KWA Tokarev TT-33
Ordering:
I purchased this gun from ASGI for $134.95 with a coupon code for 10% off. This is on the low end of many KWA GBB pistols since many of them run between $150-$170 except for a few(ATP, USP Tactical). The gun was ordered on 6/13 and received it on 6/15 using their free shipping option. The gun came in a roughly 13inx13in box with paper padding pushing the Tokarev's box to the bottom. Both boxes came undamaged and sealed.
Most notable:
The KWA Tokarev is one of the few copies of this gun and currently the easiest to get. This gun was originally designed and created in early 1930s Soviet Russia; therefore it lacks many of the common features of European/American handguns. The first thing that MUST be noted is that this gun has
no standard safety. There is, instead, a trigger style safety. In order to fire the gun, one must push the trigger at the correct angle. If you push the bottom of the trigger the gun will not fire. This is not the same as the standard trigger safeties on the old Mp7 AEPs and KWA ATPs. The other thing that must be noted is the angle of the grip is quite different than NATO style guns. I suggest finding someone with one and testing the grip out before buying one.
Opening the box:
Inside the box you will find the same layout as all other KWA GBB pistols: GBB, magazine, BBs, oil bottle, manual, and warranty card. The box is also a standard KWA design with the gray stiff Styrofoam packing to assure the gun isn't damaged while in the box. When you first open the box the most obvious this you'll notice is the lack of trademarks. Unlike most KWAs, there are few bright white trademarks and nothing beyond etched markings. The handgrips are made of a shinny plastic and the gun itself is flat gray, but still has the KWA paint glare. But, need not worry since the real one also looks like this(except the obvious airsoft glare). It's not like the Russians had much time to make them look pretty.
Specs:
These specs are taken from kwausa.com
Overall Length = 19.5 cm [7.68"]
Overall Height = 13 cm [5.12"]
Inner Barrel Length = 104 mm
Inner Barrel Diameter = 6.05 mm
Weight = 0.75 kg [1.65 lbs]
Caliber = 6 mm
Magazine Capacity = 11 rounds
Velocity = 104-107 MPS [340-350 FPS]
Energy Output with 0.20g BB = 1.07 Joules
Gas System = NS2
Propellant = Gas
Just so you guys know that by gas they mean green gas. KWA does not approve of propane being substituted as green gas in their guns.
Externals/Appearance
As stated above, the gun has a slightly different finish from other KWA GBB pistols. It's more flat gray when compared to my M226. The slide is made out of metal with a integrated front sight. The front sight is just a non-marked vertical post. The rear sight appears to be placed into a notch and may be hard plastic. The rear sight is a simple standard groove design using a U indention. The sights work well together and the front pin is just big enough to fill the bottom of the U. This makes it easy to tell if your aim is off to either side. The one thing you will notice is that the hammer(in the up position) blocks the rear post. It does NOT block the sight or impede the use of the sight.
On the top of the slide, between the rear sight and ejection port, you will find some trademarks. They are etched into the metal and state "BK989 * 1941" and note the * is the a placeholder for the actual Soviet Star. I believe these are the Russian manufacturing marks and dates. From what I've seen in other reviews these will be the same on every gun. The ejection port is just that and there is nothing special to note here. The black paint is a bit flat, but this resembles the real Tokarev.
What you will find interesting are the rear slide rack grips. These notches alternate between a line and a long U. They are deep enough to rack the slide with ease but feel a bit weird. Compare these to the rear rack notches on the KWA M226 and Mk23 in how they are designed. It takes a bit to get use to.
Another interesting thing you will find is the front of the gun. The slide wraps all the way around and goes into the lower when the gun fires or slide is racket. There is no exposed spring guide. The only thing that is exposed when the slide goes back is the plastic outer barrel. It looks a bit odd a first, but functions just fine with no jamming issues.
The lower is also metal and in the same flat gray as the upper. Before I start on the sides, the grips are of a shinny plastic; don't let the appearance fool you though as they are very sturdy. The grip's high points are somewhat slick, yet this is negated by the striations going down the grips. These work well, but are not as good as standard/modern grips. On the center of both grips you will find the Soviet Star and the letters CCCP. What most people don't know is that this is Cyrillic and stands for Сою́з Сове́тских Социалисти́ческих Респу́блик. In Cyrillic the C and P and roughly equal to the S and R of English. Don't worry, I won't phonetically spell out the entire name. The USSR is the abbreviated English version and CCCP is the Cyrillic. You will also notice the sharp indention inwards on both grips at the top of them. This makes gripping the pistol easier and is a natural place the thumb and trigger finger rest. The difference between both sides lies on the left side of the gun. On the bottom back corner the grip is cut out and smoothed out. This is where you'll find a block U which is the lanyard attachment. Using the gun as a rightly this isn't noticed, but as a lefty you'll feel it on your palm. With a lanyard on lefties may not like this very much and find the gun somewhat difficult to hold(shown later).
