Type 54 pistol
Encyclopedia
The Type 54 Type 51, M20, TU-90 and Model 213 pistols are Chinese
copies of the Soviet type Tokarev TT-33
. It was first adopted in 1951 and produced in Shenyang's Factory 66 as the Type 51 using both Russian and Chinese-made parts. In 1954, after approximately 250,000 pistols were manufactured, the designation was changed to Type 54 and the pistol used exclusively indigenous components. This type of pistol is commonly available in 7.62x25mm caliber, although some variants have been made in 9x19mm Parabellum. Norinco
, the People's Liberation Army
's state weapons manufacturer in China, still manufactures a commercial variant of the Tokarev pistol chambered in the more common 9x19mm Parabellum round, known as the Tokarev Model 213, as well as in the original 7.62x25mm caliber. It features a safety catch, which was absent on Soviet-produced TT-33 handguns. Furthermore, the Model 213 features the thin slide grip grooves, as opposed to the original Russian wide-types. The 9 mm model is featured with a magazine well block mounted in the rear of the magazine well to accept 9 mm type magazines without frame modification.
The M20 was a version of the Type 54 made without factory markings to conceal the weapon's origins. Many of these were provided to Vietnamese forces during the Vietnam War.
The TU-90 (also known as the NP-10 or Model 213-B) is an improved Model 213 similar to the Hungarian-designed, Egyptian-built Tokagypt of the 1960s. Construction is primarily of forged and machined steel, with a matte blued finish. The grips are of wrap-around rubber ribbed on the side.
The Norinco model in current production is not available for sale in the United States due to import prohibitions on Chinese firearms, although older handguns of the Model 213 type imported in the 1980s and 1990s are common.
The Type 54 is still in service in the Chinese armed forces today.
:黑星手槍, Simplified Chinese: 黑星手枪). PLA
-surplus "Black Stars" have been a popular weapon on the Chinese black market. This pistol is very popular with collectors in the United States because it's an example of a TT pistol made in China.
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
copies of the Soviet type Tokarev TT-33
TT-33
The TT-30 is a Russian semi-automatic pistol. It was developed in the early 1930s by Fedor Tokarev as a service pistol for the Soviet military to replace the Nagant M1895 revolver that had been in use since tsarist times, though it never fully replaced the M1895.-Development:In 1930, the...
. It was first adopted in 1951 and produced in Shenyang's Factory 66 as the Type 51 using both Russian and Chinese-made parts. In 1954, after approximately 250,000 pistols were manufactured, the designation was changed to Type 54 and the pistol used exclusively indigenous components. This type of pistol is commonly available in 7.62x25mm caliber, although some variants have been made in 9x19mm Parabellum. Norinco
Norinco
The China North Industries Corporation , official English name Norinco, manufactures vehicles , machinery, optical-electronic products, oil field equipment, chemicals, light industrial products, explosives and blast materials, civil and military firearms and ammunition, etc...
, the People's Liberation Army
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...
's state weapons manufacturer in China, still manufactures a commercial variant of the Tokarev pistol chambered in the more common 9x19mm Parabellum round, known as the Tokarev Model 213, as well as in the original 7.62x25mm caliber. It features a safety catch, which was absent on Soviet-produced TT-33 handguns. Furthermore, the Model 213 features the thin slide grip grooves, as opposed to the original Russian wide-types. The 9 mm model is featured with a magazine well block mounted in the rear of the magazine well to accept 9 mm type magazines without frame modification.
The M20 was a version of the Type 54 made without factory markings to conceal the weapon's origins. Many of these were provided to Vietnamese forces during the Vietnam War.
The TU-90 (also known as the NP-10 or Model 213-B) is an improved Model 213 similar to the Hungarian-designed, Egyptian-built Tokagypt of the 1960s. Construction is primarily of forged and machined steel, with a matte blued finish. The grips are of wrap-around rubber ribbed on the side.
The Norinco model in current production is not available for sale in the United States due to import prohibitions on Chinese firearms, although older handguns of the Model 213 type imported in the 1980s and 1990s are common.
The Type 54 is still in service in the Chinese armed forces today.
Popularity
Type 51 and Type 54 pistols are also known colloquially as "Black Star" pistols (Traditional ChineseTraditional Chinese character
Traditional Chinese characters refers to Chinese characters in any character set which does not contain newly created characters or character substitutions performed after 1946. It most commonly refers to characters in the standardized character sets of Taiwan, of Hong Kong, or in the Kangxi...
:黑星手槍, Simplified Chinese: 黑星手枪). PLA
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...
-surplus "Black Stars" have been a popular weapon on the Chinese black market. This pistol is very popular with collectors in the United States because it's an example of a TT pistol made in China.
External links
- http://www.ndu.edu/nwc/nwcCLIPART/FOREIGN_MIL_EQUIPMENT/Small_Arms/foreign-small-arms.htm