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7.62x25 Tokarev chambered pistols

Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2013 6:47 pm
by Rich Jordan
Some years ago I took a one day course with an instructor who was a huge fan of the 7.62x25 Tokarev. It piqued my interest enough that I started reading up on them, and bought some ammo while it was cheap (not a lot, < 400 rounds). Life got in the way so I never bought a pistol. At the time the choices were between the CZ52 and the TT33 type.

More recently a Zastava M57 pistol was imported and it appears they are available even now, though surplus ammo pretty much dried up and commercial stuff is expensive and out of stock. The M57 seemed to be getting good reviews, relative to the CZ52 and TT33 but I've never handled or shot any of them except finding out I didn't care for the CZ52's grip at a gun show once.

Anyone here have experience with one or more of these pistols and care to share plusses and minuses on them? I'm not sure I'll be getting one now but since I do have some ammo for them, (and may have some other ammo to sell or trade to finance it) I'd like to do the research.

Thanks for any info.

Re: 7.62x25 Tokarev chambered pistols

Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2013 7:08 pm
by Netpackrat
Be careful with the <400 rounds that you already have... A lot of the surplus ammo is not suitable for pistols. It's generally meant for open bolt subguns, and some of it is quite hot. The stuff I bought when I first got my CZ-52 had very hard primers that would often not fire without a second strike. Since that time, I have only fired Winchester White Box or handloads in it.

Re: 7.62x25 Tokarev chambered pistols

Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2013 7:28 pm
by Rich Jordan
Thanks, I'll see if I can ID the stuff (its all the same make, 70 round packs). Hopefully I got the usable stuff.

Re: 7.62x25 Tokarev chambered pistols

Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2013 7:40 pm
by Netpackrat
I saw a website not long ago with ID information for the various flavors of surplus, and which ones are suitable for pistol use. I didn't save the URL because I was looking for reloading information for x25 instead.

Re: 7.62x25 Tokarev chambered pistols

Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2013 9:28 pm
by Darrell
I have an M57, it's actually a decent pistol. It's basically a 33 with a longer mag and grip, holds one more round. Prvi is all I've shot with it. I've wondered if the barrel bushing might be a bit oversize--the first shot on target is dead on, then groups open up a bit. We had a thread about this a while back, the gun supposedly has some similarities to the 1911. I thought I saw somewhere that someone was importing new manufacture M57s by Zastava. That might be worthwhile if true.

I'd considered getting one of those PPs 43 "pistols" that IOI is/was importing, then the surplus ammo dried up. I've since read that many of those guns had problems.

Re: 7.62x25 Tokarev chambered pistols

Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2013 11:21 pm
by Rich Jordan
Well I know a CZ52 is out just because of how it fits my hand. Cabelas had the M57s a while ago, but I was unable to get to the store at the time (and been too busy since to find out if they still have them). Some online places do still list them as in stock for < $300 (I think they were in the $179-199 range on sale at Cabelas in 2011).

I'll try to locate the ammo info online and see what it is I have; if its the subgun stuff and the TT33 or M57 should not use it then I expect I'll just drop it altogether.

Re: 7.62x25 Tokarev chambered pistols

Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2013 11:26 pm
by Rich Jordan
Found Darrell's thread on his M57: Here

Re: 7.62x25 Tokarev chambered pistols

Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 2:49 am
by HTRN
You know what would be nifty?

A CZ 527 setup for 7.62 TOK with an AICS DBM. Use 125 grn Speer TNTs. Would make a nifty Suppressor host too.

Re: 7.62x25 Tokarev chambered pistols

Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 3:20 am
by Jered
You can use 7.62 Mauser in a 7.62 Tok pistol.

Re: 7.62x25 Tokarev chambered pistols

Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 7:46 am
by Cybrludite
Jered wrote:You can use 7.62 Mauser in a 7.62 Tok pistol.
But going the other way is not recommended. What I wanted to do with my CZ-52 (Before these barrels vanished from the face of the Earth... :evil: ) was to get one of the 9x19mm barrels & have it rechambered for .38 Super. .38 Sup fits the CZ's magazine better than the 9mm, and the pressures are within the acceptable limits for the gun.