65. Day, February 8, 2022
Today we turn to our hero's service pistol!
Basically, two different models were worn in the Red Army:
The first was the "Nagant" revolver M 1895, a tried and tested in five wars, mature and indestructible weapon, caliber 7.62 × 38 mm, seven shots.
The gun fired special ammunition, the projectile of which was completely surrounded by the case before firing!
The weapon was absolutely "man-stopping", it was often used by NKVD troops - also as a weapon shot in the neck during executions...:
Its disadvantage: The "Nagant" was relatively unwieldy and heavy with a length of 235 mm and a weight of almost one kilo.
At the front, another pistol was far more popular:
The self-loading pistol "Tokarev TT-33", the "33" indicates the year of manufacture, fired lighter cartridges of caliber 7.62 × 25 mm, eight cartridges each fit in the magazine...:
Ammunition was readily available, the Soviet submachine gun "PPSh 41" (and later also the "PPS 43") fired the same cartridges.
With a length of 196 mm and a weight of 0.8 kg, the Tokarev was significantly more manageable than the "Nagant" revolver, like all Soviet weapons it was technically robust and indestructible...:
However, the "Tokarew TT-33" had two disadvantages: A single bullet was not always "man-stopping" and it had to be cleaned relatively often, otherwise the mechanics tended to jam.
Nevertheless, many officers preferred the "Tokarew" to the "Nagant" - including our hero.
I cleaned the holster of sprues today...
... and then attached to the bust with two-component glue...:
Then the cleaning rod was attached, which was attached to the front of every "TT-33" bag as standard with two leather loops...:
In this respect, the kit is exemplary in terms of detailing!
Tomorrow the pistol holster will be primed and painted.
Cheers
Nagant over Tokarev any day. I had both on my ticket back when such things were possible here. Nagant service ammo was hard to get but my "Tok" was a licence built one from Egypt in 9mm Para - ammo no issue.
