The TT33; Detail Strip, How To Smooth Action and Trigger and Useful Tips

Travis Bickle said:
They don't get enough respect I feel. They are obviously not the best pistol out there by far. But they are nowhere near the "garbage" some claim them to be.
They obviously are not a modern pistol designed from the ground up for tactical 3 gun competitions etc
But they are very reliable and decently accurate for an old combat design. Plus just danned fun to shoot!.....
Click to expand...
:agree:What other pistol can you get for as little as $200 that is as good/fun as a Tok? And there's nothing quite like the 7.62x25 cartridge.
machman said:
Anyone else beside Travis doing anything cool with a TT type pistol?
I can't say I recommend this comp I got from GPW, but their mag baseplates are the biz.
View attachment 72378
Click to expand...
Nice!
 
machman said:
Anyone else beside Travis doing anything cool with a TT type pistol?
I can't say I recommend this comp I got from GPW, but their mag baseplates are the biz.
Click to expand...

Here's my 1941 TT-33. It has a really crisp trigger break at about 4 pounds. Came that way. The extended magazine base plate is from Gunpartswarehouse. The grips are oiled walnut from Marschal Grips. And the sights have photo luminescent Nitesiters on them.



 
Last edited:
On Friday my TT33 became a jam-o-matic and I took it home after 10 shots. Knowing little about it, I decided I'd follow this sticky and it became obvious that the disconnector was binding. I thought I'd touched up the top of the disconnector, but apparently not enough. I also put white grease in that area, and more grease on the slide rails than I usually do.

It no longer binds, 'tho I'll have to test it to be sure, but it feels great now when I rack it, and the trigger is smoother, though no lighter, oddly. It was 5 to 6 lbs before, and remains the same. Would removing a coil from the spring help, or make things worse?

In any event, I now have a much better understanding of this pistol. I tackled it with confidence given the great pics and instructions.

No way on earth I could get the hammer pin back in by myself, though. I managed to hold it in the right position and had my partner insert the pin, otherwise I'd still be trying.

Much appreciated sticky, Mr. Bickle.
 
stevebc said:
It no longer binds, 'tho I'll have to test it to be sure, but it feels great now when I rack it, and the trigger is smoother, though no lighter, oddly. It was 5 to 6 lbs before, and remains the same. Would removing a coil from the spring help, or make things worse?
Click to expand...

Try removing the leaf spring behind the mag and tapping it lightly on an anvil with a hammer to flatten it slightly. Worked for me.
 
Last edited:
machman said:
Try removing the leaf spring being the mag and tapping it lightly on an anvil with a hammer to flatten it slightly. Worked for me.
Click to expand...

Interesting, I'll give it a try. Would be nice to get it down to around 4 lbs or so.
 
stevebc said:
On Friday my TT33 became a jam-o-matic and I took it home after 10 shots. Knowing little about it, I decided I'd follow this sticky and it became obvious that the disconnector was binding. I thought I'd touched up the top of the disconnector, but apparently not enough. I also put white grease in that area, and more grease on the slide rails than I usually do.

It no longer binds, 'tho I'll have to test it to be sure, but it feels great now when I rack it, and the trigger is smoother, though no lighter, oddly. It was 5 to 6 lbs before, and remains the same. Would removing a coil from the spring help, or make things worse?

In any event, I now have a much better understanding of this pistol. I tackled it with confidence given the great pics and instructions.

No way on earth I could get the hammer pin back in by myself, though. I managed to hold it in the right position and had my partner insert the pin, otherwise I'd still be trying.

Much appreciated sticky, Mr. Bickle.
Click to expand...

lol There's a Jedi trick to getting it in with one hand.
The best way I can describe it is using your right hand. Put the long forks of the trigger group on the edge of a table, wrap your fingers under the group. Orient the hammer so it's aprox in the "full cocked" position and start pushing it down hard with your right hand thumb, when the holes line up be quick with the pin in your left hand. Much finger pain and cursing the first few tries ;)
Glad it was of use to you Sir!
 
What is it you don't like about the commentator? BTW.....Awesome looking firearm you have there!

GPW eh......so you live in the US then? No fair....I'm looking for both and can find neither, here in Canuckistan. Any suggestions?
 
Awww crap, I'm a newb. Can't hardly tell...can ya?

I was replying to machman post:..........."Anyone else beside Travis doing anything cool with a TT type pistol?
I can't say I recommend this comp I got from GPW, but their mag baseplates are the biz.."

Fire two!
 
PaulTT-33 said:
What is it you don't like about the commentator? BTW.....Awesome looking firearm you have there!

GPW eh......so you live in the US then? No fair....I'm looking for both and can find neither, here in Canuckistan. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Ohhh, I get it, you got autocorrected. You mean compensator, not commentator!
Thanks, glad you like it, it does look the bomb, but it looks better than it works.
GPW still ships to Canada, last time I checked. I am in Canada.
It is on a Polish TT, and it took a lot of hand-fitting, it didn't just screw on.
I can't say I notice a whole lot of recoil reduction or muzzle jump either.
Buy it for the cool factor, not for it's effectiveness.
PaulTT-33 is a cool handle, by the way.
 
A follow up to my earlier post about jamming: I'd thought I'd fixed the issue by following the sticky, but my first function test had it jam on the second round. It was better... but still jamming.

That's when I noticed the rounds (my reloads)were jamming nose slightly down and hitting that "frame feed ramp" for lack of a better term, just below the barrel feed ramp. I took all the rounds that jammed home, and one of them I'd dropped at the range... when I got them home I found that they were all a tad short, and the dropped one was really set back into the case.

Out with the dies, reset the seater/crimp die for length, and most importantly, crimp. It turns out that none of them were crimped enough, and when the projectile was feeding, it was setting the round back which kept it from sliding up and into the barrel.

I took 32 (4 mags worth) of re-crimped and re-seated reloads to the range today, and no jams at all. I had one round that jammed after inserting a mag and letting the slide go, but that's it. Every other one fed just fine.

I did also have an earlier issue with the disconnector, but after I got it apart again, I polished the surfaces where it interacts with the sear, and it's just fine now.

Which means that I can reblue the areas where I polished, and work on lightening the trigger.

The mags still don't drop free when the slide is locked back, but I'll tinker with that until the snow melts.

Oh, and the firing pin retaining split pin broke on the weekend... a small bit of gorilla tape on the slide is keeping the rest of the pin in place until I can find or make a new one.
 
Thank you for all the great info! I just ordered my first pistol, a 1940 TT-33. I specifically wanted a Russian war-time production, and can't wait to get it in the mail. I want to do a complete strip and clean it really well before I ever take it to the range, and this will make it that much easier!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom