The rabbi taught me to insert a magazine into a pistol in no uncertain terms. This “take no prisoners” approach to loading/reloading is not without its consequences. For one thing, I can’t carry a compact semi-auto handgun. You have no idea how many nerve endings are in the palm of your hand until you pinch the palm of your hand inside a mag well at full throttle. Unless, of course, you’ve already done it; in which case I’m willing to bet you don’t carry a compact gun either. For another, on older pistols like my Colt Hammerless or this Yugo Tokarev M57, a forceful mag injection will release the slide. In extreme cases, the M57 will discharge. What’s Yugoslavian for “oops?”

At least you won’t miss your target, once you get the M57 Tokarev (A Yugoslavian military surplus classic) pointed in the right direction. As you’d expect from a semi-auto pistol based on John Moses Browning’s 1911, the Tokarev pistol is an amazingly accurate gun. It aims, points and shoots well — more than adequately for someone who may have to forgo the aiming part of the program. The Tokarev is a heavy old thing (31.7 ounces) and nearasdammit eight inches from stem to stern. So, just like a well-sorted (i.e. full-sized) 1911, recoil isn’t an issue.

Of course, JMB’s masterpiece fired .45s all day long. Its Russian/Czech/Yugoslavian clones are chambered in 7.62×25. (It is often compared to the Romanian TTC Tokarev Pistol) As Tokarev owner Matthew Perry demonstrated at the American Firearms School, the semi’s ammunition arrives lovingly hand-packed by Russian peasants using paper and twine. Or, in the case below, entombed in a carcinogenic container whose destruction inspired a 7-minute video.

 

 

As far as the 7.62×25 bullet’s effectiveness at stopping people from doing things you don’t want them to do (a list of activities that once included trying to join an American ballet troop), I defer to YouTuber ChromeGhost0219:

I have a good amount of experience with this round. It is a light round, about 85 grains to 90 grains, but it is a very fast round. Original loadings reach a good 1200 fps and more. It normaly delivers about 480J (360 ft-lbs) of energy. The CZ-52 had a special load that was 1640 fps and delivered about 688J (512 ft-lbs), but only approved for the CZ-52 pistol. This round is level 2 armor pericing, but can over-penetrate in higher loads. Overall a powerful round, but hard to compare to others.

Unless you’re an ignoramus. So I’ll say that the Yugo M57 has about as much kick as a 9mm polymer pistol. And lightweight though though the bullet may be, I’d still bet dollars to dinars that the Tokarev’s fully capable of creating an FBI-compliant hole in any capitalist pig stupid enough to stand in front of a M57 pistol used in anger.

If the 7.62×25 bullet doesn’t get ’em at least your enemy will emerge from the conflict without eyebrows. As you can see in the video, the Tokarev does the flamethrower thing with as much panache as the dragon’s breath FN Five-seveN — and makes bigger holes besides. Well, entry wounds anyway (cue: Boy George’s “I’ll Tumble For Ya”).

The holes will be pretty much right where you want them to be, too. Like JMB’s combat pistol, the Yugo Tokarev groups better than a bunch of Quakers at a diversity seminar. This was an early take; Matthew’s nutritional supplements hadn’t kicked-in.

 

 

The Zastava M57’s 7.62×25 round is still in production; a box (they also come in boxes) of 50 Russian-made cartridges runs $25. Given that the Communist Block produced more Tokarevs than Ford built exploding Pintos, a brand new gun (making the scene in Cosmoline) can be had for the thin end of $200. Note: Russian and Yugo (aka Zavasta) Tokarevs are not mag compatible. The Yugoslavian M57 bested the Russian quasi-original by adding an additional bullet, holding nine rounds in total. [Word to the wise: Do NOT carry one in the chamber.]

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWWrpZhwhc8

 

The Tokarev’s sights are rudimentary, in keeping with the weapon’s here’s-your-pistol-comrade-you-can’t-break-it-but-if-you-do-I-hear-it’s-cold-in-Siberia-this-time-of-year chic. The Tokarev’s rear sight belongs on a rifle. A very basic rifle. An accuracy-obsessed American owner could get his gunsmith to swap out the pistol‘s sights for something more useful (i.e. anything), but that would look stupid and invite accusations of cultural insensitivity. As is, the Tokarev is combat effective at combat distances.

Reliability? What’s to break — other than everything? More to the point, why would anyone want a common-as-muck cheap-as-chips Russian 1911-clone firing funky ammo? Oh hang on; one of our Armed Intelligentsia has an answer. It’s comrade action shooting time!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jd4K4JUyK0

 

Lesson learned: If you opt for a Yugo Tokarev M57, spend the extra 75 cents and get a new old one in excellent condition (or at least good condition with a holster and extra mags). Unlike Foghorn here, you’ll have a fully-functional fire-spitting range toy that connects you with the joys of Socialism. And, let’s face it, what better way is there to gloat about who won the Cold War than firing your enemy’s gun, just because you can? Never forgetting who won World War II, and how. Or what they were wearing at the time.

