Norinco Tokarev TT-C

About the Norinco Tokarev TT-C

The Norinco Tokarev TT-C is a single-action, short-recoil semi-automatic pistol chambered in 7.62x25mm Tokarev. It is the commercial export designation applied to surplus and Norinco-produced examples of the Chinese Type 54, the licensed Chinese copy of the Soviet TT-33 designed by Fedor Tokarev. The pistol retains the hallmark Tokarev layout: an exposed hammer, a removable hammer and sear assembly that drops out of the frame as a single module for cleaning, and a Browning-derived swinging-link locked-breech action. The 7.62x25mm cartridge it fires is a high-velocity bottlenecked round noted for its flat trajectory and strong penetration. The TT-C designation marks examples imported and sold on the civilian surplus market, where they remain prized for their robust all-steel construction, simplicity, and Cold War service pedigree.

The 7.62x25mm Tokarev cartridge that the TT-C fires was derived from the 7.63x25mm Mauser, and its high velocity earned the pistol a reputation for punching through soft body armor and intermediate cover at close range.

Norinco Tokarev TT-C specifications

TT-C is an import/commercial designation for the Chinese Type 54 Tokarev as marketed by Norinco and surplus importers. The Type 54 lacks the manual safety found on later Western-market conversions; safety relies on the half-cock notch.