OK, while I'm at it I'll add in the range report for the CZ-52 I picked up as a companion. I don't want to turn this into a TT-33 vs CZ-52 war (there's another
thread for that).
Polish TT-33, AKA wz.48, from factory 11 circa 1954.
Obtained directly from Dalvar Imports, and it has their engraving on the side near the hammer. Looks to be in excellent shape, although has what appears to be some pitting on the muzzle. Bluing is excellent.
I had read extensively about these but I had never handled one before. Field stripping is simple, and not too many parts to keep track of. A little tricky to get the recoil spring back in, but not terrible. It's a *solid* gun, weighty. I guess I've gotten too used to carrying a Kahr. The TT-33 does not point well at all, but I didn't find the grip uncomfortable (just unnatural). When you're aiming it, imagine you're holding a Soviet flagpole.
The sights are usable in daylight, probably tricky at night. The trigger, while heavy, has a clean break with little travel before or after. The import safety functions as it's supposed to (blocks trigger movement only) and is not obtrusive. Recoil was *very* tolerable. After reading so much about how zippy 7.62x25 Tok is, I was expecting to handle firecrackers today. I feel I could handle long range sessions with this gun with no problems. Feeding and ejection were flawless through approximately 100 rounds. Here's some target pictures (you can click each to get larger pictures).
I feel I could do better with a little practice. I was a going back and forth between the TT-33 and CZ-52 (see below), and that probably threw me off. I don't have velocities from the gun because I didn't have batteries for the chronograph. POA on all the targets was the center dot.
Verdict: I
*love* this gun. Now I have a companion for my M91/30 sniper (replica). I am ready for the Russian Front, comrade!
CZ-52
I sincerely hope I got a lemon, because this gun was problematic. Please share your solutions if you have any.
I picked this one up at the local ACE hardware store, who have a small gun selection (kudos to ACE). It's a typical military handgun; serviceable but not attractive finish. It *appeared* to be in good shape, with no rust or pitting, and it passed the decocker test on a few different objects. Grip is larger than the TT-33, but both are held similar angles if you look down the sights. There's a "lever" to release the slide, but even though it works it's much easier to grip the slide and pull back to chamber a new round. I've seen the aftermarket versions of this lever. Field stripping is different but not complicated.
This gun is heavy (all steel!), and the sights are about the same in function as the TT-33: usable but limited. The front blade is thinner than the TT-33.
It was painful to shoot. The gun tended to torque into the webbing of my hand, and the characteristics of the trigger were such that it was painful to the finger after 3-4 shots. The pull is long and gritty with no clean break. This particular gun would lock the slide back regularly on 4 out of every 8 shots, with both magazines. I'd have to pull back on the slide and release to get it to chamber another round. The cartridges were not getting jammed up; something kept locking the slide back (weak spring or rollers?). With the Yugoslavian surplus, 2 out of 16 rounds required a double strike (but half again that many rounds with the TT-33 did not). I'd heard that some of these guns shoot very high, but this one was fairly close to POA, even if the groups weren't spectacular.
Verdict: This gun is not fun. Sure I can buy hardened rollers, and a new firing pin, a new slide release, and an aftermarket barrel. But then I've just sunk more money into a gun that still isn't as fun as the TT-33. Just my opinion, which won't buy you a cup of coffee especially here in Washington state home of Starbucks. I've heard that because of the mechanism of the CZ-52 it can be "loaded hot", but since I don't intend to do that with this caliber I'd rather shoot something else.
That's my report. Hope I didn't waste your time.
jm
