While Romanian TT-33s are more abundant nowadays than Russian, Polish, & Chinese TTs, the Polish & Norinco examples are of the best quality from what I've seen. Russian Tula Tokarevs are good, don't get me wrong; they are just a little rougher around the edges.
I started off my Tokarev collection with a '52 Radom Wz48 (Polish designation), which has the wart-like added safety.
In short order, I discovered what could be the Tokarev's only weakness; the slide-stop retaining clip.
Because the slide-stop relies upon the retaining clip's spring-action to keep it from jumping & catching the slide on recoil, the clip should only be installed open end towards the muzzle. When whoever drilled the frame to accept the add-on safety, not enough clearance was left for the raised end of the retaining clip to slide fully past the safety-lever flange. So whoever that was, they also nipped a corner off of the raised end of the retaining clip, so that it would slide past the safety-lever flange & fully seat.
That weakend the retaining clip. As I tried to slide the clip back and disassemble the pistol for the first time, the retaining clip snapped at the end portion which had been nipped (w/ a pair of dikes apparently
). I wanted to at least fire the thing, because I had a day off and just bought a couple boxes of 7.62. I went to Home Depot and found some 1/4" e-clips that would snap nicely on the end of the slide-stop to retain it inside the frame. The Wz48 would fire, but because the e-clips didn't apply any tension onto the slide-stop, it would catch the slide after every 1 or 2 shots.
Eventually I got a replacement retaining clip from Marstar Canada, and I first tried to install the retaining clip w/ open end facing backwards. This made the slide-stop immovable. So to install it correctly & make it past the safety-lever flange, I had to relieve the raised corner on the retaining clip slightly. This I did with a dremel, and I only took enough off to barely make it past the flange. Since then it's fired over 500rds, disassembled many times for cleaning, and the retaining clip hasn't broken.
Then I bought a stainless steel Norinco Model-213 9mm in unfired condition. Polish Tokarev-clones are known for their quality, yet the Chicom 213 has a tighter slide-to-frame & barrel-bushing fit than my Wz48. On both handguns, I could find no burrs or rough milling on any internal surfaces, most especially the feed-ramps, cartridge guides, mag well, and recoil-spring frame recess. Both have the ATF-mandated added safeties, but the Model-213 has a small lever at the rear of the frame, under the hammer. This safety is not only more attractive, but also easier & quicker to manipulate than the wart-like lever found on other Combloc Tokarevs.
In the 4 months (or so) that I've owned the 213, I've fired about 1k rounds with it (give/take 100rds), and tested a wide variety of defensive cartridges, along with mostly Blazer CCI FMJ for practice. The Norinco has never failed to feed, fire, extract, or eject.
Though it has a small magazine capacity & is primitive compared to modern 9mm handguns, the Model-213 is currently my carry piece. That the Tokarev design is simple, accurate, robust and reliable makes it good enough for me. I would like to find a Norinco Model-213A, which accepts a double-stack 14rd magazine, but I have yet to see one for-sale.
And as Mastiff has done, there's the relatively easy option to chamber a 9mm barrel for 9x23 Win. I'm sooooo there, as soon as I can scrape enough quarters & dimes together for a spare barrel.
Some sources I've read have stated that Tokarevs are unsafe to carry in condition-1, due to the lack of any manual safety/firing-pin/hammer block. But along with others who are familiar with the Tokarev & carry it as their primary sidearm, I don't see anything lacking in the design which makes it unsafe. This is due not only to the added safety which blocks or disconnects the trigger/sear, but the half-cock feature as well. If the handgun is dropped/jarred enough to release the hammer from full-cock, as long as there is no constant pressure on the trigger/sear it will catch at the half-cock notch.
Carrying a Tokarev at half-cock with one in the chamber IS dangerous, however; I've heard of it being done, and it defeats the purpose of the half-cock notch. The Russians tested the Tokarev's half-cock safety by dropping them off of 3-story buildings onto concrete, and one collector I know of has tested a TT-33 by repeatedly & directly beating the cocked hammer with a mallet & 2x4; both failed in trying to get the hammer/sear to release. I myself have tested the half-cock with my Wz48, and the hammer never fell past the safety notch. I did this with a replacement hammer/sear unit on-hand, which I used to replace the original unit. By replacing it after repeatedly letting the hammer slam into the half-cock notch, I didn't want to risk carrying with a stressed safety mechanisim.
Anyways, I've found the Tokarev to be a comfortable carry handgun. It's slender so it doesn't print easily or surgically jab me in the kidneys upon sitting, it's not too heavy, and I like the fact that it naturally shoots a little low. Mozambique drills are a snap because of that I've found, and while the sights are easily adequate, it's easy to finger-point aim or sight down the slide. All that, for $170. But the Tokarev is the most fun at the range, and will provide many, many hours/years of shooting enjoyment.
Another forum member helped me get a muzzle-compensator for my Wz48 from Makarov.com before they went under, which was very cool. As mentioned by others here, 7.62x25 TT-33s have very little recoil as is, but the compensator makes it negligible.... and even more fun, especially in low-light.
