1940 Soviet TT-33 Pics

tetra

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Before:

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After a strip and clean:

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Sorry about the crappy pics, I need to invest in a nice camera. It's got some holster wear and some scratches, but hey what do you expect :)
Does anybody know why this model has a CCCP triangle instead of the star? It was made in 1940.
 
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I was doing some reading and supposedly they moved the factory from Tula to Ishevsk for WW2 production. They started using the triangle emblem. Not sure if that information is accurate, waiting for an expert to chime in :)
And thanks, there was a ton of cosmoline on it lol
 
Tula Arms Factory was evacuated around December, 1941, faced with the German advance towards Moscow (not far to the NW). Until the evacuation, there was a period where weapons were coming hot off the line and directly into service, firing right out the factory doors at the enemy. They switched manufacture to Izhevsk (much farther E), and Podolsk (practically a suburb of Moscow) and Kovrov/Degtyarev for certain other arms besides the TT. Of course they resumed at Tula as Barbarossa and Blau/Braunschweig were repelled.

I pointed out the reference to Datig in your post in the MilSurp forum (ISBN 978-1882824151). The Izhevsk arrow-in-triangle doesn't belong with the Tula star on the frame, and that grip variation should have been on a 1946-6 pistol originally, so it's obviously a re-furb with whatever parts came out of the bin.
 
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I've got a polish one that looks like your before pics! What did you use to clean it? I mean, anything special other than elbow grease?
 
I've got a polish one that looks like your before pics! What did you use to clean it? I mean, anything special other than elbow grease?

First I wiped off all the cosmoline with a microfibre cloth. Then I used qtips with rubbing alcohol to remove all the excess.
After that, I frog pasted everything first using a hair dryer to heat up the parts. Let it cool off, wiped off the excess, then used some Frog Lube CLP to clean up the rest.

Not only is it clean, it smells like mint. Man I love Frog Lube. lol

Ive never seen those grips on a TT33 before, It seems it cleaned up pretty nice.

Thanks, I'm going to try to find some CCCP grips with the star emblem to make it closer to original, but I kind of like having something different on the grip.
 
If it was me, I'd leave those grips on the gun, you certainly don't see them as often.
Another fella here used Autosol to clean his TT33 up, and it looked like brand new after he was done.
Autosol is a really good metal polish, although it can be a little hard to find sometimes.
 
I'd hang on to those grips as well. I have a 40 TT33 as well and they've got the stars. Neat to see a little variation like that.
 
Yeah, I think I will hold on to them.
Magellann, I seen that thread and it cleaned up real nice! Might try to find some, although the Frog Lube did a decent job it surely isn't metal polish.
 
Datig also shows other grip variations, such as with a rotated star, CCCP in a different position, and early type with mould release impressions. From these rotations it seems that the master from which the moulds were copied had a removable medallion that could come loose (or be replaced with the Izhevsk triangle).

(I've got a bunch of examples, but not all variations, so I'm always willing to add the missing ones to my collection.)

Autosol is a really good metal polish, although it can be a little hard to find sometimes.

Autosol is a regular item at Canadian Tire, found with the car cleaners and waxes and such. It is a water-emulsion paste of aliphatic hydrocarbons and ammonia, which makes it a lot like Hoppe's No.9 Solvent. I suppose there's a slight abrasive component as well.
 
First I wiped off all the cosmoline with a microfibre cloth. Then I used qtips with rubbing alcohol to remove all the excess.
After that, I frog pasted everything first using a hair dryer to heat up the parts. Let it cool off, wiped off the excess, then used some Frog Lube CLP to clean up the rest.

Not only is it clean, it smells like mint. Man I love Frog Lube. lol

I've heard nothing but good things about Frog Lube. Guess I'll have to give it a try!
 
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