China · Pistol

Type 77 Pistol

Name: Type 77 Pistol
Brand: China

Blowback (semi-automatic) · 7.62x17mm Type 64 · introduced 1981

Also known as 77 Shi Shouqiang, Norinco Type 77, 7.62mm Type 77

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About the Type 77 Pistol

The Type 77 is a compact Chinese semi-automatic pistol chambered in the indigenous 7.62x17mm Type 64 cartridge, mass-produced from 1981 onward as a successor to the Type 64 silenced pistol. It is notable for incorporating a Chylewsky-style one-handed cocking device, allowing the slide to be retracted by squeezing a vertical projection on the trigger guard, making it possible to ready the pistol without using the off-hand. Issued widely as an officer and police sidearm.

The Type 77's most distinctive feature is its one-handed cocking system, derived from the obscure 1920s Swiss-designed Bergmann-Bayard 'Chylewsky' device. This made the Type 77 one of very few state-issued service pistols designed around the assumption that a soldier or officer might need to ready a sidearm with a single hand, while the other was injured, holding a flashlight, or controlling a suspect.

Type 77 Pistol specifications

General

Type: Pistol
Action: Blowback (semi-automatic)
Firing mechanism: Striker-fired
Trigger: Single stage
Calibres: 7.62x17mm Type 64
Magazine capacity: 7 rounds
Magazine: Detachable box magazine

Dimensions

Barrel length: 87 mm (3.4 in)
Overall length: 149 mm (5.9 in)
Height: 120 mm (4.7 in)
Width: 27 mm (1.1 in)
Weight (empty): 0.50 kg (1.10 lb)
Weight (loaded): 0.55 kg (1.21 lb)

Barrel

Rifling: Right hand
Grooves: 4

Materials

Barrel: Steel
Receiver / frame: Steel
Slide: Steel
Finish: blued

Performance

Muzzle velocity (typical): 305 m/s (1001 fps)
Muzzle energy (typical): 226 J (167 ft·lb)
Effective range: 50 m

History

Introduced: 1981
Production status: In service
Country of origin: CN
Designer: Chinese state arsenal designers (no individual attribution in open sources)

Features

Chylewsky one handed cocking device
Single stack magazine
Compact pocket pistol format
Carried chamber empty

Safety

Manual safety
Loaded chamber indicator

Designed for concealment and one-handed operation. The pistol is typically carried with a loaded magazine and empty chamber, with the Chylewsky-style trigger-guard pull serving as the chambering mechanism. Largely supplanted by the QSZ-92 in front-line PLA service but still in police inventories.