Type 64 pistol
Encyclopedia
The Type 64 pistol is a semi-automatic pistol
, formerly in service with the People's Liberation Army
(PLA) but has since been replaced by several other firearms, although it still remains in service with some Chinese police forces
. The Type 64 pistol was the first firearm to be indigenously developed by the People's Republic of China
and was first only issued to high ranking military officers and officials and has since been distributed throughout the PLA. The Type 64 pistol has subsequently been distributed to various People's Armed Police
and civilian police forces. The Type 64 pistol should not be confused with the unrelated, but similarly named, Type 64 silent pistol which can be distinguished from the Type 64 pistol, by its large, integral suppressor
.
government, concluding the Chinese Civil War
, the People's Liberation Army relied heavily upon support from the Soviet Union
for supplies and weaponry. At the commencement of the post-Civil War period, the People's Republic of China and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics cooperated heavily towards the industrialisation of China, which had experienced decades of ceaseless warfare. During this period of Sino-Soviet friendship, Chinese factories, with the assistance of Soviet blue-prints and technical assistance, began mass-producing Soviet designed weapons such as the Type 50 submachine gun
, Type 54 pistol, Type 56 carbine
and the Type 56 assault rifle
.
Two such blue-print given to China from the Soviet Union was the German
Walther PPK pistol and the Soviet Makarov PM
pistol, which the Chinese manufactured under the designations 'Type 52 pistol' and 'Type 59' pistol, respectively. Following the Sino-Soviet split
of the late 1950s to the 1960s, the Soviet Union withdrew its support for the Chinese Communist Party, leaving China to develop its arms industry itself. Beginning in 1960, Chinese engineers began designing a new, indigenous pistol for military officers and police based on the Type 52 and 59 pistols. By 1964 a final design had been developed, and was subsequently named the 'Type 64 pistol' although it would take until 1980, two decades after beginning of its development, to reach production due to Mao Zedong
's Cultural Revolution
which consistently hampered the Type 64s development and production. With its introduction in 1980, the Type 64 became the first indigenously developed firearm created by the People's Liberation Army. With the introduction of newer, more modern pistols, such as the QSZ-92
in the 1990s, the Type 64 has been slowly been phased out of PLA service and is now only used by civilian police forces, who also intend to phase out the Type 64 within the coming years with a new, as of yet, un-named 9mm revolver which was introduced in 2006.
, a rimless pistol cartridge which is loosely based on the ubiquitous .32 ACP
pistol round. The Type 64 pistol was the first pistol to use the 7.62×17 mm pistol round.. The Type 64 uses the PPKs straight blowback, open bolt, single action while also incorporating the PMs safety system where the operator pushes the safety lever down before firing. After the first round is discharged, the hammer is cocked; firing and cycling recocks the hammer for subsequent firing. The Type 64 is a rather small pistol and issues around the weapon's ergonomics and accuracy during semi-automatic firing had been issues since its inception. Issues over the use of the Type 64 round have also been called in to question; some believe the 7.62×17 mm round is too powerful for police work, where the objective is to capture the criminal, while others believe the round is not powerful enough to properly protect police officers.
Handgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
, formerly in service with 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...
(PLA) but has since been replaced by several other firearms, although it still remains in service with some Chinese police forces
Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China
The Ministry of Public Security , is the principal police and security authority of the mainland of the People's Republic of China and the government agency that exercises oversight over and is ultimately responsible for day-to-day law enforcement...
. The Type 64 pistol was the first firearm to be indigenously developed by the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
and was first only issued to high ranking military officers and officials and has since been distributed throughout the PLA. The Type 64 pistol has subsequently been distributed to various People's Armed Police
People's Armed Police
The People's Armed Police , officially Chinese People's Armed Police Force is a paramilitary or gendarmerie force primarily responsible for civilian policing and fire rescue duties in the People's Republic of China, as well as provide support to PLA during wartime.In contrast to public security...
and civilian police forces. The Type 64 pistol should not be confused with the unrelated, but similarly named, Type 64 silent pistol which can be distinguished from the Type 64 pistol, by its large, integral suppressor
Suppressor
A suppressor, sound suppressor, sound moderator, or silencer, is a device attached to or part of the barrel of a firearm which reduces the amount of noise and flash generated by firing the weapon....
.
