TT pistol

The TT-30, commonly known simply as the TT or Tokarev, is a semi-automatic pistol designed and produced in the Soviet Union. The TT was designed by Fedor Tokarev and served as the service pistol of the Soviet Armed Forces and Militsiya from 1931 to 1951.

The TT was developed in the late 1920s to replace the Nagant M1895 and based on the designs of John Moses Browning, with detail modifications to simplify production and maintenance. It saw service by Soviet forces in many conflicts during the 1930s and 1940s, including World War II. The TT was replaced by the Makarov pistol due to criticism over its size, weight, usability and lack of a safety. Production of the TT in the Soviet Union ceased in 1954, but derivatives continued to be manufactured for many years in China and Yugoslavia. It is one of the most-produced firearms in the world, with at least 1,700,000 manufactured, and continues to be in widespread active service by militaries and police forces.

Development

Before 1930, the Soviet Union used a large variety of foreign-made semi-automatic pistols including: FN M1900, FN M1903, FN M1905, M1921 "Bolo" Mauser, and the Colt M1911, besides the Nagant M1895 revolver. In an attempt to simplify production, the Soviet Artillery Committee (which also oversaw small arms designs) decided to adopt a 7.62 mm pistol caliber, allowing Mosin-Nagant rifle barrels to be cut down to make pistols and submachine gun barrels. In 1930, the Red Army conducted trials to select a new standard-issue pistol and Tokarev's design was tested against upscaled versions of the Korovin pistol, and Sergei Aleksandrovich Prilutsky's 1920−1921 self-loading design as well as foreign pistols. Tokarev's design, considered to be lighter, more accurate and reliable than its competitors (despite being harder to disassemble), was adopted as the Tula-Tokarev Model 1930, even though the pistol would only be officially adopted in the next year.