Book Review: Collector’s Guide to Tokarev Pistols

Today we have a copy of John Remling’s work, a “Collector’s Guide to Tokarev Pistols”. It’s a thin volume, but a good introduction and basic reference to the development of the TT33 Tokarev pistol and the different nations that adopted it.

Unfortunately, it does appear to be out of print, and I was not able to find a reliable source where you could buy a copy. So keep your eyes open at gun shows, because it is a good value for the money when you find it used.

6 Comments

  1. I swear I have a hardcover copy of this Is it an earlier edition? I got it after finding a few TT-30s in the foreign weapons arms rooms (two mixed in with the TT-33s at Bragg and one alongside two TT-33s at 10th Group).

    Mechanical training on obsolete foreign weapons have been deemphasized in the last 30 years and one expects those weapons have probably been scrapped.

    The most interesting characteristic of the TT is its complete absence of a mechanical safety. (Who did Fyodor Tokarev think he was, Gaston Glock?) Starting with the Tokagypt 58, I believe, we started to see a simple hammer-locking safety on these things, especially those made for commercial resale and the ones made for the US market.

    There is a half-cock notch on the hammer… otherwise, you observe Cooper’s four rules.

    Most of the changes from TT-30 to -33 seem to me to be aimed at reducing machine time and production cost.

  2. Just stumbled on this review.

    John passed away 30 years ago from cancer. Copies are extremely hard to find. My brothers and I each have a softbound copy but none of us a hard bound copy that were printed at the same time but at a very limited quantity.

    Dad would have appreciated your review after such a long time.

    Thanks Pete

  3. I do have a copy of Johns book in hardcover signed and numbered. I am an old gunsmith and am selling off all my old books, parts and tools. Most items small enough to ship (if allowed) I am listing on ebay under my old company name oaksports. Large items I will sell on offerup, craigslist or street sale. My boys are just not interested in them and my wife will kill me if I die and she has to get rid of all this stuff!

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