Development
Ever since the expulsion of the KuomintangKuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
government, concluding the Chinese Civil War
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
, the People's Liberation Army relied heavily upon support from the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
for supplies and weaponry. At the commencement of the post-Civil War period, the People's Republic of China and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics cooperated heavily towards the industrialisation of China, which had experienced decades of ceaseless warfare. During this period of Sino-Soviet friendship, Chinese factories, with the assistance of Soviet blue-prints and technical assistance, began mass-producing Soviet designed weapons such as the Type 50 submachine gun
PPSh-41
The PPSh-41 was a Soviet submachine gun designed by Georgi Shpagin as an inexpensive, simplified alternative to the PPD-40. Intended for use by minimally-trained conscript soldiers, the PPSh was a magazine-fed selective-fire submachine gun using an open-bolt, blowback action...
, Type 54 pistol, Type 56 carbine
SKS
The SKS is a Soviet semi-automatic rifle chambered for the 7.62x39mm round, designed in 1943 by Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov. SKS-45 is an acronym for Samozaryadnyj Karabin sistemy Simonova, 1945 Simonov system, 1945), or SKS 45. The Sks is a scaled down version of the PTRS-41 anti-tank rifle also...
and the Type 56 assault rifle
Type 56 Assault Rifle
The Type 56 assault rifle is a Chinese copy of the Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle, which has been manufactured since 1956. It was produced by State Factory 66 from 1956-73, then by Norinco from 1973 onwards.-Service history:...
.
Two such blue-print given to China from the Soviet Union was the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Walther PPK pistol and the Soviet Makarov PM
Makarov PM
The PM is a semi-automatic pistol design. Under the project leadership of Nikolay Fyodorovich Makarov, it became the Soviet Union's standard military side arm from 1951-1991.-Development:...
pistol, which the Chinese manufactured under the designations 'Type 52 pistol' and 'Type 59' pistol, respectively. Following the Sino-Soviet split
Sino-Soviet split
In political science, the term Sino–Soviet split denotes the worsening of political and ideologic relations between the People's Republic of China and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during the Cold War...
of the late 1950s to the 1960s, the Soviet Union withdrew its support for the Chinese Communist Party, leaving China to develop its arms industry itself. Beginning in 1960, Chinese engineers began designing a new, indigenous pistol for military officers and police based on the Type 52 and 59 pistols. By 1964 a final design had been developed, and was subsequently named the 'Type 64 pistol' although it would take until 1980, two decades after beginning of its development, to reach production due to Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
's Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
which consistently hampered the Type 64s development and production. With its introduction in 1980, the Type 64 became the first indigenously developed firearm created by the People's Liberation Army. With the introduction of newer, more modern pistols, such as the QSZ-92
QSZ-92
The QSZ-92 Services Pistol is a semi-automatic pistol designed by Norinco and it is in limited service in the People's Liberation Army since the late 1990s.-Development:...
in the 1990s, the Type 64 has been slowly been phased out of PLA service and is now only used by civilian police forces, who also intend to phase out the Type 64 within the coming years with a new, as of yet, un-named 9mm revolver which was introduced in 2006.
Design details
The Type 64 pistol is a small, pocket-sized pistol, and was designed specifically for the parallelly developed 7.62×17 mm Type 647.62 mm caliber
7.62 mm caliber is a nominal caliber used for a number of different cartridges. Historically, this class of cartridge was commonly known as .30 caliber, the Imperial unit equivalent, and was most commonly used for indicating a class of full power military main battle rifle cartridges...
, a rimless pistol cartridge which is loosely based on the ubiquitous .32 ACP
.32 ACP
.32 ACP , also known as the .32 Automatic is a pistol cartridge. It is a semi-rimmed, straight-walled cartridge developed by firearms designer John Browning, initially for use in the FN M1900 semi-automatic pistol...
pistol round. The Type 64 pistol was the first pistol to use the 7.62×17 mm pistol round.. The Type 64 uses the PPKs straight blowback, open bolt, single action while also incorporating the PMs safety system where the operator pushes the safety lever down before firing. After the first round is discharged, the hammer is cocked; firing and cycling recocks the hammer for subsequent firing. The Type 64 is a rather small pistol and issues around the weapon's ergonomics and accuracy during semi-automatic firing had been issues since its inception. Issues over the use of the Type 64 round have also been called in to question; some believe the 7.62×17 mm round is too powerful for police work, where the objective is to capture the criminal, while others believe the round is not powerful enough to properly protect police officers.