| Type 54 | |
|---|---|
The Type 54 pistol. |
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| Type | Semi-automatic pistol |
| Place of origin | People's Republic of China |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1951-present |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Norinco |
| Variants | Type 51, Type 54-1, M20, Model 213 (A,B), Model 201, TU-90 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 890 g (31 oz) |
| Length | 195 mm (7.7 in) |
| Barrel length | 116 mm (4.6 in) |
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| Cartridge | 7.62x25mm Tokarev |
| Action | Short recoil actuated, locked breech, single action |
| Muzzle velocity | 420 m/s (1,378 ft/s) |
| Effective range | 50 m |
| Feed system | 8-round detachable box magazine, 14-round box magazine (213A/B) |
| Sights | Front blade, rear notch 156 mm (6.1 in) sight radius |
The Type 54 (Traditional Chinese:54式手槍, Simplified Chinese: 54式手枪), Type 51, M20, TU-90 and Model 213 pistols are Chinese copies of the Soviet type Tokarev TT-33.
Contents |
Type 54 was first adopted in 1951 and produced in Shenyang's Factory 66 as the Type 51 using both Russian and Chinese-made parts. In 1954, after approximately 250,000 pistols were manufactured, the designation was changed to Type 54 and the pistol used exclusively indigenous components. This type of pistol is commonly available in 7.62x25mm caliber, although some variants have been made in 9x19mm Parabellum. Norinco, the People's Liberation Army's state weapons manufacturer in China, still manufactures a commercial variant of the Tokarev pistol chambered in the more common 9x19mm Parabellum round, known as the Tokarev Model 213, as well as in the original 7.62x25mm caliber. It features a safety catch, which was absent on Soviet-produced TT-33 handguns. Furthermore, the Model 213 features the thin slide grip grooves, as opposed to the original Russian wide-types. The 9 mm model is featured with a magazine well block mounted in the rear of the magazine well to accept 9 mm type magazines without frame modification.
The M20 was a version of the Type 54 made without factory markings to conceal the weapon's origins. Many of these were provided to Vietnamese forces during the Vietnam War.
The TU-90 (also known as the NP-10 or Model 213-B) is an improved Model 213 similar to the Hungarian-designed, Egyptian-built Tokagypt of the 1960s. Construction is primarily of forged and machined steel, with a matte blued finish. The grips are of wrap-around rubber ribbed on the side.
The Norinco model in current production is not available for sale in the United States due to import prohibitions on Chinese firearms, although older handguns of the Model 213 type imported in the 1980s and 1990s are common.
The Type 54 is still in service in the Chinese armed forces today.
Type 51 and Type 54 pistols are also known colloquially as "Black Star" pistols (Traditional Chinese:黑星手槍, Simplified Chinese: 黑星手枪). PLA-surplus "Black Stars" have been a popular weapon on the Chinese black market. This pistol is very popular with collectors in the United States because it's an example of a TT pistol made in China.