Who has Chicom T-54 mags?

[Ezra Coli]

I broke my only one, now need another, several in fact since I really like this gun. Its the T-54 in 9mm, not the 213. Any ideas?

[Clark]

$15 CDNN says they have them.
They have been known to advertise what they don't have.
http://lib1.store.vip.sc5.yahoo.com/lib/cdnn/2003-2.pdf

[JA]

http://www.navyarmsmsd.com/html/accessories.html
Has Chinese Tokarev mags for $4.95. The 10 I ordered two months ago looked used as they had scratches on the body that looked like they were from being inserted in a pistol. But at the price I though they were a real good deal. I took them to the range and all functioned fine in a Polish Tokarev.

[weevil]

I got six from CDNN, about a year ago. The were brand new, still full of cosmoline, and wrapped in rice paper. Two of them even had the lanyard ring.

[Ezra Coli]

Originally posted by JA
http://www.navyarmsmsd.com/html/accessories.html
Has Chinese Tokarev mags for $4.95. The 10 I ordered two months ago looked used as they had scratches on the body that looked like they were from being inserted in a pistol. But at the price I though they were a real good deal. I took them to the range and all functioned fine in a Polish Tokarev.

Are these for the 9mm T-54?

[Clark]

The Chineese Tokarev 213 9mm takes the "narrow" magaines.

The Chineese Tokarev TU-90 and Chineese Tokarev type 54 take "wide" magazines when shooting 9mm OR the 7.62x25mm. All that is required is a 9mm barrel swap.

The Russian, Hungarian, Polish, etc Tokarevs only take the "wide" magaines and are just intended for 7.62x25mm, but can shoot 9mm with just a barrel swap to a Chineese 9mm Tokarev barrel.

I have been doing some testing to figure out why the Chineese developed the 213 Tokarev. I can find no practical reason for the "narrow" magazine or the dovetail breech face insert to the slide. Perhaps it was all for some legal import reason.

[Ezra Coli]

Originally posted by Clark
The Chineese Tokarev 213 9mm takes the "narrow" magaines.

The Chineese Tokarev TU-90 and Chineese Tokarev type 54 take "wide" magazines when shooting 9mm OR the 7.62x25mm. All that is required is a 9mm barrel swap.

The Russian, Hungarian, Polish, etc Tokarevs only take the "wide" magaines and are just intended for 7.62x25mm, but can shoot 9mm with just a barrel swap to a Chineese 9mm Tokarev barrel.

I have been doing some testing to figure out why the Chineese developed the 213 Tokarev. I can find no practical reason for the "narrow" magazine or the dovetail breech face insert to the slide. Perhaps it was all for some legal import reason.

Excellent! I will get some plain jane military mags then, bI was hoping to find some T-54 specific mags with the floorplate that features the finger rest extention. I'll try out several, I like this little gun, its relaible as all hell and hits pretty accurately, I like its feel too even though it looks like its ergonomics would be crap, its the most naturally pointing handgun I have.

[JA]

The Navy Arms mags are standard Tokarev mags.
When Navy Arms first imported the model TU-90 pistol(1990) in 9mm they used a standard Tokarev magazine that had a spacer inside the magazine. The spacer inside the mag required the use of the smaller follower and spring of the model 213 magazines. These magazines were called the "wide" 9mm magazines and the 213 magazines were called the "narrow" 9mm magazines to tell them apart. Navy Arms sold dual caliber TU-90 pistol kits called the "combo". It was a 7.62x25mm pistol with 2 Tokarev mags plus a 9mm or 38 Super barrel,extra recoil spring,and 2 extra mags. The 38 Super kit came with 4 standard Tokarev mags. The 9mm kit came with 2 of the wide 9mm mags. The last of the 7.62/9mm pistol kits came with 4 standard Tokarev mags. All the TU-90 9mm pistols I have seen that were not part of the combo came with 2 wide 9mm mags.
I guess someone in China or at Navy Arms figured out that 9mm ammo would feed from a standard Tokarev mag so there was no need to make/import the special wide 9mm mags.
CDNN used to advertise both types of Chinese 9mm Tokarev mags, the wide and narrow.

[Clark]

JA,
I have 3 Navy Arms TU-90s, and none have the frame drilled for the mag spacer retainer pin, or 231 type breech face and hammer group housing modifications. So if there ever was a change in TU-90s, it must have happened in China.

The changes seem pointess, unless there was some non compatability requirement. The 213 slide and magazines will not work in other Tokarevs. 213 slides are being surplussed right now for $20.

The John Remling book on collecting Tokarevs was published in 1984 and only goes up to the Type 54.

[Ezra Coli]

I'm still a bit confused though. I don't know the difference between a TU-90 and a T-54. I have a T-54 in 9mm. It came with the mag with a plastic baseplate with the finger rest.

Here's the gun, sweet little thing...

http://www.gunsnet.net/album/data/500/4868Tok_t54.jpg

I like the finger rest, and would like to find mags with the finger rest, but I will also be trying standard Tokarev mags for the TU-90 I guess. The finger rest is plastic and as I've shown, is not durable if dropped.

[Clark]

If I put a ruler up to the magazines and measure:

1) The wide magazines are 1.45" wide measured perpendicular to the length.

2) The narrow magazines are 1.25" wide measured perpendicular to the length.

[JA]

The TU-90 9mm pistols had a spacer inside the magazine not pinned in the magazine well.
That pic of the T-54 has wrap around grips like the TU-90.
My TOK-213 9mm came with two narrow mags and one of them has a plastic finger rest floor plate.