Pistol M57A H5762BL SPECIFICATIONS (From Zastava Arms USA)

  • 7.62x25mm Tokarev
  • Semi automatic
  • Single Action
  • High quality alloy steel
  • 4.5″ Barrel length
  • 9 +1 round magazine capacity
  • External safety
  • Fixed sights
  • Blued steel finish
  • Weight 30 oz
  • UPC 682863126112
  • SKU H5762BL
  • Made in Kragujevac, Serbia, distributed by Century Arms

More from The Truth About Guns:

TTAG Reader: What I Carry and Why – Anaxis’s ’52 Polish Tokarev TT-33

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

85 COMMENTS

  1. These are great pistols, but they seem to be a bit finicky in my experience. Safeties randomly applying themselves from the recoil or just rotating uselessly in the body because they weren’t well manufactured, magazines refusing to fall or dropping unexpectedly depending on how the gun feels, and retention loops on the magazine floorplates that hurt like a bitch when loading. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fantastic farting around pistol and great for some cheap happy times at the range, but definitely not something I’d carry.

    Here’s a video of what I mean. Finicky. Admittedly, it was my first time ever firing a pistol. And yes, that actually is me in the WWII Soviet private’s uniform.

    • My experience was different. It was my first time shooting from pistols, and Tokarev was one of them. Honestly i really enjoyed it. It was one of the most precise ones. And it felt like one simple solid piece, didn’t seem finicky at all.

  3. LOL. A friend of mine inherited one of these. It sat in a basement for 30+ years without cosmo and it still looks brand-new. I don’t know which country made it, though the scales are marked CCCP, but it looks like a really well-made example. No safety to speak of, for better or worse.

    • This is probably a Russian Tokarev TT-33 that was brought into the US before the safeties had to be installed on the imports (The Russian TT-33 was not built with a safety and law now requires all imports to have safeties) Also, CCCP was put on the Russian TT-33s because that is the Russian acronym for the USSR

  5. Fun cheap gun go rang shoot. Neat shoot some thing from world war 2 that does cost arm and leg owen shoot. Ammo real hoot shoot through gun very cheap buy.

      • Richard Linares says, ” must go now, night class to speak it da English start 10 minute. Come back next tomorrow day post comments on range gun from homeland.
        Joking aside, these pistols are easy to find and cheap in Canada like the SKS and Mosin Nagant, I figured for a couple hundred bucks why not get one. Reviews overall are good, and ammo is reasonable, I’m looking forward to some range time when it finally arrives.

  6. When I was a juror on an armed robbery case the hold-up gun was a Tokarev which someone (presumably the miscreants) had spray-painted with silver paint. Our guess was that it had been very rusty so they wanted to make it look dangerous/flashy with the least effort possible. It still looked terrible.

    Unfortunately, that’s the limit of my experience with Tokarevs. You may now return to your regularly scheduled existence.

  7. 7.62 Tokarev ammo is mind-bogglingly cheap. At $110 for 1260 rounds, it’s cheaper than .22 Magnum or .17 HMR, and only about 3 or 4 times the price of bulk .22. It’s so cheap, in fact, that you can buy a dedicated 7.62 Tokarev upper for your AR-15. The upper is $500, but if you shoot a lot it might pay for itself in a year of hard use.

    It’s too bad there aren’t many (any?) civilian-legal PPSh carbines around for super-cheap plinking fun, but there are plenty of Sterling-based pistols for $550. (http://www.centerfiresystems.com/sterling-pistol.aspx).

    • How do I put this gently? That Sterling is some fucked-up shit. Chris, call them for a T&E model. Mention my name.

  8. Oddly enough, the new issue of Gun Tests reviews a Yugo M57 and a Romanian TT-33.

    Many Tokarev-design pistols (like the Norincos) lacked a safety. To import them, a crude safety had to be added. The M57, however, differed from the basic TT-33 design in having a factory safety and a higher capacity.

  9. RF:

    I’m on it 1st thing tomorrow. The price seems a little high for something you might find on the set of Return Of The Jedi, but that Sterling action looks like a tin can’s worst nightmare.

  10. I have had a Chicom Tokarev which was a VietNam take home relic. It is in VG+ condition, and looks like it is dated 1966 with a very long serial number. It has been in my gun safe for years, and I have never fired it. Since it is not a commercial import, it does not have the extra safety that the Yugo’s have.

    Recently, one of the big-name online sports sellers had 70 round packs of 7.62×25 ammo for about $7.50 (about 10.5cents/round). I bought several packs and will try it out on my next trip to the gun club. I could not justify the sealed tin of ammo at 9.5cents/round 9shown in video above) because I do not foresee shooting it that much (and I do not have a PPSh).

  11. Terrific cartridge. Dig out your dogeared copy of Fairbairn & Sykes’s “Shooting to Live” and see what they had to say about it in Chapter VII, “Stopping Power.” (They were writing about 7.63mm Mauser, but 7.62x25mm Tokarev is the same thing, just with the spec sheets in Russian rather than German.)

