[AnaxImperator]

I wandered into my favorite gun-dealer today; ostensibly to buy some 7.62x39, as Saturday is my fun-time. The shop has an awesome book collection, huge holster/cases/gun-safe selection, reloading & cleaning stuff, black-powder/shotgun goodies, military/police/tactical gear.... and firearms lining all four walls & in cases as well.

After browsing for the better part of an hour, I picked up my AK ammo and made a final quick looksee past the used-gun cases. Usually the pistols in there are police trade-ins (Beretta, HK, & Glocks), with a few derringers and revolvers for spice. I didn't see anything during my cursory inspection that was either in my price-range or interesting, and I turned to leave. But something prickled at my neck-hairs, and I returned for a closer look at the bottom shelves of the cases.

And there hidden beneath some well-used, old Beretta 92s, lay a Norinco 9mm Model 213!

At that point, several guys had walked up to the case and were eyeballing the used pistols. After calling dibs out loud, I practically ran to the nearest store employee at the front of the store and got him to pull the Norinco for me. I didn't have the full price amount on-hand, and I was crossing my fingers that they had layaway on used guns. They do, so I slammed down my deposit and left the store most rickey-tick to scrounge up the remainder. It took me another two hours to pawn an extra cell-phone I had & call for an early birthday present of cash; but soon enough I was back to claim my Chinese Tokarev.

Not only is it in beautiful condition, but the price was wonderfully right. It also doesn't have that horrible commercial add-on abortion (safety) behind the trigger, instead it's a small lever on the rear of the frame. In comparison to my Polish TT, the Norinco doesn't feel quite as solid; but it's still a well made, burly chunk of steel.

I think it's an earlier import, as I've never heard of or seen anything imported by "SportArms, Miami, FL".

I'm gonna have to zero & drift the rear sight some, as it's way over to the left. The single magazine it came with is very sticky once loaded & in the mag well. In order to drop it, I have to nudge the mag floorplate to the left while hitting the mag-release, and then pull it out of the well. A good lube may help, but I think it's because the magazine is rather chinsey.
Once I've ironed-out that issue, this piece is going to be my best-friend while I'm out & about.

I picked up a clearance Bianchi clip-on holster to go with it, as well as Federal Hydra-Shoks, BlazerCCI FMJs, and Federal JHPs.
Oh yeah.... I didn't get any 7.62x39.

 

[Warhogg]

It's going to be hard to find a better shooting gun than that Polish TT-33! That gun looks familiar, how's it shooting? ;-)

I had a Chinese Norinco TT-33 back in the early 1990's when I was in college, it was my first TT & turned me on to these great guns. Mine was blued & had the same safety (behind the grip). I lost one of the screws & the lever kept falling out *doh*!...didn't matter since the gun was originally designed without a safety, and shot great anyway! Great score on that Norinco - They are no longer importable. Yours in in 9mm I see...if you like the 7.62 cartridge, you can get a extra replacement barrel for it.

I know someday you will succumb and buy an original without a safety....it's inevitable, give in to the dark side!

 

[AnaxImperator]

It's going to be hard to find a better shooting gun than that Polish TT-33! That gun looks familiar, how's it shooting? ;-)

I'm still waiting on the slide-stop retaining clip from Marstar.... I had to re-order it, they evidently never got my initial order.

Without the correct clip, your old Pollock D) will only fire at most 3 rounds before the slide locks back. My field-expedient e-clip repair doesn't keep the slide-stop from wiggling while firing, thereby catching the slide. Now I know why the retaining clip is designed the way it is.

I had a Chinese Norinco TT-33 back in the early 1990's when I was in college, it was my first TT & turned me on to these great guns. Mine was blued & had the same safety (behind the grip). I lost one of the screws & the lever kept falling out *doh*!...didn't matter since the gun was originally designed without a safety, and shot great anyway! Great score on that Norinco - They are no longer importable. Yours in in 9mm I see...if you like the 7.62 cartridge, you can get a extra replacement barrel for it.

I had an inkling that I'd scored a little gem at the dealer today.
From what little information I've found online about the Norinco M213, they were only imported in 1988 or 1989. Some of them had slides with large 7.62 ejection ports and wide 7.62 mags w/ inserts, while others like mine, have small ejection ports and inserts inside the mag-well.
I gather that the large ejection port - wide magazine 9mm versions are more desirable, as the 9mm barrel can be swapped with a 7.62 without changing slides.

I almost jumped out of my boots when I saw the Norinco was a 9mm.... After much research, I've decided that the 7.62x25mm is less than ideal as a SD/HD round; which sucks because the TT is so comfortable, concealable, and easy for me to use. I had pretty much resigned myself to buying either a new handgun in 9mm, .40, or .357; or a 9x18mm Makarov, CZ, or FEG.
For plinking (and thick-carapace'd aliens), I love the 7.62x25mm round. It's just not very versatile because special (MagSafe/Glaser) cartridges are expensive, and stuff like the Wolf JHPs are hard to find.

