Which is the better gun, Tokarev T33 or CZ52?

Have to disagree, each pistol has it's good and bad points. I find that the Tokarev is much more pleasant to shoot, no trigger slap as in the CZ-52. Both are very reliable, no malfunctions with either, but the CZ has a tendency for trigger pins to migrate out of the gun. The CZ points better, Tokarev grip is too straight. I have had experience with post-war Soviet and Polish TT-33 and the Polish is superior in workmanship(well polished). The Czech guns are strictly utilitarian military finished. The Tokarev's take-down is easier in my opinion. Accuracy is a toss-up. Just guessing, but the CZ might handle more powerful loads better on a long term basis.
 
If you replace the firing pin on the CZ-52 it is a fine pistol. There is some more info on mods to do to increase reliablility at makarov.com. I do not personally like the way the Tokarev that I handled felt. YMMV
 
The CZ was designed with hot, subgun 7.62x25 loads in mind, whereas the TT was not. TT is a lot simpler and more utilitarian, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
 
I've found my Tokarev to be more concealable than the CZ-52. It's about Commander size with a flatter profile, and except for the godawful bass-ackwards retrofit safety and strange little takedown clip it's nice and smooth all around.

Yes, I have carried the Tok as my CCW. No, it's not a regular thing.

If you like to sit around and try to figure out why a designer would engineer something the way he did, either pistol will afford you hours of enjoyment!
 
The CZ52 is a quality desgn and is very reliable with Czech ammunition. Most Tokarevs (mine is Russian) are rugged and reliable guns without silly frills like manual and grip safties. One virtue of both pistols is that they are cheap, My Tokarev cost me nothing.
 
CZ gets my vote.

It is a massively over-engineered gun. Also, it has a firing-pin block which is a major plus for me.


Ok, time for my rant.

THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE FACTORY CZ-52 FIRING PIN!!!!

It is not designed for dry-firing, but will last indefinitely under normal use. Even a small amount of dry-firing will result in breakage. Fortunately, you can remove the pin in about 2 seconds for dry-fire practice. Take the slide off, point the muzzle end up, and depress the firing pin block button on the underside of the slide. The pin will fall out the back of the slide. Keep track of the orientation of the pin, and don't lose the firing pin block and spring.
 
I always cringe at these kinds of threads. But I'll play.

I have a CZ-52, and it's a lot of fun. Recoil hasn't been the problem I expected. I still see the orange muzzle flash with every shot. I'm trying to work on wathing the sights rise and fall, and it's pretty much fun.

My guess is that both guns are pretty much fun.

Mike P. Wagner
 
I have owned both, and both were very reliable guns. The Tok has served with many different armies all over the world and has a very good reputation for being a dependable pistol.

If i could only have one of the two pistols as my main day-to-day gun I would take the Tok. Very simple, very easy to clean, feed lips on in the frame no on the mag so you should never have feeding problems.

Tha being said, i like the CZ-52 better for a fun gun. It is a wonderfully designed and engineered gun, with nice styling, and strong enough to shoot the hottest of czech ammo with no problems.

You should be able to find both guns in the $125 - 150 range, so i would buy both and shoot them and see which you like better and then sell of the other one.
 
JohnKsa-

Just took the firing pin out, and swabbed around in there with some Hoppes and a q-tip. :eek:
Suddenly, I feel as if I'm guilty of neglect.
 
I was out on the range this past week and shoot them both. I would give an edge to the CZ52 only because I like the beefier feel of the CZ52 better and you can put almost any ammo in it. I was told by the guy who brought his Polish Tokarev T33 that you should not use hot rounds in it. That being said I plan on picking up a T33 soon.
My CZ-52 FIRING PIN did brake the day we were shooting. I was just going to look and see how to replace it with the stainless Steel one I pick up last year. So Thanks JohnKSa for the information.. It took all of 45 sec…
 
I wish the rest of the gun was that easy to disassemble. I've been treating the frame to Gunscrubber & RemOil rather than trying to detail strip it.

One other point of interest. If you buy an aftermarket barrel from Federal Arms, the rollers that come with it are too soft. You can buy a hardened set from:

http://www.makarov.com/

I have one of the barrels but have yet to get the hardened rollers for it. Anybody tried one of the 9mm conversion barrels? I'm interested to see how they work.
 
I have had both.The CZ points better and is much stronger in design.Bot do go bang when you pull the trigger but I prefer the CZ 52.
 
There are some incorrect statements above.

Do a hoop stress calculation on the chambers assuming 4140 steel.

The most advanced loads are in "Accuarte Arms #2 Load Book".

This book does have some red herrings on the subject.
 
I've got a CZ52,

Haven't picked up a Tok yet. The only ones I've seen lately at gun shows looked like crap. The worst was a Vietnam bringback that some yuckapuck had nickelplated.

Here's a hint, boys and girls: When you have a rusty-@$$ pitted gun, nickelplating just accents the pits and scars. Since I keep some fairly hot fodder around for the CZ, this causes a tinge of doubt to cross my mind whenever I contemplate shooting a Tokie...

Dex
 
Mike-

Just off the top of my head, I've seen probably between 10-20 CZ-52's for sale or owned by individuals within the last year and a half.
They're out there, but you have to keep an eye out for them.
For some reason, I seem to recall that they only manufactured about 200,000 of these pistols, but I could be totally wrong.
I do know that they only manufactured them for about three years, though.
 
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