  12. http://www.jgsales.com/product_info.php/handguns/tokarev/p/yugo-tokarev-m57-tt%2C-7-62×25-m-57-pistol-very-good-condition-/cPath/16_235/products_id/4432

    JG Sales has Yugo Tokarevs for 200. They’re a GREAT bargain! Oh- Why would the gentleman earlier in this article NOT carry one in the chamber? It has an external safety and if you carry it half-cocked. Try to fire it with a dummy round in it… drop it on the floor do whatever you want to try to make it accidentally discharge (again- with a dummy round in it)… With the gun half-cocked you can neither pull the trigger nor can the hammer touch the firing pin… At least on mine. If you can’t pull it out and quickly make it go boom when you need to… why are you carrying a gun?

    Just don’t keep if fully cocked, and keep your finger off the trigger at all times anyway…(until you’re going to send a round down range) 🙂 So far I’ve fired about 500 rounds through mine. Never had a hang-up. Never had the safety do anything by itself. Mechanically sound through and through.

    • M J says:
      March 20, 2011

      I could not agree with MJ more. This is a great gun; the only thing that could have made it better would be a double stack mag. I have fired this Weapon many times and have never experienced any problems with a “funky Safety” or Mags Dropping out. With a Round chambered and the Hammer Half Cocked you could not make this Weapon discharge if you beat it with a hammer.
      Unfortunately for anyone who hesitated because of “User Ability Lacking Posters” it seems all of the Excellent and Very Good Condition Weapons have all but dried up with the Major Dealers. If you can find an Excellent M-57 for $200 or under grab it and run because you just stole it. Check Gunbroker and if you can find one, (and they are few and far between), it will be in the $300 Range. That’s $189 to $300 in less than six Months. Magazines?, well they are almost impossible to find, and if you do find a good one, prepare too dig deep in your pocket, an option is too convert a CZ-52 Mag. If you paid any attention to the Author or most Novice Posters you missed out on one of the best C&R deals in years. Several dealers are advertizing new stocks of M-57’s, but you will find most of these Pistols worn and missing most of the finish.
      By the way contrary to most Post, although the size of the 7.62X25 in on par with the 9mm in size, it’s power is actually on par with a .357 Magnum. Buy a box of Hollow Points and you have and Accurate, Powerful carry Weapon.

      Ed

      • So glad I read the blog. Bought one yesterday at a gun show….I sell targets at shows and see everything out there but this never been fired M57 caught my eye and relaxed the wallet. I was excited and told my friend who I consider a guru and he told me to try to take it back and get a 9mm. I wanted to tell him to eff himself but he usually has good advice. However, since reading blogs and watching YouTube I might call my buddy back to finally say eff u!

      • Got my Yugo Tok from Classic. It.s a original (take that to mean exact copy of the original, recently produced) and I think it’s the sweetest semi-auto I’ve ever had the pleasure of shooting (I carried a .357 revolver for my entire 20 year on the PD) By the time I was half way through the first box of ammo, I was in love. Have another on the way (wife took mine because she can actually HIT something with it). I don’t understand the dustup over the safety. I simply load mine, and yes, one in the chamber because that extra half second will cause you to stop living, and I actually took it out back (I have a really large, safe outback) and, with the safety off and the hammer in the half cock notch, took a plastic and rubber mallet and REALLY whacket that hammer at least 10 times. I mean I frigging wailed on it. Now one would think, it it’s as prone to accidental discharge as it seems some commenters on here would have us believe, the magazine should have been empty. Not so, all 10 rounds still in the weapon. Then I took aim at the target at about 30 yards and after ten, not too well aimed shots (still 4″ grouping), the mag WAS empty, the slide locked back, and was still in the gun. Over my career I’ve fired about everything that will get a projectile from point A to point B and, embarrassed as I am to admit it, this is the most accurate weapon I’ve ever held in my hand .I thought weight would be an issue as I have really bad arthritis in both shoulders but, because of the excellent balance I guess, it doesn’t feel as heavy as some of these plastic pieces of shit I’ve carried for years. My wife is 4’9″ and about 110 soaking wet and she handled that thing like a pro (hence why it’s in her drawer and I’m waiting on mine) 3 to 4 inch groups at 10, 20, and even 40 yards.The only fault I found was the lack of a decocking lever. They could have done without the safety, used the half cock for that, and put in a decocking lever instead and had a much safer gun. Riding that hammer down is not for the faint of heart and certainly not for inside the house. The wife found this out the first time she tried it but now she handles it like a pro. This will be my carry weapon until the sun comes up the last time for me.

  13. HI,
    just purchased a yugo m57 from j&g sales. great shooting gun and guy’s at the range
    liked it but i have only one complaint i took the mag apart ant the little base plate
    went flying to who knows were. does anyone know were i can get another plate to
    put on the bottom to keep the mag end on? THANK’S DAVID

  14. I just got one from Classic Arms , numbers matching , 2 mags , holster and cleaning rod……..200 bucks. It looks like it’s almost never been shot , the cosmoline was like wax , but it cleaned up nice. can’t wait to shoot it

  15. I got my M-57 a couple of weeks ago and I love it it looked like crap with the cosmoline on it and I could not even move the slide but after a good cleaning it turned out to be a brand new gun for $199
    it is very accurate ,belches fire like a dragon and is just plain fun to shoot

  16. Just bought a yugo m-57 for $224 , ammo is a little hard to find but the gun shoots great and no problems with it. half cocked or mag out it will not fire and has a safety that works well . My son is looking at getting one .

