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> Weapons and army > Legendary pistols: from Colt to Soviet TT
It is believed that the first pistol was invented by Italians in the city of Pistoia, from whose name the word “pistol” itself comes. Hand-held firearms in the form of all kinds of arquebuses, arquebuses and muskets were created much earlier, but they were suitable only for use by foot soldiers. For cavalrymen, a lighter and more compact type of weapon was required. The pistol became such a weapon. Today we will talk about the most outstanding examples.
To replace the revolver
The task of replacing the revolver model 1895 was set even before the revolution. Things only came to a head under Soviet rule. In 1927, a group was organized for this purpose at the design bureau of the Tula Arms Plant under the leadership of Fedor Tokarev . A native of the Don Cossacks, he became a promising gunsmith even before the revolution.
In 1930, the group presented a new 7.62 mm self-loading pistol for testing. At that time, no one knew that this weapon would become a legend and in the cult series “The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed” the TT could be seen in the hands of both the good guy Sharapov and the bad guy Fox.
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Service after service
In an officer's holster, TT pistols honestly went through the entire Great Patriotic War, reaching Berlin. The Makarov pistol replaced the TT only in 1951. Tokarev pistols were inherited by collectors, couriers and private security. In the 90s, representatives of the criminal world joined the club of TT fans.
The TT became the favorite weapon of killers. Firstly, the powerful cartridge pierced almost all body armor that existed at that time. Secondly, tracing the origin of the pistol, even if the barrel fell into the hands of law enforcement agencies, was extremely difficult. Not all of the 1.74 million TTs produced ended up in the bullet casing library of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. And in 1992, according to the same department, there were more than 10 thousand unregistered “trunks” of Tokarev’s design in illegal circulation.
Dark spots
The TT was not without its drawbacks, the most serious of which was the small magazine capacity - 8 rounds. Before the war, there was an attempt to increase the number of cartridges to 12, but the new model was never put into production.
The second defect related to the weakness of the magazine fastening in the pistol grip. The magazine locking latch could “jump off” when the pistol was removed from the holster, leaving the owner unarmed in the face of the enemy.
The TT pistol did not have a safety mechanism. To simplify the design, its function was transferred to the trigger (a ribbed wheel “opposite the front sight”). So the pistol often had cases of spontaneous firing.
Due to the weakness of the return spring (installed under the barrel), the TT pistol was strictly not recommended to be carried with a cartridge in the chamber. To open fire, it was necessary to pull the trigger towards you, move the bolt-casing (located above the barrel) and only then shoot. Thus, the shooter needed both hands to activate the TT. If one did not act due to injury, from the TT, in the gloomy expression of the front-line soldiers, it was impossible to even shoot yourself.
Article on the topic
The main weapon of commanders. Great life of the TT pistol
