1980 Tokarev TT-33 (Norinco Type 54) 7.62x25

First bad-guy gun.

"Chinese Tokarev" / "Black Star" - Chinese clone of Soviet Tokarev TT-33.

• 1x Magazine
• Cleaning tool
• Manual
• Palmetto State Armory packing slip

• Plano Pistol Hard Case

Serial info from lugerforums.com thread

https://www.lugerforums.com/threads/rare-type-54-tt33.71473/ (archive)

"The first digit(s) of Chinese Type 54 serial numbers is based on the number of years since the pistol was adopted, where 1954 is considered year 1. However, there was apparent confusion with this rule in the 1962 to 1964 time span. ..."

Serial info from indiansforguns.com thread

https://indiansforguns.com/viewtopic.php?t=26580#p257193 (archive)

"Those made after 1980 ... serial no. will be eight digit followed by 66 ... We can determine the year of manufacture of the pistol by adding 53 and the first two digit of the serial no."

Overview from wikipedia.org

The Type 54 and its variants ... are Chinese copies of the Soviet type Tokarev TT-33. ... Type 54 pistols are also known colloquially as "Black Star" pistols due to the five-pointed star engraved on its all-black grip panel. ... The Magazine is interchangeable with that of the Russian TT-33.

The weapon is still in service in some of the Chinese armed forces (such as the People's Armed Police and some People's Liberation Army troops) today. The Vietnamese used the Type 54 during the Vietnam War ... Type 54 pistols were smuggled into Japan in a significant quantity, often for use by the Yakuza.

Overview from wikipedia.org for TT pistol

The TT-30, commonly known simply as the Tokarev, is a Soviet-made semi-automatic pistol. It was developed during the late 1920s by Fedor Tokarev as a service pistol for the Soviet Armed Forces and was based on the earlier pistol designs of John Moses Browning, albeit with detail modifications to simplify production and maintenance. ... The Soviet Union ceased production of the TT in 1954, although derivatives of the pistol continued to be manufactured for many years in the People's Republic of China and Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. ... The newly improved pistol received the designation TT-33.

Type 54: Replaced the Type 51 in 1954. Roughly 420,000 were produced until 1985. Up to 50,000 Type 54s were exported to North Vietnam.

History from hearmyselftalkhistory.com

A product of Sino-Soviet cooperation, the Soviet TT33 pistol was one of many designs to see widespread production and use by the People's Republic of China and other communist states and movements around the world.

The Soviet TT33 had been the standard sidearm of the Red Army during the Second World War, and was produced in enourmous numbers during and after the conflict. ... As Soviet Production was coming to an end, another communist power commenced full scale domestic production of the Tokarev pistol: China. ... With Soviet assistance Chinese arsenals were modernizing and beginning to produce Russian designed small arms, and in 1951 production of the Tokarev had commenced, with full domestic production starting three years later.

The Type 54 was for all intents and purposes an identical clone of the late Soviet TT33, with the only major differences being in the markings and the lack of "CCCP" around the stars on the plastic grips ... The Type 54 is a direct copy of the TT33, and is functionally identical in every way.

The Type 54 rapidly supplanted the numerous older handguns in Chinese service, and also began to see large scale export to supply other communist movements around the world. Perhaps most notably, the North Vietnamese Army and the (less frequently) Vietcong insurgents active in the Republic of Vietnam. The Type 54 would become one of the most common handguns in the Vietnam War, and would remain in service with the united communist Vietnam to the present day, along with a modernized version entering service in 2014. The Chinese also still issue the Type 54, although it has been mostly supplanted by the more modern QSZ92.

Overview from ODIN

The Type 54 Chinese 7.62mm Pistol s a direct copy of the Soviet 7.62 mm Tokarev TT-33 pistol and is the standard pistol in the People's Liberation Army.

Specs from ODIN

Date of Introduction	1954
Country Of Origin	China, People's Republic of
Proliferation	Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, East Timor (Timor-Leste), Indonesia, Laos (People's Democratic Republic), Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Viet Nam
Alternate Designation	Type 54
Type	Pistol
Caliber	7.62 mm
Manufacturer	NORINCO
Action	recoil, semi-automatic
Rifling	4 grooves, right hand turn
Muzzle Velocity	420 m/s
Maximum Effective Firing Range	50 m
Magazine	8-round box magazine
Sights	Fore, blade; rear, notch
Length	195 mm
Barrel Length	115 mm
Weight, Empty	890 grams
Cartridge	7.62 x 25 mm
Basic Load	8-round box magazine

Markings

Slide	M.54 NORINCO, CHINA CAL 7.62 X 25MM PW ARMS REDMOND, WA
	五四式 {Type 54} 27036648
Frame	27036648 66
Trigger Gaurd	A

Receipts

Receipt (Palmetto State Armory): <redacted>

Palmetto State Armory (palmettostatearmory.com) June 22nd 2025 Order # 12121327160
Product	SKU	Qty	Price	Total
Chinese Tokarev Type 54 Military C&R Eligible 4.5" 7.62x25 mm 8rd Pistol, Good Used Surplus Condition		1	$249.99	$249.99
Subtotal				$249.99
Shipping				$19.99
Tax				$21.59
Total				$291.57

Packing Slip (Palmetto State Armory): <redacted>