26Charlie
02-24-2008, 10:58 AM
Well, I had to order one of these new surplus Tokarevs, since it came with the holster and extra magazine and cleaning rod. $275 plus tax from the dealer here in Maine. If nothing else, it will keep the CZ52 company.
I haven't tried cast loads in it yet, but have shot it with some old (1953) surplus military ammo. This stuff is not great, about 1/3 of them are cracked before they go in the gun, and all of them are cracked after they come out. But they shoot, there is 8 grains of powder in there behind the 93 gr. bullet.
As has been remarked, the high rear sight causes it to shoot high - at 15 yards about 4" high, at 40 yards about 14" high, but it groups well and is even pleasanter to shoot than the CZ52. I put a black plastic 1-quart oil container (empty) at 200 yards in front of a snow field so I could see the snow kick up, and shot off the best part of four magazines at it. I was kicking up snow all around it and even hit it twice out of 29 rounds, almost all rounds within a 2 1/2 foot circle. Still was aiming a foot low and 8 inches left.
Now a question - this gun is compact enough to stick in one's back pocket for a walk in the woods. To get it into operation from an empty chamber, like a 1911, requires two hands and is somewhat noisy. The Tokarev doesn't have an inertial firing pin like the 1911, but it does have the safety notch on the hammer. One could draw it and thumb-cock the hammer with one hand, quietly and easily. Has anyone heard of the safety notch on a Tokarev failing?
I know about the safety notch on a Colt SAA failing, mostly on the one story (by Keith?) about a cowboy cinching up a saddle and the stirrup falling down and smacking the hammer of his holstered sixgun. The old model Ruger Blackhawks accidents I have heard about involve faulty manipulation of the hammer, not a notch breaking. I even witnessed one of these - the shooter reloaded and went to holster the gun (.22 Singlesix), and inadvertently thumbed the hammer back partway and let it fall, finger on the trigger, shooting himself in the leg. I carried him to the car, and from the car to the emergency room, in a fireman's carry. (There was a mildly comical aspect to this story, since I had him take off his pants so I could examine the wound, and then took off his T-shirt to take a strip of cloth to bind it up, so by the time I got to the Emergency room I carried him in over my shoulder wearing nothing but a pair of bloody white jockey shorts - quite a picture!)
I haven't tried cast loads in it yet, but have shot it with some old (1953) surplus military ammo. This stuff is not great, about 1/3 of them are cracked before they go in the gun, and all of them are cracked after they come out. But they shoot, there is 8 grains of powder in there behind the 93 gr. bullet.
As has been remarked, the high rear sight causes it to shoot high - at 15 yards about 4" high, at 40 yards about 14" high, but it groups well and is even pleasanter to shoot than the CZ52. I put a black plastic 1-quart oil container (empty) at 200 yards in front of a snow field so I could see the snow kick up, and shot off the best part of four magazines at it. I was kicking up snow all around it and even hit it twice out of 29 rounds, almost all rounds within a 2 1/2 foot circle. Still was aiming a foot low and 8 inches left.
Now a question - this gun is compact enough to stick in one's back pocket for a walk in the woods. To get it into operation from an empty chamber, like a 1911, requires two hands and is somewhat noisy. The Tokarev doesn't have an inertial firing pin like the 1911, but it does have the safety notch on the hammer. One could draw it and thumb-cock the hammer with one hand, quietly and easily. Has anyone heard of the safety notch on a Tokarev failing?
I know about the safety notch on a Colt SAA failing, mostly on the one story (by Keith?) about a cowboy cinching up a saddle and the stirrup falling down and smacking the hammer of his holstered sixgun. The old model Ruger Blackhawks accidents I have heard about involve faulty manipulation of the hammer, not a notch breaking. I even witnessed one of these - the shooter reloaded and went to holster the gun (.22 Singlesix), and inadvertently thumbed the hammer back partway and let it fall, finger on the trigger, shooting himself in the leg. I carried him to the car, and from the car to the emergency room, in a fireman's carry. (There was a mildly comical aspect to this story, since I had him take off his pants so I could examine the wound, and then took off his T-shirt to take a strip of cloth to bind it up, so by the time I got to the Emergency room I carried him in over my shoulder wearing nothing but a pair of bloody white jockey shorts - quite a picture!)