Type 54

A product of Sino-Soviet cooperation, the Soviet TT33 pistol was one of many designs to see widespread production and use by the People’s Republic of China and other communist states and movements around the world.

The History

The Soviet TT33 had been the standard sidearm of the Red Army during the Second World War, and was produced in enourmous numbers during and after the conflict. Despite this, the Soviets were in the process of adopting a new standard sidearm in the early 1950s, with production ceasing in 1954 in favor of the new Makarov PM.

As Soviet Production was coming to an end, another communist power commenced full scale domestic production of the Tokarev pistol: China. In 1954 the People’s Republic of China was only five years old, following the defeat of the Nationalist Kuomintang in 1949, and had just come out of the bloody war in Korea. With Soviet assistance Chinese arsenals were modernizing and beginning to produce Russian designed small arms, and in 1951 production of the Tokarev had commenced, with full domestic production starting three years later.

The rear sight of the Type 54 is very tall for a pre-WWII design, a feature shared with the Soviet TT33

The Type 54 was for all intents and purposes an identical clone of the late Soviet TT33, with the only major differences being in the markings and the lack of “CCCP” around the stars on the plastic grips. The model designation of “Type 54” is marked atop the slide in Chinese numerals as well (五四型).

The Type 54 rapidly supplanted the numerous older handguns in Chinese service, and also began to see large scale export to supply other communist movements around the world. Perhaps most notably, the North Vietnamese Army and the (less frequently) Vietcong insurgents active in the Republic of Vietnam. The Type 54 would become one of the most common handguns in the Vietnam War, and would remain in service with the united communist Vietnam to the present day, along with a modernized version entering service in 2014. The Chinese also still issue the Type 54, although it has been mostly supplanted by the more modern QSZ92.

The top of the slide bears the model designation "Type 54", as well as the serial number

The Design

The Type 54 is a direct copy of the TT33, and is functionally identical in every way. It is a single action automatic pistol that uses a tilting lock mechanism that is a simplified version of that used by the American John Browning for his M1911 that armed the American military. One notable and unique feature of the Tokarev design, however, was the fact that the hammer assembly was entirely self contained and removable, allowing easy repair or replacement of the mechanism. The bottlenecked 7.62x25mm cartridge provided a very high velocity and excellent penetration power for a handgun.

The grips lack the "CCCP" around the star found on Soviet variations. Also note the basic vertical serrations on the slide, a feature shared with only the post-WWII production Soviet pistols.

This Example

The example in the author’s collection was produced in 1976, as evidenced by its serial number (Type 54 pistols are dated with the first two digits being the years since 1954 followed by a zero and the serial number proper. This example begins with “22”, hence 1976) and produced by a Chinese factory with the identity code 66, as is common for these weapons. The pistol was imported into the United States and is marked as such on the slide to comply with US law, although the safety that is normally fitted was omitted here or removed before it came into the collection. Overall condition is excellent., with not major defects to the finish or wear evident.

Disassembled the pistol remains essentially identical to the Soviet TT33. note the hammer assembly detached above the frame

Opinions

Due to the similarities, it is likely predictable that the author’s opinions of the Type 54 are generally the same as those of the TT33. In summation, the pistol is generally well designed, smooth in operation and has excellent sights for the period. One notable factor about the Type 54, or at least the example in the collection, is that it does have an excellent trigger for a military handgun, notably better than the TT33.

An image of a Type 54 pistol captured by US Marines in Vietnam

Observed Values and Frequency

Updated: September, 2024

AVERAGE VALUE (USD): $400

FREQUENCY: Surplus

COLLECTOR’S NOTES: Currently available from several retailers as surplus