During use, not at the shooting range, but in a real life-and-death pistol fight, the advantages and disadvantages of weapons (practically of the same class) are determined, first of all, by the qualifications and experience of the shooter, this also includes the technical condition of the pistol and ammunition, then there is, their reliability and quality at the current time. And the tactical and technical characteristics of a weapon will be an advantage only if they are used correctly.
Production of TT pistols (model 1930) began in 1933. Back in the mid-20s of the last century, the USSR faced an urgent issue of providing soldiers of the Red Army and other paramilitary structures of the state with uniform types of small arms. The situation was especially critical in the field of personal weapons of army officers, police officers and the NKVD, because at that time a very “motley company” of pistols and revolvers of various systems were in service, ranging from Mausers K-96 and revolvers of the 1895 model (already quite outdated) and ending with a variety of foreign pistols. Naturally, this state of affairs did not suit the leadership of the “country of Soviets” and by the early 1930s the TT pistol, developed by the Soviet gunsmith and designer F.V. Tokarev on the basis of the American Colt M1911, was adopted.
Mass production fell during the Great Patriotic War. Pistols produced during this period do not differ in quality of manufacture and assembly. The weapons conveyors at that time were not always staffed with qualified personnel (teenagers, women), and the necessary steel for the manufacture of weapons was not always at hand. Pistols were also received from the front for repair. In addition, pistols produced before 1943 suffered from design flaws and defects. The firing of such pistols, as a rule, amounted to no more than 700 - 750 shots, after which malfunctions in the operation of the automation began. Malfunctions such as the magazine falling out and the firing pin being lost were also common. TT pistols found at the sites of former battles and restored by “black diggers” may also be on hand, more often in the criminal world. The reliability of such specimens is extremely low. Today, the TT pistol remains in service in certain units of various law enforcement agencies; these are usually pistols produced in the post-war period, but the technical condition of many of them leaves much to be desired. The main disadvantage of the “modern” TT, compared to the PM, is low reliability. But this unreliability is not related to the design of the pistol; it is the result of poor manufacturing, assembly and harsh operation. In addition, it significantly affects the reliability and time factor.
This weapon is quite suitable for some special operations (this is not speculation, but real facts). It even has two advantages - its flat dimensions, allowing for the concealed carrying of quite powerful weapons, and the high penetration power of a bullet, especially with a steel core, against which most soft body armor for concealed wear are powerless.
There were also “TT” pistols, manufactured specifically for “organs” (such as SMERSH, NKVD, MGB, etc.), which differed from serial “TT” pistols by being made from stronger and higher quality grades of weapon steels and by better fitting of parts, as well as the fact that they were 30 mm longer (meaning overall length) than serial production TT pistols.
Now the TT pistol has worldwide fame. There is no doubt that if it were not a good weapon, it would not still be in service in many countries of the world and would not occupy a worthy place next to the Kalashnikov assault rifle and the Stechkin pistol in the large family of the best small arms of the USSR. For a long time it could be found in the holsters of law enforcement officers and in army arsenals. A huge number of TTs were produced and they simply did not have time to “demolish” them all. In addition, pistols of this design were produced under license in Hungary, Yugoslavia, North Korea and, of course, China. A huge number of samples, lack of proper accounting, low cost on the black market - all this made TT a frequent guest in crime chronicles. And today, many people strongly associate “Tula Tokarev” with contract killings. So it’s too early to write off TT for retirement.
To this day, the post-war TT pistol is in service with military personnel units and irregular formations in some CIS countries. The service life of these pistols, produced in the forties and fifties, has long been exhausted, so they are extremely unreliable. A common defect is the skewing of the cartridge and its sticking.
With the advent of the TT pistol, research in the field of the “new Soviet pistol” did not stop: firstly, the TT, even when it was put into service, caused criticism from some military officials, and secondly, many officials and “loyal Leninists” were extremely dissatisfied with the fact that The Tokarev pistol was based on the weapons of the United States, because the Soviet military required completely “Soviet weapons.”