I know someday you will succumb and buy an original without a safety....it's inevitable, give in to the dark side!

Yeh, the non-safety ones are getting waaay too rich for my blood...

 

[rickyracer2]

Sweet find congrats!

 

[Warhogg]

Non-safety ones are too rich for my blood too!

For the retaining clip try Gun Parts Corp (Numrich), they have everything. They are in NY. I get almost everything I need from them.

e-gunparts.com

Great score in 9mm, now you have one of each caliber!

 

[stlouis77]

Score!!

Looks like a keeper!!!!!

 

[BWilhelm]

I used to have one of those old clunkers except that mine was blued. Same safety and everything. They are dead reliable and fun to shoot! Congrats!

 

[AnaxImperator]

I used to have one of those old clunkers except that mine was blued.

I was wondering if my Norinco was brushed stainless from the factory, or if it was refinished at a later date. Upon disassembling it, I couldn't find any hint of leftover bluing anywhere.

I gotta find some extra 9mm magazines now, or the 9mm inserts for regular 7.62 Tok mags (if it'll work like that).

I spent a good amount of time last night researching the M213, and I found surprisingly little. What I did find was more than a few Makarov fans poo-poo'ing the Tokarev, especially the 9mm Norinco TT.

 

[JB]

I was wondering if my Norinco was brushed stainless from the factory, or if it was refinished at a later date. Upon disassembling it, I couldn't find any hint of leftover bluing anywhere.

Are sure it's not nickle? I don't remember them making any in stainless. But if they did, you wouldn't find any left over blueing. It wouldn't have been factory blued over stainless steel.

 

[Sunset_Va]

Just surprised not many TT fans like the 7.62 round.

 

[Snowman]

Cool M213

Hello AnaxImperator. Nice find! I have the 7.62x25/T54 Norinco and love it! I plan on getting a 9mm barrel sometime. Here in New England there's quite a few M213's floating around but not many T54's. Mostly they're blued version with "Tokagypt" (wrap around) style grips on them. I've seen them as low as $150. The problem with your mag might be that it's bowed. The mag on my other Tokarev (Romanian) was bowed and got caught in the mag well. If you check Shotgun News you'll find a company that sells mags for the M213. Hope this helps.

 

[AnaxImperator]

The problem with your mag might be that it's bowed. The mag on my other Tokarev (Romanian) was bowed and got caught in the mag well. If you check Shotgun News you'll find a company that sells mags for the M213. Hope this helps.

I removed the grip panels and slowly inserted the magazine to check where it was hanging up. It's rubbing against the trigger "arms" and initially the mag well opening. This is due to the top of the magazine being slightly bulged. I'm going to try and close/squeeze it back with a vice or c-clamp.

Are sure it's not nickle? I don't remember them making any in stainless. But if they did, you wouldn't find any left over blueing. It wouldn't have been factory blued over stainless steel.

How would I tell? It doesn't look like other nickle-plated firearms I've seen up close. And if it is factory stainless, I wonder how many others there are.

 

[OSU84]

Great deal and sounds like a great gun store to visit. Where is this great store ? Sport Arms was out of Miami and did a lot of importing in the 80s and early 90s. I have a Argentinian Hi Power they had imported.

 

[fiamma tricolore]

AnaxImperator:

I own two of the Norinco Model 213's. Both I purchased from different gun stores, and both came complete with original box, manual, extra clip, and cleaning rod. One even threw in the correct Tokarev flap holster as part of the sale.

At this point, you're probably saying "Yeah, nice for you, big deal". LOL. Well, here is the part that I think you will find interesting. The one gun I found online in a store in Texas. I bought it sight unseen. When it came to me, the first thing that struck me was the original box. The picture on the box was of a Tokarev in the exact finish as yours. But the gun in the box was your standard blued type, which is what they had advertised for sale.

Better still, the gun was imported by Sportarms of Miami, Florida. The box graphics even say "Sportarms Tokarev 9mm" and the manual is marked the same. Contrast that with my other Norinco. It was imported by Interarms. The box doesn't reference the company, the manual doesn't either, and if it weren't for the tiny import stamp on the grip of the gun, you would have no idea where it came from. I guess Sportarms really wanted to advertise.

So, two things...first, the Norinco you have is definitely in a factory finish, the picture on the box I have proves it. The second thing...I think I ended up with the original box for your gun. LOL.

As to what exactly the finish of your gun is. This is a guess, but I believe that it's brushed chrome. What makes me think this is that one model of the Tokarev that Norinco currently manufactures is two-toned; blued slide with chromed frame. I figure, if they are using chrome now, they probably did before; on guns like yours perhaps. Not proof I know, but seems logical to me. I have no idea how many guns in your finish might have been made, let alone imported. I suspect not a lot. Looks like you picked up a fairly rare one there.

