Fedor Vasilievich Tokarev developed it for the 1929 competition for a new army pistol. The Soviet Union wanted to replace the Nagant revolver and other foreign-made revolvers and pistols that were in service with the Red Army.
From the presented samples, we chose a pistol from the Tokarev group of the design bureau of the Tula Arms Plant, although with reservations - to eliminate some of the shortcomings: to increase the accuracy of shooting, to facilitate the release forces and safety in handling. On December 23, 1930, a decision was made on additional tests of this weapon.
On February 12, 1931, the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR ordered the first batch of one thousand pistols for comprehensive military tests. The weapon entered the Red Army as "Tokarev's 7.62-mm pistol, model 1930." This is the official name, but the unofficial name is more stuck behind it - TT (Tula Tokareva).
In 1933, after military operation, the TT was partially modernized. And from that moment on, the pistol was officially called the "7.62-mm pistol of the 1933 model" (TT-33).
The mass production of pistols began in 1934 at the Tula Arms Plant. Before the start of the war, more than 600 thousand units were produced. And with the outbreak of World War II and the approach of the front line to Tula, the plant was evacuated, and TTs began to be produced at the Izhevsk Arms Plant.
In 1947, Tokarev's pistol was modernized again - the appearance was finalized, the labor intensity and production costs were reduced. The weapon was in service with the Soviet army as a personal self-defense weapon until the mid-1960s. In 1952, in connection with the adoption of the Makarov pistol, the production of TT in the Soviet Union was discontinued. During this time, about 1.8 million TT pistols were released.
The TT pistol is simple in design and easy to maintain. It had a powerful cartridge atypical for pistols, which provided high penetration. The pistol is accurate in shooting. An experienced shooter can hit a target 50 meters away. The TT is flat and relatively compact, which is convenient for concealed carry. The cartridge is 7.62x25 mm. The magazine capacity is eight rounds.
