Tokarev: Worth it?

M

Model12Win

Moderator
Hello all! As some of you may know, I recently bought a Bulgarian Makarov and it is quickly becoming my favorite gun. It has been flawlessly reliable in the 1000 rounds I fired in it over the past two weeks, and is quite accurate and just a pleasure to shoot. 9x18mm Makarov ammo is relatively affordable at 19¢ per round.

But, I've been kind of wanting a Tokarev pistol. I have been seeing some Romanian imports being offered for cheap, about $250 for the pistol, two magazines, and accessories. Most are in factory refurbished condition, so should make very nice shooters.

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But, there's a catch. Actually, two of them:

1. 7.62x25mm Tokarev ammunition is now pretty expensive. I don't reload, I don't have the time or space for it. It's all factory ammo for me, and in this caliber, that will set me back (at time of this post) 28¢ or so per round for surplus ammo, to about 31¢ per round for commercial stuff (Prvi Partisan, Fiocchi etc.). So, it's going to be about 1.5 times the cost of 9x18mm Makarov per round, so basically a dime more every time I pull the trigger.

2. The Romanian Tokarev (and almost all impored Tokarevs) come with a tacked on aftermarket trigger safety. These are not original to the guns, look out of place and unsightly, and just kind of detract from the historical aspect to an extent. They can be removed, but leave a huge gaping hole in the frame of the gun. These were added to the pistols to meet US import restrictions only, and are real abominations if you ask me.

So, while a Tokarev is neat, today the ammo is quite a bit more expensive than 9x18mm Makarov ammo, and the goofy lawyered up import safety is annoying.

So, should I still get one? Are they "worth it", at least to you? At these low prices, should I snag a Tokarev up even if it might not be ideal? Or should I just stick with my trusty and excellent Makarovs?

Any feedback on these Romanian Tokarevs would be greatly appreciated. I'm just trying to see if one should have a place in my collection while they're still relatively cheap, even if it's a gun I wouldn't shoot that much due to relatively pricey ammo.

Thanks guys!!
 
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It's hard to say. While I own and absolutely love owning a Tokarev (more specifically a Type 54) I don't think they are fantastic guns. The Mak, for instance, is a far better platform. The aftermarket safety is pretty much necessary as the original Tok without is not very useful to me. It is a SA pistol and as such requires a manual safety. Someone removed the safety of my particular pistol long before I had it and I can tell you that it is not an ideal platform for anything but a range toy. Again, glad I have it. Don't recommend it.
 
It's hard to say. While I own and absolutely love owning a Tokarev (more specifically a Type 54) I don't think they are fantastic guns. The Mak, for instance, is a far better platform. The aftermarket safety is pretty much necessary as the original Tok without is not very useful to me. It is a SA pistol and as such requires a manual safety. Someone removed the safety of my particular pistol long before I had it and I can tell you that it is not an ideal platform for anything but a range toy. Again, glad I have it. Don't recommend it.
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Very interesting. Thank you.
 
So, should I still get one? Are they "worth it", at least to you? At these low prices, should I snag a Tokarev up even if it might not be ideal? Or should I just stick with my trusty and excellent Makarovs?
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If you take the safety out, how are you going to carry it safely?

The very clumsy safety is (almost) a deal killer for me. This would not be something I would consider carrying, unless I had nothing else.

The Mak, for instance, is a far better platform.
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keep the Mak.

I bought a Chinese one in 9mm. It functions well. It is a good range toy.
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My local preferred gunmonger has a Norinco Tok in 9mm, that he's tempting me with. It's safety, while still weird, is easier than the pictured one probably would be.

Still don't think I'll get it.
 
Due to ammo cost is why I always thought the Zastava M88 would be a good buy for anyone who wanted the Tokarev. I had two M57's some years back. While they were reliable pistols that fired an AWESOME hot rod round, they just weren't for me.
 
I'd say if your going to get a Tokarev, get a Norinco 213, or another 9mm conversion, they make very nice shooting pistols in my opinion.

Not a good choice for carry though as has been mentioned. The safety on mine is too clumsy to use and digs into your hand as well, so I just took it out and since its only used as a range gun that works out just fine.

As to a mak being a better pistol, they're very different pistols, and it really depends on what youre looking to get out of it, I wouldn't trade mine for a mak.
 
