*Russian Red Army, Tokarev TT30, 2nd Variation, Semi Automatic Pistol. Dated 1935. Deactivated.*
Serial number 25912, chambered in 7.62mm cal. 110mm barrel length. The serial number 25912 and year 1935 is stamped on the frame and the serial number 25912 is also stamped on the backstrap. The magazine is stamped 25750. The barrel is stamped 20688 1935. The Russian Tula star is on both sides of the trigger (though fairly indistinct) by the serial number on the frame and the barrel and the magazine. It has good CCCP marked plastic grips.
The Tokarev pistol, designed by Fedor Tokarev in 1930, was a dependable semi-automatic handgun based on the Browning design. It was developed to replace the Nagant M1895 revolver and was officially adopted in 1930, although mass production began in 1933. Initially called the TT30, it underwent refinements in 1934 and 1935, leading to the definitive TT33 design, which was first produced in 1936. The Red Army widely used TT30/33 pistols during World War II, and the Soviet Union manufactured 1,330,000 of them from 1931 to 1945. Production of TT30s took place at the Tula Weapons Factory, and in 1941, TT33 production moved to Izhevsk due to the German invasion. The “TT” in the pistol’s name stands for “Tula Factory, Tokarev Design.”
This particular 1935 Tula-produced pistol is a second variation of the TT30 model. The initial TT30 had a removable backstrap section for the hammer spring and featured barrel lugs that were only partially machined around the barrel, with a slightly different hammer assembly. The first variant, manufactured in 1934, had barrel lugs machined all the way around the barrel. The second variant, from 1935, adopted the later TT33-style hammer assembly but still retained the removable backstrap plate. You can see the remnants of the Tula star markings on the trigger, frame, barrel, and magazine, which are common features on TT30 pistols. Additionally, this pistol has the characteristic larger milled grips on the slide, a common wartime feature.
This pistol bears original Russian markings but also shows Italian stamps, suggesting it may have been captured by Italian forces and reissued. It’s possible that when the Russians no longer needed Tokarev pistols, a significant quantity of them were imported by an Italian dealer. It is marked as Cat. 2878, a practice applied to every firearm imported or produced in Italy until 2011. Many TT30 pistols underwent testing and proofing at the Gardone proof house in Italy.
*Condition*
This unusual Old Spec find in great condition, it cocks and dryfires and is fully deactivated. Please see photographs as part of the condition report.
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