13 gr N110, ok, case full
d) 15 gr XMP5744, ok, case full
e) 10.5 gr LONGSHOT ok,
11 gr LONGSHOT .002" case head growth
11.5 gr LONGSHOT .002" case head growth, loose primer
12 gr LONGSHOT S&B brass and primer, .002~.003" case head growth
13.5 gr LONGSHOT S&B brass and primer, .002~.003" case head growth,
case full to mouth, most powerful of all the loads tried
f) Revisited AA#9 and 110 gr: only 13 gr can chamber in a CZ52 without
OAL interference problems. CZ52 Pistol failures above were probably
caused in part by bullet lodging in riflings due to high bulk modulus of
AA#9. Due to long throat chamber cut, 15.1 gr AA#9 will chamber in Tokarev
Pistol.

g) Ramshot Enforcer, Starline brass, 110 gr FMJ Hornady #3017
.684",1.390", compression required seater compensation from 12.8 gr but
possible to 17.3 gr, WSP, C-96 4", Tok 4.55", CZ52 4.75"
a) 11 gr [42kpsi 1410 fps Quickload] good load
b) 11.3 gr pierces primer in C-96 [45kpsi, 1456 fps]
c) 13.1 gr, ok in Norinco 54, extractor grove expands .0005" [79kspi,
1747 fps]
d) 13.3 gr, ok, expands .001" [84kpsi, 1781 fps]
e) 13.7 gr, primer falls out, expands .0015" [96kpsi, 1850 fps]

Clark Magnuson (cmagnuson@attbi.com)

For all sorts of animated Tokarev amusement, click here.

Russian article on the Tokarev cartridge, click here (updated 6-2-02).

For oodles of syntax entertainment, AK Church recommends the following link (updated 7-7-02).