A competition for a new army pistol that could replace the TT was announced in 1945. Even then, one of the main requirements was the transition from 7.62 mm caliber to 9 mm caliber. since the 7.62 TT cartridge had a so-called sewing effect, when the bullet, having a high initial speed, pierced the soft tissues of the body, and a person in the heat of battle did not even notice this. It was required that one hit was guaranteed to incapacitate the enemy. Therefore, in the end, the leadership of the Ministry of Defense chose the 9 mm cartridge. The simplicity and peculiar “elegance” of the design of the Makarov pistol (PM) made a very serious impression on the government of the USSR, and in 1948 the first trial batch of 50 Makarov system pistols was released. A year later, a decision was made to launch the Makarov into mass production and put it into service. The PM proved to be a reliable and convenient weapon, however, the short barrel (which led to a noticeable decrease in accuracy and accuracy of fire) and the small clip capacity made it not the most successful pistol in war conditions. This became an absolutely obvious fact during the fighting in Afghanistan, during which the majority of military personnel abandoned the PM in favor of the Stechkin automatic pistol, bulky and heavy, but much more effective than the Makarov.
The PM pistol was adopted for service in 1951 to replace the TT pistol, and to this day is actually in service with the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other law enforcement agencies, although more advanced models that meet modern requirements have been officially put into service.
The gun parts are suspended, which prevents dirt and carbon deposits from accumulating and clogging them. A chrome-plated barrel and very slick contours, which is very important for operational use, does not cling to clothing, and does not injure your hands during use and disassembly. Awesome, incredible resource - up to 50,000 shots. True, this only applies to pistols manufactured between 1955 and the early 70s. years.
Since the 80-90s, PM and PMM have been produced of extremely low quality.
It is better to use Makarov effectively at a distance from “point-blank” to 15 m. So the PM exactly meets the purposes and combat properties stated in the NSD and is essentially a personal weapon of attack and defense, designed to defeat the enemy at short distances.
PM differs from TT primarily in its high reliability. To this day, the PM is one of the most reliable pistols in the world. The main disadvantage compared to the TT is the ammunition with a relatively low bullet penetration. Therefore, the PM pistol as a modern weapon is of little use for the Armed Forces. It is also not suitable as a means of disabling or stopping vehicles, if used, for example, in traffic police departments.
However, during a shootout within the stairwell, the PM is still preferable to the TT. Since practically no modern door can withstand a bullet fired from a TT if it is not armored in the appropriate class, third parties may therefore suffer, which is not acceptable when carrying out operational activities by employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. There is such a thing as action-stopping bullets. Here, theoretically, an equal sign can be placed between PM and TT. But in practice (according to statistics), the stopping effect of PM bullets is considered higher. This is due to the cross section of the bullet. The cartridge used in the PM is 9X18 with a bullet weight of 6.1 g and an initial speed of 315 m/s. The advantage over the TT is the presence in the PM of a self-cocking firing mechanism, as well as automatic blowback action.
Disadvantages compared to PM include weight and dimensions. TT is heavier and larger (with a magazine without TT cartridges - 850 g. PM - 730). Another disadvantage is the inability to fire by self-cocking. The advantage of the TT over the PM is its ammunition, which has a fairly high penetrating effect. The TT uses a 7.62X25 cartridge with a bullet weighing 5.5 g and an initial speed of 420 - 450 m/s. From the TT you can hit an object wearing body armor up to class II armor protection (PM only up to class I). Therefore, TT is in great demand among killers. The advantage can be attributed to the fairly common and cheap ammunition (cheap and cheerful).
Interesting Facts:
In 1969, Soviet Army employee Ilyin made an unsuccessful attempt on the life of USSR Secretary General L.I. Brezhnev. Ilyin was armed with two PM pistols.
Despite the fact that both the TT cartridge and pistol have long been withdrawn from service and are almost never produced (since almost a billion TT cartridges remain in military warehouses since the Great Patriotic War). The high-velocity TT cartridge has always posed a serious threat to police officers in many countries around the world. For example: police officers of the Royal Hong Kong Police put on reinforced body armor of the third class of protection A+ before going on duty, since they often encounter criminals armed with TT pistols (usually made in China).
In this article we will compare Soviet pistols TT and PM. Let's discuss the features and design differences of this weapon. First of all, it should be noted that PM this is the legal successor TT adopted for service in 1930. And when it was put into service in 1951 , TT production ceased. In addition, the TT took part in hostilities, and the PM, although nominally a military pistol, was still created as a peacetime weapon for police units.
Now for the characteristics. The first is, of course, the caliber. TT – 7.62x25 mm, PM – 9x18 mm. The TT cartridge is more powerful, the bullet's penetrating effect is stronger. By the way, this cartridge is also used in the PPSh (Shpagin submachine gun). The Makarov pistol has a bullet with a high stopping power, an ideal choice for police officers. The PM has a double-action self-cocking trigger mechanism. If the cartridge is in the chamber, then you just need to pull the trigger and the shot will fire. On the contrary, TT has a single-action trigger. To fire a shot with a cartridge in the chamber, you must manually cock the hammer. The PM, unlike the TT, has a blowback automatic. Both pistols have a slide stop.
