[AnaxImperator]

Originally posted (http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=383090) in "Firearms Research" forum.

Any help is appreciated. :)

[wnycollector]

I bid on a similarly finished norinco a few months ago http://www.auctionarms.com/Closed/DisplayItem.cfm?ItemNum=8660357.0

[AnaxImperator]

I bid on a similarly finished norinco a few months ago http://www.auctionarms.com/Closed/Di...mNum=8660357.0

That's a Norinco Type 54 in 7.62x25mm (not 9mm), blued (not chrome/stainless like my 213), but without the typical ATF mandated add-on safety and apparently no importer stamp.

$246 is actually a bit low for a non-added safety or import-marked Norinco Type 54; they generally go for at least $300 while unmolested Russian & Polish Tokarevs can easily sell for at least $350-400+, with the early Tula & Radom arsenal examples bringing top dollar.

This is my 9mm Norinco 213. It's not that different from other 213s except for it being shiny instead of blued.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/orderodonata/Mosin%20Nagant/Norinco_M213_RS.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/orderodonata/Mosin%20Nagant/Norinco_M213_LS.jpg

[wnycollector]

loosing that auction was the best thisng that happened to me! I would have missed out on my Polish Tok from AIM last month!

[AnaxImperator]

Informational tidbit: while an almost exact Tokarev clone, the correct designation for the Polish version is "Radom Wz48".

Aside from genuine Soviet Tula Tokarevs, Polish examples are a close second in desirability for collectors.... and by some estimations, higher quality. Indeed, my own 1952 Wz48 is very well made.
While the differences in fit-&-finish between Russian, Polish, Chinese, Romanian, & Yugoslavian Tokarevs aren't easily visible, the quickest way to assess the quality of a Tokarev is to grasp the slide and try wiggling it side-to-side. Any large amount of lateral play between the slide & frame will effect accuracy, and from what I've seen Russian, Polish, & Chinese TTs have the tightest tolerances.