It's not actually a copy of the same pistol that Germans used to win the medals, but it's pretty close - it's a copy of a version of the pistol made for hunters. This particular version was called Jägerschaftspistole - it has a shorter barrel and a "flatter" grips than the sports version.
Norinco TT-Olympia is a very well made and beautiful gun. It feels in a hand like no other 22LR pistol I've tried. Trigger is not great, but not terrible as well, and with a locally made trigger job it's still going to be one of the most affordable 22LR pistols. It's also one of a few 22LR semi-autos made of steel. I liked the first one I've bought from Marstar so much that I've ordered a second one from EE right away.
Here is how you disassemble and assemble it:
https://www.bevfitchett.us/firearms-assembly/legend-rxm.html
Unfortunately the gun comes without a manual of any kind
Went to the range with Olympia today. Surprising good gun. It's easy to shoot it accurately, very easy. There are some issues with it, but still it's my favorite 22LR semi-auto so far.
It's a nice plinker, hunter (if it was legal) and paper puncher, but surely not a self-defense gun, and not a gun for anything like IPSC.
Let's start with cons:
- Magazine change is not as fast or convenient as on more modern guns. There is nothing resembling a magwell - you have to insert the magazine precisely where it should be, and at right angle.
- Mag release button is hard to press
- After you load a mag and chamber a round you have to make sure that the mag is locked inside. Chambering a round can slightly unlock a mag and it won't reliably feed.
- Safety lever is a bit silly. It's pretty hard to switch and the marking is misleading. But you can just set it on Fire position and forget about it - you don't need to use it anyway.
- Slide release is non-existent. You have to sling-shot the slide to release it. You have to use an empty mag to lock the slide open.
- The sights are old-school. Something like fiber optic or at least black dots would probably be easy to use.
- Mags are hard to find and are pretty expensive (currently Marstar sells them for ~$40 each)
- No manual. No videos on YouTube on how to service and mod the gun. You are basically on your own.
- Made in China. Oh well, what can we do about it. You can buy an original German-made gun, if you can find and afford it. I'd pay a double price for a Canadian-made copy of the same quality, but they don't exist.
Pros in random order:
- One of the best looking 22LR pistols I've ever seen. Resembles Walther PP, maybe looks even better. Would be worth buying even as a paperweight (but it's by far not a paper weight, as you'll see later).
- Well made, precisely machined, nice blueing. There is literally nothing bad I can find regarding fit and finish of the gun.
- The barrel is long, but not too long.
- Reliable with most ammo I've tried. 100% reliable with HV ammo, less reliable with less powerful ammo.
- Feels in hand like no other gun I've tried. Balance is amazing.
- Accurate and is easy to shoot accurately. At short distances ~5 yards it's pretty easy to do single hole groups. Even at relatively rapid pace (1 shot a second), you still can easily maintain small group size (1 inch at 5 yards).
- Pretty good trigger. There are better triggers out there, but this one is still good. And it was my first visit to the rang with the gun. Probably it's going to get even better over the time.
- Mind blowing price. At the time of writing, Marstar sells them for ~300 (tax and shipping not included), and on EE you can buy a new one even cheaper than that from a highly respected CGNer.
- Made of steel and beautifully blued. Not likely to crack or wear off quickly.
- The slide is relatively small and fast cycling, it doesn't cause a barrel jump. Still, it's easy to grip and looks awesome.
- Comes in good smelling packing grease, like some soviet made gun
At this price point I definitely recommend it even if you already have 22LR semi-auto pistols you like.
If anyone is interested in photos of the actual gun, what it comes with, or photos of the targets from the range - let me know.
Be safe and shoot straight!