    • Go and Google 7.62 X 25 ammo and buy the Russian Army ammo, is it cheap, crimped bullets, and splits
      the cases when they fire, but the gun eats them up with no problems. I don’t reload, don’t need to and
      the gun like I say, eats any ammo you put in it. Why buy expensive ammo. Go to Gunbroker.com and
      you can get really cheap ammo. Go shoot and have a ball, you cannot wear these clunkers out
      Luv ’em.

  17. I purchased an M57 from AIM, thoroughly cleaned the storage grease, lubed it and the trigger would not move let alone drop the hammer !!! I noticed a bind in the trigger group disconnect an the left side grip…I shaved and filed all the vertical molding lines about 1/2″ down to the main horizontal molding line, remounted the grip and the gun operated flawlessly……hope this helps !!!

  18. By now I hope everyone has taken the advice of the Knowledgable Collectors and purchased one of the Tokarev Pistols.
    Like the Surplus 7.62X25 Ammo that is all but gone from the market the Excellent Condition Tokerav’s will soon become impossible to find in that $200 range.
    Hope everyone took my advice and grabbed a Spam can or twp of the Toke Ammo a few Months back at $90. Check Gunbroker those Spam cans are pushing $300 a can.
    My advive don’t buy it at that price. It now time to pick up a set of the Lee Reloading Dies and appropriatr 85 or 90 Grain Bullet Caster. The Tokes have Rifled Barells and will fire Hard Lead all Day without fouling.
    I say this because I already Checked with Century, who imported most of the Toke Ammo into the Country. They are trying but not sure if or when they may have another Import. Even if they do it wont be at the old price.
    All you have on Gunbroker and other Sites are the Gougers trying to triple their money. They call it good Business I have another word for it. These are the same people that dried up the Ammo Market a year or so back and damm near shut down the Shooting Hobby, yes I have another word for them,
    This is when I set up my Reloading Table, let the Wife buy it for my Christmas Gifts.
    I’m now spending less than $5 a box for my 9X19, 9X18, .38 Spcl, .32 ACP not to mention my Rifle Reloads and the soon to be 7.62X25. I keep my Powder and Primers well stocked while most are on sale.
    This way I shoot what I want, when I want, don’t need to deal with the Gougers or any shortage they may cause. I don’t worry the Government shutting down the Shooting Sport as much as I worry about the Gougers.
    By the way It’s not a Toke but if you want a excellent C&R Carry Gun check out Century Arms for a CZ “Vzor” 50 in .32 ACP, they also have some excellent .32 reloadable Ammo at around $10 a Box. This is one of the Best C&R deals I’ve seen in a long time and I don’t think they will last long.
    Ed

    • Thank You! Thank you…. a thousand times, Thank You! I’m been having a heck of a time finding 7.62X25 that isn’t $30 a box. I just stumbled on your posting and just bought a bunch. Again… Thank you!

  21. M57 is a Great pistol. Bought hand-picked from J&G, broke it down, blew it off with carb cleaner, boiled it out, realized it was brand new, just 50 some years old, ordered 3 more before the first one was finished soaking in oil, and several spam cans for 8 cents/round. 1 for me, 1 for my wife as she loves hers (we’re both over 60 yoa)…says it rocks and rolls, 1 for a nephew and one for parts. Any problem I experienced had to do with goo in the hammer group, or was re-assembled slightly off. No safety problems. I’ve found that some ranges don’t want them as too much damage to back-drops…hell’s bells, the Vietcong used to shoot down Slicks with them.
    M70 Yugo Zastavas can be had from Robertson Trading Post for cheap…baby Toks! Not to be confused with the CZ 70, both shoot .32. PaPaSha 43 now available at Classic Arms and J&G…dum vivimus vivamus!!

  22. One of the things I find odd is just how many people still consider the CZ-52 to be the stronger gun simply because the Czech ammunition was hotter on average. Various people have done tests which show the TT-33 is actually the sturdier of the two guns. Oddly enough there never was much, if any studies done by the US to actually confirm that the CZ-52 was any stronger in comparison…it was merely assumed. Though this isn’t an entirely bone-headed assumption, there are other reasons for making ammunition fire softer ranging from cost to simply being easier on the ears/hands.

    I’d like to see this site do it’s own tests and post them…the very title “The Truth About Guns” would beseech such a thing in my opinion.

  23. Very nice review. Very insightful and must say i love 7.62s in general and to find a 7.62 pistol i had to have one. Got the real yugo m57 wish i could find exact age its an older military style.

  24. I recently purchased one for $ 199. Love the pistol; yet not the site.
    I want to upgrade pistol and install glowing dots type sites.

    Can anyone recommend any pistol sites that can be modified for the M57?

    thanks,

    Ruben

  25. I have several sovet block firearms…I own several tekerov’s and mosin nagants.
    I have great foundness for them…but what was not addressed here is that if use surplus ammo then be advised that they all have corresive primers. You must clean, I will say again you must clean your gun right away after any use. You must remove the corresive primer residue after each and every shooting of ur gun if u do not then ur going to have a worthless gun.

