I have a pair/each of Romanian & Polish TT33s as well as three Russian TTs (all Izhevsk '44,'45,'52).
They are all accurate, reliable, concealable and great fun to shoot.
================
I bought a pair of M57s in Aug'10 from SOG (took a chance) and another pair in Aug'11, this time from (the original) Wideners.
All 4 required various levels of TLC and none of them had a decent trigger.
Following my personal milsurp (especially) SOP, I detail-stripped, cleaned, carefully-inspected and repaired/corrected/improved them all prior to shooting.
In one of them I found a worn-out sear leaf that had been reversed, probably a field-expedient due to lack of replacement parts.
I didn't mind, since I have the tools & knowledge and enjoy working on firearms, but a couple of these would have made for very unhappy new owners if they were not equally comfortable and/or setup for performing the necessary work.
================
That said ... it has been a LONG TIME since I have read of any newly-purchased M57s exhibiting issues anywhere NEAR what I experienced. For quite awhile, the new batches coming into the US seem include pistols in good shape.
My Tokarev TT33s and TT33 Variants are my favorite 7.62x25 pistols. The original grip-length fits perfectly in my bare hand (I wear size L/G gloves, long thin fingers) with none to spare and is very comfortable for me.
The longer M57 grip just strikes me as being a bit less svelte ... but ... for shooting in cold conditions, with gloves thicker than unlined leather patrol gloves, that M57 grip comes into its own (for me).
In addition, I have a "travel configuration" for my truck that includes an "1911" crossdraw holster attached just above the floor base of my seat belt assy. The longer grip of the M57 makes it much easier for me to retrieve it from that position.