So, what are the main advantages of PM compared to TT. The Makarov pistol is safer to use, since it has a safety lock, is comfortable to wear, reliable and easy to use. Disadvantages of the PM: short sighting range, low muzzle energy of the cartridge compared to the TT and, as a result, low penetrating ability of the bullet.
The parents of the Tula Tokarev are considered to be the FN Browning M1903 and Colt M1911. But unlike the TT, which does not have a safety except for the safety cock, these pistols have 2 safeties: a standard flag and automatic on the back of the handle.
And if you are interested in a tactical holster for a TT or Makarov pistol, then we recommend products from the well-known company GearBest as the best option in terms of price and quality: https://www.gearbest.com
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Video review comparing TT and PM. Watch the video and follow the channel.
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Currently in Russia there are a large number of models of small arms, including pistols. But the “veterans” - TT, PM and APS, who have served people for decades, are still of particular interest.
Currently in Russia there are a large number of models of small arms, including pistols. They differ in caliber, in the principle of operation of the automation, and in the tasks for which they are intended. But the most significant authority is still possessed by the “veterans” - TT, PM and APS, who have served people for decades.
The most honored of the above is the “pistol of 1933”, more often called TT - Tula Tokarev.
It was adopted by the Red Army in 1930 to replace the Nagan 1895 revolver, which was both morally and physically obsolete. In terms of its tactical and technical characteristics, the TT was superior to all contemporary models. Exceptional simplicity, strength and reliability, as well as the low cost of its production - these are the distinctive features of this pistol.
In 1933, the TT underwent minor modernization. Minor changes were made to the trigger mechanism; the rear wall of the handle was made solid.
The TT automation worked using the recoil of the barrel during its short stroke. When the barrel moved back, the movable earring lowered its breech. At the same time, the weapon was reloaded (the same principle was used by the Colt M1911A pistol, which allowed Western authors writing about weapons to call the TT “Tokarev-Colt pistol”).
The pistol uses a 7.62x25 caliber cartridge (the same as in the Mauser pistol). Later, the PPD (1934), PPSh (1941), and PPS (1942) submachine guns were developed for this cartridge.
However, the pistol also has a rather significant drawback - it does not have a fuse as an independent part. Its role is played by the trigger safety cock. But if the pistol falls, a spontaneous discharge is possible as a result of a break in the safety cocking.
The pistol passed the tests of the Great Patriotic War with honor, proving itself to be a powerful, simple and reliable melee weapon. It remained in service for some time after the war. Its popularity is also evidenced by the fact that the production of the TT was established in China, Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavia and other countries. In some of them, the TT is still produced today.
High shooting accuracy is ensured due to the successful arrangement of pistol parts. Due to the fact that the center of gravity of the pistol and the axial axis of the barrel are shifted closer to the handle, the TT, with its fairly significant weight (940 grams), is practically not felt in the hand.
But the development of individual small arms required new solutions. At some point, the TT ceased to be a self-sufficient weapon, and in 1951 it was replaced by N.F. Makarov (PM) and I.Ya. Stechkin (APS) pistols.
Both of these automatic pistols use the simplest, and therefore more reliable, principle - blowback. Both pistols have a return spring mounted directly on the barrel (although in the first modification of the APS the return spring was located under the barrel, as in Browning system pistols). For both of these pistols, a 9x18 cartridge was developed, which is more powerful than that used in the TT.
The undoubted advantage of the PM is the design of the firing mechanism. The self-cocking device allows you to fire the first shot (if there is a cartridge in the chamber) without first cocking the hammer. The safety lever is located in the rear part of the bolt casing, on the left, which allows you to operate the pistol with one hand (the right hand holding the weapon). Bringing the pistol into a firing position for its further wearing in this position is carried out as follows. Jerking the bolt forces the cartridge into the chamber. Then the safety is turned on, but no shot occurs. Now to fire the first shot you only need to remove the safety and pull the trigger.
