| has gloss | eng: The Type 54 (Traditional Chinese:54式手槍, Simplified Chinese: 54式手枪), Type 51, M20, TU-90 and Model 213 pistols are Chinese copies of the Soviet type Tokarev T-33. It was first adopted in 1951 and produced in Shenyangs Factory 66 as the Type 51 using both Russian and Chinese-made parts. In 1954, after approximately 250,000 pistols were manufactured, the designation was changed to Type 54 and the pistol used exclusively indigenous components. This type of pistol is commonly available in 7.62x25mm caliber, although some variants have been made in 9x19mm Parabellum. Norinco, the Peoples Liberation Army's state weapons manufacturer in China, still manufactures a commercial variant of the Tokarev pistol chambered in the more common 9x19mm Parabellum round, known as the Tokarev Model 213, as well as in the original 7.62x25mm caliber. It features a safety catch, which was absent on Soviet-produced TT-33 handguns. Furthermore, the Model 213 features the thin slide grip grooves, as opposed to the original Russian wide-types. The 9 mm model is featured with a magazine well block mounted in the rear of the magazine well to accept 9 mm type magazines without frame modification. |
