Norinco Tokarov (model 213): Good, Bad, or Ugly???

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nero45acp

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I'm thinking about buying a NIB Norinco Tokarov (model 213) 9mm, and I'd appreciate any info/opinions/experiences concerning this pistol. Specifically, how does it stack-up in regards to quality of construction, durability, and reliability? I'd be buying this pistol as a occasional paper puncher/plinker, and novelty piece rather than a SD/HD pistol. However, having said that I still don't want to buy one if they're crappy. Thanks.



nero
 
The 9mms do not shoot to the sights which the Chinese did not bother to recalibrate.
They are full metal jacket bullet guns only, you will have more trouble than joy with hollowpoints though Federal 115 jhp "Classic" ammunition function fairly well if you can find a dealer who still carries it over the more exotic wonderloads. (As in, "I wonder what exactly was wrong with the 115 jhp? The stuff was and is, awesome!")
The frame mounted safety is about useless and only there to allow importation.
9mm and 7.62 magazines are NOT the same and the gun will function best if your spare magazines are the ones designed for 9mm cartridges.
That said, because Tokarev pistols do not have feed lips on the magazines, the feed lips are actually milled into the receiver, 7.62 magazines will work.
They just won't work very well, believe me, I experimented with this.
The 7.62X25 caliber guns are a better buy, generally much more reliable, shoot to the sights, and more accurate.
I sold quite a few back when they were coming in.
I shot several of the guns over the years and really should have kept one..
 
I had just the oposite experience with two 9mm Toks I had.

The sights on mine were dead on and I never had a failure of any kind with either one.

I liked the pistols very much, but found that their life expectancy was only 2500 to 3000 rounds.
 
I've had two of 'em. The safety is worthless. It's a flat, easy gun to carry, but you have to carry it condition three IMHO. I carried mine a couple of times on half cock condition two, but I don't recommend that.

One of 'em had a decent trigger, but the other one, though single action, was way worse than my Kel Tec P11's DA.:D Picture a single action trigger that breaks at 15 lbs. :rolleyes: A gunsmith got it tolerable, though. Neither gun was capable of better'n 4" groups off sandbags at 25 yards. Both fed hollowpoints just fine, though, no failures, very reliable.

I liked the pistols very much, but found that their life expectancy was only 2500 to 3000 rounds.

Yeah, that's what it says right in the instructions with the gun. I didn't have mine around long enough to find out what the failure would be, though. I bought 'em cheap and sold 'em at gun shows for a profit. I just wanted to see what they were about, really, had an FFL at the time.

One thing that was weird, the parts on these things are hand fitted, apparently, and they weren't even CLOSE in dimension. You couldn't take any part of one and use it on the other except for the magazine.

The size and flatness are impressive on these guns, but I find little else about them to be impressed about other than they're decent guns for a hundred bucks, far better than a Jennings or something, if that's a compliment.:D
 
Only 2500 to 3000 rounds!?! What happens to them after that? Does the slide or frame crack? Thanks.

The metal used for the slide on mine was soft and after about 2000 rounds, the area of the slide that c ocks the hammer began to spread and rub against the frame rails.

I filed the metal that was rubbing off and before I sold it, I ran about anther 1000 rounds through it without any problems.

As for accuracy. The first time I shot mine, I was hitting a 12" metal plate at 100 yards consistantly from a standing off hand stance and I am not the steadiest guy around.

I thought that was pretty good for a combat pistol.

Cleaning this pistol is incredibly easy.

Once you remove the slide, you can just lift the entire trigger assembly out for cleaning and lubrication.
 
From what I've heard from people, an original Tok is more durable, and 7.62x25 is far more fun just for the wide-eyes flamethrowing muzzleblast it causes.

A real one's far more expensive, of course.
 
From what I've heard from people, an original Tok is more durable, and 7.62x25 is far more fun just for the wide-eyes flamethrowing muzzleblast it causes.

A real one's far more expensive, of course.

I'm sure that is correct.

The East Block countries are much better with their metalurgy.

Matter of fact, if I ever run across 7.26X25 European made Tok at a good price, I'll grab it up really fast.
 
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