{"id":4766,"date":"2025-03-15T06:23:54","date_gmt":"2025-03-15T06:23:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/?p=4766"},"modified":"2025-03-15T06:23:54","modified_gmt":"2025-03-15T06:23:54","slug":"obscure-object-of-desire-norinco-tu-90","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/?p=4766","title":{"rendered":"Obscure Object Of Desire – Norinco TU-90"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The gun world has a particular set of guys. There are 1911 \u2018guys,\u2019 Glock \u2018guys,\u2019 AK \u2018guys,\u2019 and more. Guys who like guns but have a particular love for one platform. <\/p>\n

I know they have to exist, but I\u2019ve never met a Tokarev guy. Every serious enthusiast knows what a TT-33 is, often just called a Tokarev or a Tok, but I\u2019ve never met a hardcore Tok guy. <\/p>\n

That was frustrating because I found it a bit difficult to find information on one of my latest acquisitions, the Norinco TU-90<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Norinco handguns are banned from import now, but they were a popular low priced handgun years ago (Travis Pike for TTAG)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Norinco\u2019s are a bit like Hen\u2019s teeth these days. America banned the imports of most Chinese weaponry after Norinco tried to import and sell firearms to criminal organizations. (A bust the ATF often claims credit for, but was a Custom\u2019s case in reality.) <\/p>\n

We can get Chinese shotguns, but not much else. When I saw the words Norinco and recognized a Tok, I snatched it up.<\/p>\n

The Oddities of the TU-90<\/h2>\n

It was different than other Toks. Namely, it is a chrome-finished gun that looks like Tommy Lee Jones would call a nickel-plated sissy pistol. It\u2019s shiny, and I don\u2019t think the finish is fancy, but it seems durable since the gun has some wear but still no rust. There is a manual safety, which isn\u2019t uncommon on Toks.<\/p>\n

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The manual safety is a bit different than the models commonly installed on import Toks (Travis Pike for TTAG)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The original TT-33 lacked a manual safety and relied on the half-cocked position. Plus, if the primary purpose of your gun is to kill dissidents who have committed anti-revolutionary thought crimes, then what do you need a safety for? Safeties were often tacked on for import purposes.<\/p>\n

The good old point system required it. However, the TU-90 has a thumb safety positioned at the rear of the grip, just below the slide. It moves forward and rearward rather than up and down. The safety sits behind a pair of \u2018target\u2019 grips. They are rear wrap-around grips that encompass the rear of the frame.<\/p>\n

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The target grips make the gun hell for lefties (Travis Pike for TTAG)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

On the left side sits a hefty thumb rest that makes it challenging to shoot the gun with your left hand. The barrel is chrome lined, which is nice, especially if you are gonna shoot that old corrosive ammo they could barely give away a decade ago.<\/p>\n

Besides that, the TU-90 is pretty standard as far as Toks go. It\u2019s a 7.62x25mm model, but there seem to have been 9mm guns available. Some were marked TU-90, others were called the NP-10 and N-213.<\/p>\n

Behind the TU-90<\/h2>\n

Norinco made the TU-90, but they didn\u2019t design it. In reality, the TU-90 is a copy of a Hungarian gun. China is famous for stealing intellectual property and reproducing it, and that\u2019s what they did with Type 54<\/a>. However, one of the few things the Communists shared was misery and weaponry.<\/p>\n

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The TU-90 in a chrome-like finish seems to be a bit obscure (Travis Pike for TTAG)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

China copied the TT-33 as the Type 54. From there, they copied the Hungarian Tokagypt 58. The Tokagypt 58 is a copy of the TT-33, which was modified with the safety, grips, and chrome-lined barrel. This makes the TU-90 a copy of a copy. The main difference is the fact the Tokagypt 58 was a 9mm gun.<\/p>\n

Specifically, a Hungarian-produced Tokarev was designed for Egypt. However, some TU-90 pistols chamber 9mm.<\/p>\n

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\"TU-90
The TU-90 is an odd clone of a Hungarian Tokarev made for Egypt (Travis Pike for TTAG)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

It\u2019s a long way for China to make a Tok, a copy of a Tok. Why they went this route is beyond me. Maybe they wanted a more straightforward import with a better built-in safety? Maybe Navy Arms, the importer, wanted it? Perhaps they just wanted to export to military forces who wanted a similar design.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s tough to say. This makes the TU-90 a relatively odd little gun. It\u2019s strange for a Tokarev, for sure, and a weird way for Norinco to release another export-ready handgun.<\/p>\n

Shooting the TU-90<\/h2>\n

Holy crap, the price of 7.62\u00d725<\/a> has risen drastically since I owned a CZ 52<\/a>. Man, at 30ish dollars a box, I felt the pain. The pain comes from the fact the old wax paper wrapped corrosive ammo with the paper held together by twine hand-tied by some babushka 80 years ago cost almost nothing.<\/p>\n

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The gun\u2019s loud and has some recoil, but it\u2019s fairly flat shooting (Travis Pike for TTAG) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Luckily, this isn\u2019t a torture test, or Scott would owe me a raise!<\/p>\n

I do believe that everyone should eventually shoot a magnum revolver, a lever action rifle, an M1 Garand, and a Tokarev. The 7.62x25mm round might have been ahead of its time. It\u2019s almost a PDW round in a lot of ways, and it excelled in submachine guns. In handguns, it\u2019s a blast to shoot.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s loud; it has some serious muzzle flash and a bit more recoil than a 9mm. The recoil is a little stiff and snappy, but you\u2019d expect more recoil compared to the volume and flash. It\u2019s smile-inducing if you\u2019re not recoil-sensitive or afraid of a little flash. It\u2019s a thrill to be sure.<\/p>\n

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Molly whallops describes how this thing hits steel (Travis Pike for TTAG)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The Chinese TU-90 proved to be accurate. It\u2019s not fast and accurate. The chrome-plated sights are super small and have zero contrast. That can make them tough to see and align properly. If I take my time, it\u2019s not a big problem. When I take that time, align the sights, and press the trigger the TU-90 shoots straight.<\/p>\n

Hearing that 7.62-round blast into a steel target at 25 yards is also smile-inducing. It hits the target so hard and makes such a big ding. At 25 yards, it makes a 10-inch gong swing hard. It\u2019s a gut punch.<\/p>\n

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The TU-90 was plenty accurate. Would the 7.62 TOK be a good coyote round? (Travis Pike for TTAG)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Fast Little Rounds<\/h2>\n

The TU-90 handles quite nicely. The trigger has a bit of takeup before the wall and the distinct and crisp brake. The recoil isn\u2019t rough or painful but noticeable. It\u2019s just a fun gun overall. It\u2019s a cheap gun, but the ammo sure isn\u2019t all that cheap. I\u2019m actively searching for a compatible 9mm barrel to lighten the cost at the cost of some of the fun.<\/p>\n

Still, the TU-90 provides a unique Tokarev that maintains the cheap nature of the Tok design while delivering a somewhat unique layout.<\/p>\n

Where To Buy<\/h2>\n
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\"Norinco<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n


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Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The gun world has a particular set of guys. There are 1911 \u2018guys,\u2019 Glock \u2018guys,\u2019 AK \u2018guys,\u2019 and more. Guys who like guns but have a particular love for one platform. I know they have to exist, but I\u2019ve never met a Tokarev guy. Every serious enthusiast knows what a TT-33 is, often just called […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4767,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-4766","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-reviews"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4766"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4766\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}