  26. I have the Romanian equivalent, the TTC. It too shares the fire breathing, eyebrow searing traits of the TT-33/M57. It is a sweet little gun. Surplus ammo is fairly easy to come by but you must, repeat must, clean immediately after firing. One thing: Magazines for the Tokarev type pistols are not easy to come by. I tracked a few down at a gun show and only one was decent enough to bother buying, the rest were rusted out or bent up too badly to bother dealing with.

  27. The Soviet’s didn’t lose the ‘Cold War’. Nor did America win it. The Cold War was a military build up. A big game of nuclear chicken. Nobody won. The Soviet economy stagnated internally, and reforms came too late. Hey, pro tip: Turn on the news, and look what’s happening to the great USA. lol

    Your review is decent. Your comments at the end are a fail. Good day, sir.

  28. i love the power, when i live the house hammer up always the grips sucks 9 rounds not enough for me and what i need now is the muzzle brake
    i call it flame thrower

  29. In Russia it is quite the sport to use the M57 to hunt Bear with, they will reach out like the 5.7 X 28 FN pistol, from what I understand FN studied these weapons when they built the PS90 and the 5.7 x 28 pistol. Nice fun affordable gun.

  30. Does Anybody Know Were I Can Buy A Slide Stop Retainer Clip For My M57,Can’t Seem To Fine Any In Stock.

  31. I am currently working in Korea and do not have access to real guns. I have been having some fun with airsoft replicas. I am scoping out a nice looking Tokarev replica, but I have an issue with the grip. It seems really short and I don’t know if that’s just how Tokarevs are or if the replica is not made correctly. Now I am a big guy, 6’6″ and my hands are correspondingly monstrous. Should my pinky be hanging off the end of a Tokarev’s grip? Thanks from Korea.

  32. I have two M57’s and had trouble with the safety on one.I finally removed them both.Now they fire great except hollow points jam by hitting the rear of the barrel.They both came with two magazines but two of the four hold eight rounds and the other two hold nine.I have had them apart and cannot see any difference.Any input?

  33. Thank you so much for your very informative videos. I love shooting this round! My family also enjoy shooting the Makarov.

  34. I have a Norinco TT33 a Chinese copy of the Russian gun .Definitely a copy of John browning design. THIS IS WHY IT IS SO ROBUST AND COMBAT RELIABLE AND ACCURACY FOR IS BUILD DESIGN MATCHES THAT OF OLD ARMORY 1911 DESIGN. I HAVE FIRE OVER 1K ROUNDS WITH NO JAMBS OR MALFUNCTIONS AND CAN QUALIFY ON ANY POLICE RANGE WITH IT.
    WHEN I BOUGHT IT IT WAS LES THAN $100 BRAND NEW IN THE BOX .
    THIS GUN WOULDN’T BE SO GOOD IF IT WASN’T A COPY OF AMERICAN DESIGN

  35. What’s Yugoslavian for “OOPS”? Well, it’s exactly the same as the American one: “ups”. But if you were to accidentally fire your gun, you’d be yelling “jebi ga” which stands for “frak it” 😉

  36. Just so you know guys, i have shot this gun a lot and since im from serbia, well its natural since the prices of handguns that are considered “high quality” are sky high. this pistol in particular costs next to nothing even here, ammo price is near chewing gum prices and all in all you cant go wrong with this one.
    im shooting this since my army days (not to get confused until 2005 every male had to go for 12 months of service) so lets say good 11years i have been having fun with this one. 100 yards? not a problem.
    whats even more fun is that after you master this, you take any 9mm and you shoot like a bob lee swagger. (ok he was a sniper but you get the idea.)
    my father shot a shqiptar terrorist somewhere in the early 90`s with a headshot. he doesnt recollect what was the distance exactly and it doesnt matter cause the bullet went on for next 100 meters or so and stopped in the schoolyard wall. THIS is why everyone chooses to abandon this caliber. and for good reasons. if we were talking about full on war , it would be ok but at civilian usage you are in the world of problems if you hit someone innocent.

    back to the subject. m57 is awesome. eastern block was never picky about looks, customization and whatnot. guns are like alcohol. they are either good or bad. work or do not. this one is good.

    check zastavas ez9 that one is phenomenal at its price range. also i would sell my left nut if someone made new smgs in this caliber. 7,62×25 kicks ass. thats all. Gavrilo out.

  37. The NEWLY manufactured Zastava M57 ( with 2 new mags ) can be bought from 230-300 dollars NEW. What is special about the 7.62X25 is that it will penetrate body armor that will eat a 45 ACP. The Privi Partizan and Winchester ammo have advertised velocities of over 1600 fps MV and over 500 FT LBS ME. It is at 357 mag energy level with superior penetration.For those who like to insult or belittle Russian weapon designs say the following TT33,T34-85, JS3,AK47,RPK,SVD,RPG,Mig 3,LA7,T90,MIG 29,SU37.If Russia did not absorb Hitler’s war machine WW2 could have ended differently.I read somewhere that the 45ACP did not reliably penetrate Russian WW2 winter clothing,the 7.62X25 zipped right through.I had a Springfield Armory Ultra Compact 45ACP,i got rid of it.I carry a Zastava M57 with Privi ammo.I carry it more than my Glock 31 357 sig or my Glock20C 10mm. Jim

  38. I bought the m57, I believe it’s military issue, has the crest and all the numbers are matching, and the only thing is for me. It shoots high haha the rear sights should be replaced, but when I just Kentucky wind it it’s dead on lol I love the pistol any advice to make it a tac pistol? Or a way to smooth it?