I tried a romanian ttc from classic firearms and was dissapointed. The exterior was almost mint, but the bore was pitted, and accuracy was pretty terrible. I quickly sold it as this particular pistol was not nearly as accurate as the cz52 i use to have. Ammo is not really expensive, but hard to come by.
 
I should note that I at one point owned a Zastava M70A 9mm Tokarev style pistol.

It was alright, but was a jamomatic with anything but ball ammo, and sometimes choked on that. Also, it developed a rather severe problem were the trigger could be pulled and the hammer would fall when it was on safe.

I had it repaired, and quickly sold it. I assume a true milspec Tokarev would not have such issues, but it put a sour taste in my mouth for Zastava, hence why I'm not seeking out any M57s.
 
Just get one. You know you won't be happy until you have that Tokarev in the safe. Who cares about cost of ammo. [emoji2] Seriously though for me the want truly out weighed the cost to feed. I wanted a SAA style in 45 Colt for so long and put it off for years because the factory ammo approaches a buck a round. But in the end one sits in the safe. Good luck and tell us what you decide to buy. [emoji41] That 7.62x25 is a screamer!
 
I had one in 9mm and it worked every time with ball ammo. I don't remember trying hollow points so can't say how it functioned with them. I paid $200 for mine and it was very clean.

I liked how slim it was. The trigger wasn't too bad either. But it never pointed right for me. With a natural hand angle the muzzle was way low. You had to make an effort to raise the muzzle to be on target. Its not like a ruger 22 standard model that just points right where you look.

There is a grip for them that has a swell in the palm like a 1911 with the arched main spring housing but I never could find one. If I had I might still own the gun. It satisfied my curiosity and I have never wanted another.
 
I agree ratshooter. That's all I could figure with mine, the grip is pretty much 90 degrees. And it took some effort for me to shoot it well.
 
If you take the safety out, how are you going to carry it safely?
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On 1/2 cock like it was designed to be carried.

7.62X25 is a much different experience, quite a bark and laser like trajectory. I have a CZ52 and a Tok they are a lot of fun.
 
Mavracer #13 has it right. Tokarev is a hammer gun, not striker fired. Guess millions were carried by Soviets for about 20+ years , including WWII, without a safety and carried safely. That cobbled up "safety" on imports was driven by sometimes inane federal regs, not a need. I carry mine uncocked, then cock the hammer when I want to shoot. The Tokarev is the most fun, really a blast. Standard load has more fpe than standard load 9mm. Can't beat the price on 9mm ammo though. If you buy one, make sure you get an unpitted, not corroded -- shiny -- barrel. "Dark ,but shootable bores" is a prelude to buying a $180 barrel soon. Pay the $20 extra on the bore. As Mavracer said, a really flat trajectory. Good range gun, and if yours feeds JHP well, a good hunting sidearm. On ammo, unless you will unfailingly wash bore AND Chamber soon after EVERY use, do NOT use mil-surp ammo. It's very corrosive.
Much as I love Toks, I prefer true SA/DA hammer pistols for EDC. Only a very few striker fired guns are really DA. Glock, and many others, you have to manually work the slide to cock them again if they do not fire. CZ hammer guns are great EDC and certain models of Taurus.
 
If you are that concerned about the cost of ammo for your firearms you have also lost the freedom of going out and shooting different weapons for an afternoon. Most any caliber will cost $.18 to $.1.00 a round.. 9 mm can often be found for around the 20 cent category, 30-06 hunting ammo will bring $1.00 + to purchase. My average trip to the gravel pit will see several hundred + rounds of .223 expended ( usually closer to 3-400 rounds) and a couple of boxes of other calibers and I shoot as often as I can. Sure I reload to keep costs down and build stocks of ammo on the shelf, but I also purchase supplies of ammo I do not reload for the day another ammo " famine" occurs.
Shoot now and shoot later is my unwritten motto, I have shot as much .22 lr as I wished all during the ammo insanity from my shelf supply and have replaced it when a good buy is found.
 
I owned a vet "bringback" Tok-33 from WW2, for a while. I traded it away, I shot surplus ammo in it, seemed a "minute of man" type accuracy to me. They were massed produced for a war, so I would not expect much more than that. Mine had the flap holster and a spare mag, it functioned well. I just did not like chasing the fixed sights to find a decent sight picture with the surplus ammo.
 
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Thanks guys.

Can anyone who owns one of these describe if the safety is a problem while shooting? Does it get in the way or affect reliability in any way?
 
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