If you are interested, I can take a picture of the Sportarms box I have and post it so you can see. Will be a few days though, as my camera is in the shop being repaired.

 

[JB]

It may very well be chrome, but definately not stainless.

 

[royke]

I was wondering if my Norinco was brushed stainless from the factory, or if it was refinished at a later date. Upon disassembling it, I couldn't find any hint of leftover bluing anywhere.

I gotta find some extra 9mm magazines now, or the 9mm inserts for regular 7.62 Tok mags (if it'll work like that).

I spent a good amount of time last night researching the M213, and I found surprisingly little. What I did find was more than a few Makarov fans poo-poo'ing the Tokarev, especially the 9mm Norinco TT.

I remember seeing a few that were imported in chrome finish like yours.

 

[AnaxImperator]

So, two things...first, the Norinco you have is definitely in a factory finish, the picture on the box I have proves it. The second thing...I think I ended up with the original box for your gun. LOL.

As to what exactly the finish of your gun is. This is a guess, but I believe that it's brushed chrome. What makes me think this is that one model of the Tokarev that Norinco currently manufactures is two-toned; blued slide with chromed frame. I figure, if they are using chrome now, they probably did before; on guns like yours perhaps. Not proof I know, but seems logical to me. I have no idea how many guns in your finish might have been made, let alone imported. I suspect not a lot. Looks like you picked up a fairly rare one there.

If you are interested, I can take a picture of the Sportarms box I have and post it so you can see. Will be a few days though, as my camera is in the shop being repaired.

This being a small world, I wouldn't be surprised at all if our Norinco box is the one which originally contained my 213.
I'd dig a picture of that box to add to my collection of Tokarev pictures.

If my Norinco indeed has a brushed-chrome finish, it's gotta be the most un-chrome finish I've ever seen. It really does look like plain brushed stainless. Not that I'm unhappy with it, I'm just glad it's not a bling-bling chrome finish.
It's not flat black and doesn't have a accessory rail, so it could be considered rather "untactical"... And being "untactical" probably renders it uncool or unworthy as a defensive piece in some people's opinions. It's also not hi-cap, only having 8+1 rounds available in the chute. But to those who may criticise my choice in using it as my carry pistol, I don't care what they think.
I don't need a pistol which can mount all manner of space-age lasers or lights. And the hi-cap pistols that I've hefted have felt too cumbersome and bulky. I feel that 8 rounds is quite enough for most situations; a spare magazine with plenty of quick mag-change practice will take care of the rest.
The last feature on the Norinco which I've seen criticised is the safety lever, and it being "backwards". I don't think it's a detrimental or awkward feature at all, especially compared to the wart-like safety on other Tokarevs. With the Norinco's safety lever, "safe" is in the forward position, and it's quite easy, quick, and comfortable for me to flip it to the "fire" position with the back of my thumb without altering my grip in any way. It took a minute to get used to, but once I did, I liked it.

Where I originally intended on using my Polish Tokarev in 7.62x25 for that purpose; after much research on that particular round I decided not to, even before I found the Norinco. Even loaded with hollow-points, the 7.62x25 is far too hot a round for SD, the chances of overpenetration being too great for me to accept.
I'd be devastated if a bad situation was made completely horrible if one of my rounds possibly passed through an assailant, wall, or missed and travelled over a large distance, striking an innocent bystander.
The 9mm has been a proven & effective round, especially when a quality hollowpoint and/or frangible (MagSafe/Glaser) is used. Though the chance of overpenetration is always there, it's considerably lessened by utilizing one of those specialty cartridges, and they do so without much (if any) compromise in stopping power.

 

[SfcRet]

it's funny you should mention the 213, just a couple of days ago I was rearanging my closet and came upon a 213 that I bought back years ago, 94 or 95, at a gun show in Colorado Springs, that I thought was lost in the move from Ft. Carson to here in Ohio. These were everywhere at dealers tables. Almost felt like Indiana Jones going through that mess in my closet and coming up with this. The first thing I said, "so that's where it's been at all these years"

 

[AnaxImperator]

it's funny you should mention the 213, just a couple of days ago I was rearanging my closet and came upon a 213 that I bought back years ago, 94 or 95, at a gun show in Colorado Springs, that I thought was lost in the move from Ft. Carson to here in Ohio. These were everywhere at dealers tables. Almost felt like Indiana Jones going through that mess in my closet and coming up with this. The first thing I said, "so that's where it's been at all these years"

Wow, that's an even better score than mine in some ways. Well, much better than finding $20 in your pocket that was forgotten about.

 

[fiamma tricolore]

Well there you go, that's the exact box that I have. So...maybe I don't have your gun box at all Anax...SfcRet does! LOL.