Russian Surplus Tokarev vs Norinco 1911

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wheelinken

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So, I used to shoot PPC back in the day when I was 13/14 ish for a couple years and only recently have acquired a(an?) RPAL.... I'm 34 lol whoops but I digress

I've been drooling over the Norinco 1911 for awhile now ($$ is an issue) love the look of this pistol however..... I noticed Lever Arms has surplus tokarev's for 169.99$ and I dont mind the looks and I'm really just looking for a fun cheap shooter so I might bite on it...

My question is more about ammunition costs. I've read that surplus 7.62x25 is tough to come by and it's not super easy to find new mfg stuff. Canadaammo has 50 rounds norinco 7.62x25 for 17.99 and they have 9mm for the same. I can buy 9mm local but I doubt I can get 7.62x25.

Would I be better off long term buying the Norc 1911 in 9mm (369.99$ i believe) vs the Tokarev (169.99$) due to ammunition costs and availability? I'd rather buy a surplus crate of 7.62x25 but if costs rise due to limited availability I wouldn't wanna have a pistol that ammo cost/avail would price me out of shooting it.

Know what I mean?

Thanks in advance for any opinions and please be kind I'm new :D haha
 
I was I the same place as you only I had a bit extra cash to spend. I ended up buying a beautiful Tokarev TT33 from Lever Arms and a crate of 2550 rd ammo from Trade Ex. The guys at Lever have been so great to me. They sent me a cherry of a SVT40 I. The beginning of this year and a perfect condition numbers matched Tokarev TT. Such a great value at $169 !

With 2550 rounds on hand I imagined that will keep me going for quite a while and the ammo worked out to only $0.22 per shot which is still the cheapest deal going. If the surplus ammo totally dries up down the road, I'm only out $169. If it doesn't well, I saved over .10 cents per round shooting 2550 rounds of 7.62x25 as opposed to 9mm. That works out to $255 savings if I shot the whole crate. So you could view it like the gun came free if you choose it over the 9mm. :)

Your welcome.
 
I have a M70A , same plateform of the TT33 at 98%, shooting 9mm , pretty much the same feeling :) ....better choice than the TT33!!
 
I'd say 9mm... Tok ammo is getting harder to come by, and the prices are climbing. The TT33 is fine for a plinker, but the sights leave a lot to be desired if you're thinking of any kind of gaming.

Take a look at the SAM 9mms too... IMHO the fit and finish is a lot nicer than on the Norcs, and they aren't much more.

Another fine option is a Star B combo from Tradex. $599 gets you a Star B and 1000 rounds of 9mm. I have a Star and it's a pretty decent shooter. Again, the sights are archaic, but I think it may be a better option for you.

https://www.tradeexcanada.com/conte...taure-124gr-fmj-ammo-combo-free-shipping-offe
 
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Norinco made the Model 213 which is a Tokarev clone in 9 mm, ammo is available everywhere and the gun can be had for $150-$200 new or used.
Typical Norinco quality, fairly accurate needs tweeking to run reliably.
 
Norinco manufactures an ocean of 7.62x25 -- as someone mentioned earlier, 50 rounds for $18. As pistol ammunition goes, not exactly a big cost nor hard to find. And its non-corrosive unlike the milsurp.

The problem with the TT33s, as a thread I started yesterday illustrates, is finding a good shooting TT33.
 
I have both guns...both are fun to shoot...Neither has a great trigger or super accuracy but decent shooters with no trouble. I have had no issues finding Tokarev ammo either. 7.62x25 is cheaper than 9mm and much snappier. You won't go wrong with either for a fun plinker...if I had to pick only one though, I'd go with the 1911, cuz, well, 1911.
 
I had a couple Tokarevs, but after buying a couple 1911's, I sold one and haven't shot the other in a few years. The tokarev is fun to shoot and mine is decently accurate(8" round steel at 20 yards hit 5-7 times out of 8), but for me, the 1911 feels much nicer in the hand. Mine is actually listed in the EE right now with a bit over 1500 rounds of surplus ammo. Where in BC are you? I'm a bit north of Kamloops. Pm me if you want to check it out and compare to a 1911.
Kristian
 
hey
I prefer the norinco's myself as I don't want to spend tons on a gun that sits in a safe...have you thought of a gsg 1911?
ammo way cheaper then 9mm and 7.62x25 and gives you that 1911 feel..I have one and great for plinking and so much cheaper then my 45acp's.
In the new year I too may pickup a norinco 1911 in 9mm to complete my 1911 collection look at canada ammo for mags think they still have them for good price too
 
If you shoot surplus tt ammo, you'll need a outdoor range. As the steel core bullets ricohet off backing and sparks as well (fire risk) oh and they chew up backings as well. With that being said 1911 is worth the extra cost for ease of ammo purchase and shooting it places.
 
What part of bc are you in, if it's the lower mainland finding 7.62x25 is not hard. Reliable has Russian surplus, wanstalls has Czech.

Order online and Tradex & sfrc both have surplus, budget shooter might still as well. Canam has norc no corrosive but is not a cheap as surplus, lever gets it in periodically as well.

I wouldn't worry about availability of ammo for the TT-33, buy a post war Russian and if it's in nice condition it should be fairly accurate. It's a fun little gun, sights are crude but I enjoy shooting mine.
 
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