  39. Corey, I have 2 of the M57’s, best thing to do is not attempt to make the Yugo into some “Tactical -add everything you can onto” pistols, buy a more modern pistol if that is your intent.

    My reason for saying that is because the M57 is a slim , easy to carry automatic, one of the most beneficial changes you can do is buy some Marschal wrap around wood grips for the Yugo, I have them on both of my M57’s, not cheap, but high quality, and enhanced handling. Just my opinion.

  40. Classic Arms is selling new manufactured Zastava M57. Fit and finish are better than the originals plus they have a safety that actually works for cocked and locked carry. I plan on getting a pair later this month. For 239.99 whats not to like.

  41. I purchased a Zastava M57 Tokarev and really liked it, that is until the captive recoil spring/guide rod broke. Customer service is abysmal, I have been trying to get a replacement part from the importer since mid October 2013 – and after looking everywhere to get this piece I have still not found one. While I like the gun it has turned out to be an expensive paperweight – because of the lack of replacement parts and bad customer service I would not purchase another product from this company, It is very bad to say that if you decide to buy this gun purchase 2 so you have spare parts for when it breaks.

  42. Buy the newest M-57 and buy 2 of them , one fore using , the other fore spareparts , beware of recoil and overpenetration is fore sure , Reliability is as good as the ammo you are using , Clean every time after you fire it ,
    7,62*25 is a very potent cartridge , beware of flash/dragon att nightshooting it will blind you and reveal your position ,
    Train by shooting a woodloog dim 3inches wide and 2feet tall from 3yard and hit it every time , when you hit it with 7of 8 round the take Woodlogg to 10 yard line and do the same ,
    Fore me the Woodlogg is a Terrorist / Burglar spine , take care of your M57 its a good gun proven by time ,

  43. Very interesting thread. I especially liked discussion on penetration. Over penetration is a major issue with me and is one reason I carry .380 – Frontal area/velocity/bullet weight seems sort of like a .45 lite.

    A hardball thirty two at 1500 ft/sec? hmmm

  45. My three Tokarovs, One of which is missing import marks, never release the slide when I insert a mag.
    One makes a lot of noise, lots of fire, and has no accuracy, the next one shoots straight, lots of noise
    and the last, the one with the import marks missing, shoots straight, makes a lot of noise, lots of fire,
    and like the other three, is fun to shoot. And they eat all of the crimped Russian Army ammo I can feed into
    them. Cheap shooting , fun, and no worry about reloads. Half the brass are split when they come out
    of the ejection port, but the ol’ toke just keeps trucking along. I figure they will last longer than I will.
    I would buy a brand new one, but they probably are FUBAR like every thing else new.

    • “Half the brass are split when they come out of the ejection port, but the ol’ toke just keeps trucking along.” While out at the range this summer, a fellow shooter picked up a casing that my Yugo (M57) spit out and mentioned that it was split. I told him that many of them do and I have fired hundreds of rounds with never a problem. Great post. And you are right, the ol’ toke just keeps trucking along!

      • Rob,
        Since my last post, I purchased a brand new Zavasta M57. Same deal as the Yugo Toks.
        eats any brand ammo, and runs like a Swiss clock. Also, I have bought a Norinco
        M213 9MM it too shoots like a dream.
        Joe

  46. This article had too many failed attempts at comedy and not enough info about the gun being reviewed.

    • Larry,
      TT is the best-ever Russian pistol model. In Red Army, it was introduced before WWII as a successor of Nagant revolver but then quickly substituted with a more primitive Makarov pistol because its mass production was problematic at that time. TT is a proven military-grade tool, nothing fancy, just deadly effective. It stays very stable during rapid fire because of its good balance and reduced recoil (opposite to Makarov). Do not listed to plinking kids – they value it only because of cheap Russian surplus ammo (already gone). In my shooting practice, TT works better than Beretta A96 and Glock (why I even mention this plastic junk?). I would say it shoots better than Kimber 1911 (for much less money). I recommend you to use modern Czech or Serb ammo for it – the complains about fireballs are related to bad powder in old cartridges. If you know guns, you must have one of these.

    • Well you’ll have that in life. It’s not all fun and games, sometimes it’s just fun. Pull your snoot out of your ass, it doesn’t hurt to have a little fun, I’ve learned everything I want to know about my Tokarev here and found it to be thoroughly enjoyable.

  47. A friend just bought a brand-new Zastava M57A and shot some surplus ammo I have been using in my CZ52, and his barrel split after just a few rounds. Anyone heard of Zastava barrels splitting?

  48. Someone needs to import cases of magazines for the M57 and sell them for $10-$15 piece! They also need to make/convert some PPS-41 drums for the PPS-43!

