Norinco tokarov KB???

The Cocker

The Cocker

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Hey I got my roomate a norinco type 54-1 from lever for xmas. But a local gun smith said that these are unsafe pistols. He said he knows of 8 that have blown up, and it is because of some of the mods that some of the chinese factories do to them that it wasnot designed for.

Can any one shed some more light on this?
 
There are 2 models, one with a safety and one without. Other then the safety, they are direct copies of the TT33. Even the addition of the safety does not affect the function of the pistol. I have never seen KB on here, I have seen some on US boards of russian TT33's and CZ52's, there was a batch of super hot european ammo that blew up alot of guns down there.
The steel nork guns are quite robust, I would never worry about one KB'ing.
 
ok, the gun smioth we talked ot here said he's seen like 6 blow up, and one took out sommones eye.

I still want one tho, my roommate wants to take his back now before even firing it.
 
The Cocker said:
ok, the gun smioth we talked ot here said he's seen like 6 blow up, and one took out sommones eye.

I still want one tho, my roommate wants to take his back now before even firing it.
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Classic gunsmith folklore BS. If you call him on it and press him for details, I'm willing to bet he didn't personally see any of the those six (or was it eight?). His next version will be that he heard of it from another guy, but a reliable source nonetheless.

The TT-33 is one of the strongest pistols in existance.
 
The only thing that MIGHT cause a Norinco Type 54 to "blow up" is if it is fed the hot Czech 7.62x25 SMG ammo. Otherwise, they do NOT just "blow up", and are quite safe to shoot. The addition of the goofy thumb safety doesn't compromise the integrity of the pistol at all. He's BS'ing you, and I'll tell you why. The "one that took someone's eye out" was an old Mauser pistol, not a Norinco Type 54-1.
 
...there was a batch of super hot european ammo that blew up alot of guns down there.
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All stories I've heard of any issues with them were all ammo related, and I've never personally seen it happen. This link is what I had read in the past.
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Gorge/4653/bad.htm

I've had my 54-1 for 3-4 years and have never had a problem with it. It's a fun gun.
 
Six Star said:
The only thing that MIGHT cause a Norinco Type 54 to "blow up" is if it is fed the hot Czech 7.62x25 SMG ammo. Otherwise, they do NOT just "blow up", and are quite safe to shoot. The addition of the goofy thumb safety doesn't compromise the integrity of the pistol at all. He's BS'ing you, and I'll tell you why. The "one that took someone's eye out" was an old Mauser pistol, not a Norinco Type 54-1.
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The Tokarev can handle the Czech ammo with ease, although it might take two firings to overcome the hard primers. These guns have been proof-tested at twice normal pressure and the only thing that failed was the brass. There is more metal around the chamber on the Tok than there is in my S&W 686 which is comfortable with 357 Mag.

P.S. if he still wants to sell, he can contact me - I'll buy it, but at a discount, seeing as it's unsafe. ;)
 
RobAK said:
All stories I've heard of any issues with them were all ammo related, and I've never personally seen it happen. This link is what I had read in the past.
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Gorge/4653/bad.htm

I've had my 54-1 for 3-4 years and have never had a problem with it. It's a fun gun.
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Red Herring! That story is a testament to the weakness of the CZ-52, not the Tok.

Now the CZ-52, that's a fragile gun. There is about 0.075" if metal under the chamber. Go any amount above standard pressure and you risk unintended disassembly.
 
I researched the gun for a year now because I've been wanted one for a long time for myself and was suprised when I heard of this, because all of the reading I've done never mentioned this.
 
All Tokarevs I've seen have been very robust and typical of Soviet era over-engineering. I've even seen one where some igneramous shot a 9mm in the 7.62 chamber. Didn't blow up that time, although the frame was a little warped enough to (luckily) not want to chamber anything again. Also, the bullet jacket was mashed into the chamber pretty good. The pressure made the lead core squirt out the front. But I digress... Any standard, unmodified, made by whatever Commie country, Tokarev is a tough-ass piece of hardward that will survive just as well as anything else you buy these days.
 
The Cocker,

I have owned several Norinco M54's and 54-1's and shot thousands of rounds of 7.62x25 and 9mm through them. My wife had one as her first pistol. I have never seen or heard of a KB in one, and moreover, I have never come across such a story on the internet.

I think this local gunsmith of yours is telling old wive's tales. If he can point you in the direction of a verifiable KB in one of these pistols, I would very much like to see it.
 
I was going to post a good picture of my Tokarev but it is too bloody frustrating. I don't know how others do it but it seems convoluted. Why the roundabout way of posting an image? Screw that. Words will have to suffice.

I have a Norinco Tokarev and have shot a fair bit of ammunition types through it. I have never thought it was a weak design. One need only look at the thickness of the barrel to see that. CLARK who posts here sometimes but who haunts AR15.com has performed great experiments with the Tok.
Why 'gunsmiths' dispariage the Tokarev design is perhaps due to ignorance (then they shouldn't make definative statements about things of which they know nothing) and simply because they do not like "Eastern Bloc Crap".

I like the Tokarev. It is small, powerful and robust. I say keep the pistol and enjoy it and shoot it with confidence.

Best of luck to you in the new year.
 
I'm another Nork Tok owner who is happy with his budget blaster. There was quite a bit of talk about the Czech surplus ammo when Marstar brought it in, so Peter did extensive testing and showed that it was well within normal limits. That said, I once had the Tok lock up due to an individual hot round, but no damage resulted.
 
By all accounts it sounds fine. Don't know what this person was talking about then. It won't deter me from getting one anyway, unfortunatley I think it threw my room mate off of it. Too bad, he really liked it when I got it for him, but he'll be to paranoid now to use it.
 
PC270089.jpg



Ok just came into the light and with a bit of fiddling around finally was able to get an image of my Tokarev on top af a few boxes of ammo. Enjoy the photograph.

Bugger, it didn't work. I can see the photobucket URL on the reply before I save it. Afterwards it disappears. Must be Voodoo.
 
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Safe Tok

Six Star said:
Hmm...no AWFUL thumb safety. I haven't seen a Norinco T54 before without one. Very nice!:)
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Mine doesn't have one either. Ordered from Marstar a year and a bit ago. Type 54, as opposed to Type 54-1 (w/safety) I believe.
 
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