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| Type 54 | |
|---|---|
 The export version of Type 54-1. | |
| Type | Semi-automatic pistol |
| Place of origin | China |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1954–present |
| Used by | SeeUsers |
| Wars | Sino-Indian War Vietnam War Indo-Pakistan war of 1971 Laotian Civil War Cambodian Civil War Cambodian-Vietnamese War Rhodesian Bush War Sino-Vietnamese War Sri Lankan Civil War Somali Civil War Kargil war |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Norinco |
| Designed | 1954 |
| Manufacturer | Norinco |
| Produced | 1954–present |
| Variants | SeeVariants |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 890 g (31 oz) |
| Length | 195 mm (7.7 in) |
| Barrel length | 116 mm (4.6 in) |
| Height | 134 mm (5.3 in) |
| Cartridge | 7.62×25mm .38 Super 9×19mm Parabellum |
| Action | Short recoil actuated, locked breech, single action, semi-auto |
| Muzzle velocity | 420 m/s (1,378 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 50 m |
| Feed system | 7 and 8 -round detachablebox magazine, 14-round box magazine (213A/B) |
| Sights | Front blade, rear notch 156 mm (6.1 in) sight radius |
TheType 54 (simplified Chinese:54式手枪;traditional Chinese:54式手槍)[1] and its variants (Type 51,M20,TU-90 andModel 213 pistols) are Chinese copies of the Soviet typeTokarev TT-33.
Type 54 pistols are also known colloquially as "Black Star" pistols (Traditional Chinese:黑星手槍,Simplified Chinese: 黑星手枪)[2] due to thefive-pointed star engraved on its all-blackgrip panel.
The Type 54 is the improved version of the Type 51 (Chinese copy of theTT-33) produced after theKorean War. The Type 51 was first adopted in 1951 and produced in Shenyang's Factory 66 using both Soviet 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. The Magazine is interchangeable with that of the Russian TT-33. The pistol is commonly available in7.62×25mm caliber, although some variants have been made in9×19mm Parabellum.
Though theQSZ-92 (Type 92) has supplemented the Type 54 in the Army, the weapon is still in service in some of the Chinese armed forces (such as thePeople's Armed Police and somePeople's Liberation Army troops) today.
The Vietnamese used the Type 54 during the Vietnam War, with the designationsúng ngắn K-54[3] (a Vietnamese translation from the Chinese 54式手枪 (type 54 hand gun), with K forKiểu beingtype). Type 54 pistols were smuggled into Japan in a significant quantity, often for use by theYakuza.
Norinco, thePeople's Liberation Army's state weapons manufacturer in China, still manufactures a commercial variant of the Tokarev pistol chambered in the more common 9×19mm Parabellum round, known as theTokarev Model 213, as well as in the original 7.62×25mm 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 9×19mm model is featured with a magazine well block mounted in the rear of the magazine well to accept 9×19mm-type magazines without frame modification.
The Norinco model in current production is not available for sale in the United States due to import prohibitions on Chinese firearms, although older handguns of the Model 213 type imported in the 1980s and 1990s are common.
TheM20 was a version of the Type 54 made without factory markings to conceal the weapon's origins. Many of these were provided to North Vietnamese forces during the Vietnam War, which is also called K54. An updated version known as the K14-VN is made by Factory Z111, and has an increased capacity of 13 rounds, with a wider grip to incorporate a double stack magazine, which is based on theTokarev Model 213. Research and development started in 2001. The K14-VN began to see service with PAVN forces on May 10, 2014.
TheTU-90 (also known as theNP-10 orModel 213-B) is an improved Model 213 similar to the Hungarian-designed and manufactured, Egyptian contracted Tokagypt 58 of the 1950s. Construction is primarily of forged and machined steel, with a matte blued finish. The grips are of wrap-around rubber ribbed on the side.
Newer variants like theWQ213B54,213-A andNT04, with a double stacked magazine, have been developed.
The industry name for the regular K54 and the K14-VN is known as SN7M and the SN7TD.