  50. My Brand-New M57 Experience:
    Bought two, and one had a bad safety; with the safety on “S”, the hammer would fall after a few squeezes of the trigger. Sent back to distributor for replacement.
    Received replacement pistol that literally fell apart in my hands on its first range outing:
    Front sight fell out of its dovetail and was almost lost. Just slid right out on the second or third shot.
    Then the cross-pinned plug on the end of the guide rod (which captures the spring and retaining collar onto the rod) popped off and went flying and was almost lost.
    So that makes two out of three “brand new” yet defective Zastava M57s.
    No more M57s for me.

  51. Just bought an old M57 and it won’t completely chamber the 762×25. A 9mm will chamber & eject. I assume it has been converted with a barrel/bushing swap. Anybody know the id/od of the 2 barrels before I (gulp) pull the trigger? If it were converted, is it reasonable to expect that the 762×25 wouldn’t chamber fully?

    • Neil,, take it to a gunsmith and have him do a head space check. No way will you be able to fire a 9mm in
      a 7.62X25 barrel. or vice versa. You could be in very serious danger. Do not attempt firing this weapon.
      Blackie

  54. The other day, while I was at work, my cousin stole my iphone and tested to see if
    it can survive a 30 foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation.
    My iPad is now broken and she has 83 views. I know this is completely off
    topic but I had to share it with someone!

  55. I am having a problem with both of my C&R Yugoslav M57 Tokarevs (Used but in VG+ condition) AND both of my Zavasta M57 Tokarevs (those brand new) with the magazines sticking and not ejecting.

    In the new pistols, a partial ejection (about 1″ out)

    In the old ones, one ejects out about 3/4″ and the other one about 1/4″. In both of the old ones, in inserting the magazine one feels the mag hitting a “snag” briefly about halfway up. In the worse of the old ones it clearly also needs a new mag release mechanism – it worked okay initially, though felt weak… but with continued manipulation it seems the spring has completely weakened. I have one on order from Numrich. But that isn’t the sole problem, as I switched the mag release from the other old one and it still does not eject more than 1/4″.

    Inserting and removing the magazine repeatedly allowed me to note faint long scratches in the same area on the LEFT sideof every magazine when ran thru on the older Yugo 57s. (I have 10 M57 mags, 5 of them brand new, and the others in VG – Excellent condition excepting one which requires a slight bending of the lip on one side).

    The only thing that I see on the pistol that could be causing that scratch mark is the pin from the left side grip removal lever mechanism in the grip. Is it possible that both pistols have a slight amount of projection dragging against the mag? Even if so, I wonder if that is just part of the problem as when I observe it with the grips removed, the top of the mag (every mag) snags momentarily at the entry gap of the trigger mechanism and that clearly is a very tight fit – on both pistols (possibly the trigger return spring needs bent back slight at the top as it is exerting excessive pressure)?

    If anyone has has similar problem, knows of any fixes, or can point in a direction of assistance, it would be much appreciated.

    I found this, which “seems” to come close:

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lEzY_8YhNII

    Thanks.

  57. I like my M57. It is as “at home” in a holster in the woods as it is at the range. The .30 Tokarev (7.62 x 25) is an outstanding performer. With modern expanding ammunition, this is quite dependable for stopping humans.

    All we need to have is a load from Underwood (read: Extreme Penetrator) load for the cartridge. this would permit the non-expanding bullet to exert it’s hydraulic energy to create an enormous crush cavity.

  58. Since my last post, I have fired many rounds in my Yugos, and my cz M57 (brand new) I have had no
    problems with any of them, no loose safetys, dropping mags etc… This year, I bought
    a Chicom Norinco M213, 9MM Parabellum and it has a chrome lined barrel. Ditto with the reliability.
    Nice thing about the Russky and Chicom guns, they really eat up steel case ammo.
    So does my Makarov CZ82 9MM.

  59. I’m looking at a 1993 yugo tokarev that my brother has for sale for $300. I don’t believe he’d steer me wrong. He says it’s a good meat- and- potatoes weapon. I guess my only question is this: Is this particular model one of the ones I should expect to have mag/safety/etc. trouble with? Any input would be greatly appreciated…
    Also, excellent discussion.

