Tokarev TT-33 with half shiny blue and half dulled finish??

[chook]

I received my Tokarev TT-33 the other day and the finish on it is interesting. It looks like it was half dipped into some cleaner or something that faded/coated the rear half of the handgun including the frame/handgrip area. Here is a pic of it. I have tried everything to try and get the film off, but I don't think it IS a film after trying everything in the way of solvents, cleaners, etc etc. Has anyone else gotten a Tokarev or other pistol that looks like this? It's a grand old war horse, so I don't really mind, it's just strange that it's half shiny blue and half flat.

 

[BCRider]

I'm thinking that the dull area is the result of some initial rusting. It's the sort of dulling that you get when it'll just start to form a reddish blue look then gets cleaned and oiled.

Or it was subjected to something like Simple Green and left sitting half submerged in the bucket for too long. The simple fact is that Simple Green IS lightly corrosive to steel. So an overly long soak in the stuff could easily result in this sort of dulling.

How long is too long? Depends on the strength it's mixed to and the time in it. However I do know that folks with bicycle chains that left it sitting overnight in full strength SG to de-grease them found the link plates pitted and the rollers a dull grey the next day.

 

[FreedomIsn'tFree]

Crate marks from storage I believe. They were stored in a cradle (cut out piece of wood and resting in that area of the slide).

 

[stevebc]

I've got the same marks on my TT33, but not as noticeable as yours. Also has a scuffed area on the slide around the front sight, some scuffing on the sides as well. The above ^ explanation makes sense.

 

[Magellann]

Ive seen that on a few of them, they come like that right from the crate.

 

[bobdbldr]

Half and half, cup half full, shoot it and you won't quit smiling!

 

[chook]

Half and half, cup half full, shoot it and you won't quit smiling!

Very true, I can tell already I'm going to love this handgun.

 

[gewehr76]

This is the way the bluing comes out during hardening of metal. The slide from the ejection port and back has different hardness as the front. That's why finish is more dull

 

[NAA]

Obviously, Boris was into the vodka in the finishing room for that one.

------------
NAA.

 

[robin2y]

Always thought that it was the heat treat around the locking lug area.
R

 

[st1264]

May have lived in a holster for a while and wasn't taken out so the front is cleaner, with shinier bluing???

I thought the Tok was the worst pistol I've ever shot so I got rid of mine. Tiny grip, crude/poor sights, awful trigger, poor ergonomics. The only thing going for it was the cheap surplus ammo that it used. To each their own, I can see why people would like it, but it wasn't for me.

 

[chook]

May have lived in a holster for a while and wasn't taken out so the front is cleaner, with shinier bluing???

I thought the Tok was the worst pistol I've ever shot so I got rid of mine. Tiny grip, crude/poor sights, awful trigger, poor ergonomics. The only thing going for it was the cheap surplus ammo that it used. To each their own, I can see why people would like it, but it wasn't for me.

Fair enough, this is just another in a list of handguns I have, and I couldn't resist the price. The trigger pull is actually excellent on this one which surprised me. I am actually interested in the cartridge, and it rounds off my collection of WW2 Russian small arms.

 

[bp2626]

I thought the Tok was the worst pistol I've ever shot so I got rid of mine. Tiny grip, crude/poor sights, awful trigger, poor ergonomics. The only thing going for it was the cheap surplus ammo that it used. To each their own, I can see why people would like it, but it wasn't for me.

The sights are just typical battle / iron sights. The ergonomics are just 'different' and taking getting used to. Trigger is totally variable, I have some with excellent triggers.

 

[bobdbldr]

Lots of reasons for owning or wanting to own a few, trigger is good on my Russian and polish models, I got spring replacements from Wolfe for slide and mags but have not replaced them, cool WWII surplus history, won,t be cheap for ever, but then again the ammo won't be either! I usually like bigger bore handguns but these are different and quite powerful.

 

[sail32]

I like my Polish Tokarev.

It had a mix of polished and dull bluing when received.

In my case the dull bluing was a hard preservative that came off after a number of cleanings, reveling the polished blue underneath.

 

[kennymo]

May have lived in a holster for a while and wasn't taken out so the front is cleaner, with shinier bluing???

I thought the Tok was the worst pistol I've ever shot so I got rid of mine. Tiny grip, crude/poor sights, awful trigger, poor ergonomics. The only thing going for it was the cheap surplus ammo that it used. To each their own, I can see why people would like it, but it wasn't for me.

Only problem with that theory is the military holsters were full flap and the whole gun would've been covered up. The Tokarev is nowhere near a modern pistol for ergonomics or sights, but it was fairly cutting edge in 1933.