On the left side of the gun you'll find the slide release, KWA trademarks, and magazine release. The slide release is only activated by the empty mag. It has no springs and seems to be made from the same material as the back sight. The slide release is very streamlined with the gun and stop the slide with no issues. This doesn't look like it will pose a problem of wear down in the near future. Manually locking the slide isn't difficult at all, however the slide release is a bit uncomfortable to use. As stated, it's streamlined with the gun and it doesn't stick out far. The release contact-thumb area is fairly small. So your thumb is hitting an edge of the release and can be a bit annoying. After using it for a bit your thumb can feel a bit rough from using it.
Yet, the magazine release is very easy to use. It's a simple circular push button that's easy to push. Because of the way the top of the grips are cut your thumb will automatically rest on the release. Switching mags, or accidentally release one, is very easy to do.
Just like the trademarks on the slide these are etched into the metal and not colored in; unlike most KWA GBBs. From front to back it will be the serial number, Soviet Star, and KWA. Given how other KWAs are all serialed, it's fairly safe to say this is unique to each gun except for the star and KWA.
On the right side of the gun you will find the only white trademarks. A bright "Manufactured in Taiwan" just below the rack notches.
You're probably wondering what that thing is on the right side of it. The slide release is held in place by a clip....and yes I wrote that right. The clip goes over the first pin and latches onto the slide release pin. This keeps the slide release in place and does so very well. In order to break this gun down, I had to use a pair of players to pull the clip out of the gun. It does not come off very easily so I have little worry of losing it on the field.
The Tokarev has no safety; instead, KWA made a trigger safety. In order to fire the gun you must pull the trigger cleanly from the middle-top. If you pull it from the middle-bottom the gun will not fire. The trigger actually rotates a bit up and down due to this. It's a feature I wish the gun didn't have since I have miss pulled while using it in CQB: It's very easy to do. But, don't let that fool you into thinking the trigger sucks.
The hammer, also, has a bit of a weird trait that should be mentioned. The hammer only has 2 states and no de-cocking lever; cocked and uncocked. However, you can click the hammer back slightly(or when disarming it) to set before it is in uncocked mode. You will have small gap between the hammer and rear of the gun. I did test this and the trigger itself will fire as if the gun was cocked. Yet, the gun didn't cycle or discharge any gas. I'd watch this as a potential area for mishap.
Internals:
Now that the externals are covered it's time to move to the internals. To separate the slide from the gun you have to flip the gun to the right side. You pull the clip sideways(towards the rear): I have to use a pair of pliers since it's really tight. Be careful in doing it this way as you may scratch the gun/paint with the pliers; since, you don't have much room or bend the clip. I've bent it once, but it was easy to re-bend. Hopefully, this will break in and become easier.
Just slide the pin out. The slide will just come right off with no effort at all so be careful when you do this.
The spring guide is removed like normal. You push it towards the front of the gun and pull it out. Pay close attention to the part that attaches to the barrel assembly. It has a notch that faces the top of the gun and goes around the front of the assembly. To remove the outer barrel assembly you must push it out the front of the gun. This is done by twisting the end cap(front of the gun). This opens up the front of the gun, of which is used as the exit for the outer barrel assembly. You just push the assembly out of the gun.
The lower assembly looks like a standard GBB as does the rear of the top assembly. Nothing special to note here. Since it is still covered by warranty, I won't be tearing it down any further.
The outer barrel is plastic and non-threaded. It's solid orange paint.
Magazine:
The magazine is a 10 rounder. As you can see in the picture it is easy to tell when the magazine is full of BBs. There will be a gap that won't easily allow another BB to enter the mag. The magazine itself is made of metal and very thin. To compare this to normal GBB; I have included a picture that contains(left to right) the magazines(KWA) of an M226, Tokarev(TT-33), and Mk23.
Use:
For the test, I used a standard 6 inch target inside of a closed garage. The distance was approximately 20-21 feet from the paper target. From a fully charged magazine I was able to fire 32 rounds before the gun began to have firing problems. I was quite surprised it was able to fire that many out of such a small magazine. The gun had no jams, hicups, misfires, and the trigger didn't lock up or jam. I did miss fire it once at a game due to my finger shifting and pulling the bottom of the trigger. The recoil was decent and fairly typical of a GBB. It isn't that of the Mk23, but you can feel it and it provides enough kick to be fun. But, it does take a little bit to get use to the grip. As the comparison pictures show, the gun's grip is at a different angle and size. This takes a little time to get use to and adapt. This isn't a bad nor good thing since it's just how the gun is made.
http://youtu.be/y7abBix_mkU