  61. I absolutely love my Tokarev m57. It’s fun to shoot, it’s accurate as hell, and dependable as a 60’s VW. As a policeman I always carried a .357 magnum revolver. I always hated the plastic Pieces of shit they were trying to get us to “step up to” as they would say. I’ve seen’em jamb, I’ve actually seen the slide fly off of the end of a brand spanking new Glock, return spring guide rod broke and there it went, parts flying downrange with the cop standing there wondering what the hell just happened. Well I found out that the guide rod was made out of………..you guessed, PLASTIC. I was laughing like hell and when the SGT. whose idea it was to buy these pieces of shit, asked what I thought was so funny, I told him that Wilson could barely hit anything anyway and that maybe the extra parts flying downrange along with the round might improve his chances. He didn’t get the humor but I got two weeks on midnight turn but I didn’t care, it was worth it. I immediately went home and ordered a steel guide rod for mine as I shot plenty well enough and did’t need the extra shrapnel. I was always under the impression that if you couldn’t hit what you were aiming at in 6 rounds, you should have probably been running for cover for a reload. I never trusted auto-loaders, too many moving part and too many things to go wrong. Ever see a Revolver stove pipe? Neither have I. Now this Tokarev has gotten my attention. After about 500 rounds I’ve had two issues, both ammo related. I just cocked it again and off they both went. Few moving parts, short stroke, very manageable recoil, and as accurate as can be. I might have considered carrying this one. 10 rounds is plenty. I was never the “spray and pray” kind of guy which too many of our officers are becoming today as the capacities just keep getting bigger and bigger. Accuracy and economy of fire will take the day every time. My Wife, God bless her soul, isn’t the best shot, Buffalo Bill would probably have taken her . I took her out back with this gun and set up 6 5 gallon plastic buckets about thirty yard range, and told he not to over aim, relax, and just point and shoot. I’ll be damned if she didn’t hit 5 out of 6 of those buckets. That’s the best shooting she’s ever done in her life. She was worried about the recoil as she’s all of 4’9″ and 110 soaking wet. She said her SCCY 9 mm had twice the recoil. Well, long story short my M57 now resides in he drawer, purse, or wherever she happens to be and I’m now waiting on mine to arrive. Learned a valuable lesson though…SHUT THE HELL UP. Opps, gotta go, I hear her coming up the stairs.

  62. I bought one recently. It came with a very thin sheet metal “safety” lever that was pinned to the frame under the left grip. I was the worst safety I have ever seen, and I am old. It was designed to stop the rear movement of the transfer bar (which had a small notch put in it) when pushed down. When moving the safety up (Fire) or Down (Safe), there was no positive feedback to indicate it would stay in position. In fact it would not because the only thing supposed to put tension of the lever was a tiny rubber o-ring. I removed the grip, popped the lever off, and then punched the retaining rivet out. This took all of 5 minutes to do. It does not appear that the grip panel was relieved for this useless piece of metal, so with it removed, there is no gap between the grip and the frame. Looking at the pistol, there is nothing to indicate there ever was an import-required safety on it. The pistol runs flawlessly now. Before, the safety rivet actually impeded the insertion and removal of the magazine. Not all Toks were given such a safety. Some require much more effort to remove, and they leave a hole in the frame and a cut out in the grip panel.

  63. Well,…..I read through this whole thing, and some posts amused me (mildly), and some angered me (also mildly). Obviously, there is a lot of misinformation about “Techa” (Serbian nickname for the pistol) in the States. First,…..I am a former JNA officer, that served with JNA for 20 years. I was trained (extensively), and I trained others on this pistol for YEARS.

    The original post was more of a feeble attempt to be humorous, than publishing ANY useful information about the pistol. It also managed to insert some misinformation as well. Let me assure you, M57 CAN NOT fire if the hammer is on half cock, and that happens to be the ONLY safety designed for this pistol ORIGINALLY. All external safeties that you see on the pistol are afterthought, or better said, “American bullshit compliance” (added after they were sold to USA). The pistol will also NOT fire if it’s in the good working order, when the magazine is inserted. “The pain in your palm when you slam the mag home”? The pistol was not designed in the West, where “mag slamming” is a norm. We were trained to gently insert the mag, and press it home until it clicks.
    I carried this pistol in Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo, and I carry it today (every day). I carry it the way I was trained, which means with the round in the chamber, and on half cock. Just as some of you (former cops, or military) have “muscle memory” to unholster, rack the slide (or swipe the safety down on 911 carried in “condition one”), I have the muscle memory to pull it out of my waistband, and with the thumb of my shooting hand pull the hammer back to “fire” position (my hands are big). I own MANY pistols (all of them more “modern”), but I trust this thing with my life (as I did so many years ago). Since I reside in the States now, my Techa has the slide mounted safety, which I can’t remove (it would show the holes in the slide). I never use this “safety”. As in NEVER. After I purchased it (over 10 years ago), I promptly removed the “magazine safety”, which the original pistol never had. Mine is the original CRVENA ZASTAVA (I put this in caps, because some of the “gun gurus” in this thread can’t even spell “Zastava” correctly!!) produced sometime in the 70s, but altered for the “American market to be compliant”.
    One former cop up in this thread spoke the truth,…..IF I ever need more than 10 rounds (nine in the mag, and one up the pipe),…..I better carry my M70AB2.

    • I was in the hurry to post the above, and I made a mistake. My Techa has the FRAME mounted safety, not the slide mounted one. Since English is not my first language (not even second, or third!), I hope I satisfactory expressed myself.

  64. Bravo Branko! I will continue in English which is not my first language (not even second, or third). I am also a former JNA officer (flag rank), and my first language is the one that “doesn’t exist’ anymore (you guessed it, it’s Serbo-Croatian). I also trained my troops on this pistol for many years (before the flag rank). I have the same model as yours (frame mounted “safety”) which I never use, and carry my Techa chambered, and on half cock. There is a lot of bull on this site (and many others) regarding this pistol. I carried my issued one in Kosovo, Bosnia, and Croatia as well, even after getting higher up in rank, when M70 was preferred by my colleagues (because of its smaller size). Here in the States, I carry it every day, and I carry it “Mexican” (I hope you know the term?) with a round in the chamber. Budi dobar, i uzivaj u Americkoj “slobodi”.

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