APS
Despite the apparent similarity, APS and PM are completely different types of individual small arms. The APS is intended to arm officers directly involved in combat operations. The trigger mechanism of this pistol is also self-cocking, allowing not only single fire, but also burst fire. The safety lever, located in the same way as on the Makarov pistol, also serves as a fire translator. The sight of this pistol is mobile, for shooting at distances of 25, 50, 100 and 200 meters. The magazine holds 20 rounds (staggered). The APS pistol is worn in a wooden or plastic holster, which, fastened to the back wall of the handle, acts as a butt when firing in bursts. In extreme cases, burst fire can be fired directly from the hand, without a butt (the cartridge used allows this to be done). Unfortunately, despite the perfection of the design, during operation, serious shortcomings of the APS were revealed (primarily its excessive weight and dimensions), so at present this pistol is no longer produced, giving way to submachine guns such as "Kedr", "Kashtan" " and "Cypress", using the same 9x18 mm cartridge.
The Makarov PM pistol, on the contrary, served as the base model for a number of new developments. In 1994, the PMM, a modernized Makarov pistol, was put into mass production. Externally, it is practically no different from the base model (except for the cheeks of the handle), but its magazine holds 12 57-N-181SM cartridges, which, although no different in size from the standard Makarov cartridge, has increased penetration and stopping power. The design of the chamber has been slightly changed - three helical grooves are made on its surface, providing inhibition of bolt recoil and smoothing out the difference in automatic dynamics when firing conventional and reinforced cartridges. Otherwise, the design, which has proven itself well over more than 40 years of operation, has not undergone any changes.
IZH-71
In the mid-1990s, the IZH-71 pistol was developed specifically for security personnel, based on the PM, which uses the 9x17 Kurz cartridge and has specially reduced characteristics (for example, the initial bullet speed of the IZH-71 is 290 m /s versus 320 m/s for PM). The IZH-71 magazine is available in 2 versions - 8 and 10 rounds (in the latter case the pistol is called IZH-71-10). Externally, the IZH-71 differs from the PM, again, in the cheeks of the handle.
PSM
Especially for arming the senior command staff of the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the KGB-FSB, the creative team consisting of T.I. Lashnev, A.A. Simarin and L.L. Kulikov developed the PSM pistol (small-sized self-loading pistol). This pistol is chambered for the new 5.45mm cartridge. The trigger mechanism is self-cocking. The location of the fuse is interesting (above the back of the bolt). When it is turned off, the hammer is cocked at the same time. The pistol has no protruding parts, so its thickness does not exceed 18 mm, which creates advantages when carrying it concealed. But due to the low penetrating power of the cartridge, this weapon is of little use in real combat. Rather, its niche is as an individual self-defense weapon. All its design features point to this.
Of course, new types of pistols are now being produced, designed to perform completely different tasks in different conditions, but TT, PM, APS and PSM have left their worthy contribution to history, having faithfully served the cause of defending the Motherland for decades.
The Stechkin automatic pistol became the same “calling card” of the Soviet weapons school as the Kalashnikov assault rifle. It was adopted more than 60 years ago, but still enjoys stable popularity among special forces soldiers.
The second half of the 40s of the last century was marked by an explosion of activity among Soviet small arms designers. The Great Patriotic War showed the need for a qualitative change in the system of personal weapons of fighters, and the military and political leadership of the USSR tried to create conditions for these changes to be embodied in metal. For example, in the competition for a new machine gun, which was then ultimately won by Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov with the famous AK-47 product, six weapons schools and designers participated. Ten gunsmith designers took part in the competition for a new self-loading pistol, which was held in 1947-48, including the creator of the TT, Fedor Vasilyevich Tokarev, and the creator of the SKS, Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov. However, as a result, a 9-mm pistol designed by Nikolai Fedorovich Makarov was adopted for service in 1951.
The Makarov Pistol (PM), created according to the general layout of the Walther PP pistol, turned out to be easy to operate and manufacture, reliable and small-sized. At that time, it became the optimal personal weapon for senior officers, and was perfect for arming the police. Therefore, “PM” produced several million units back in Soviet times, and the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant still continues, although no longer on the same scale, to produce various modifications of this product.
However, the “PM”, with its effective firing range of up to 50 meters (in reality it is, of course, much less) and a magazine for 8 rounds, was not “strong” enough in a real combat clash with a trained enemy. In addition, the short barrel of the Makarov at a distance of already 25 meters gave significant dispersion of bullets. Therefore, to arm the crews of combat vehicles, the first numbers of heavy weapons crews, as a weapon of individual defense for snipers, grenade launchers and officers of the platoon-company level, at the same time - in the late 40s of the last century, it was decided to develop an automatic pistol, but under the same pistol cartridge - 9x18 PM. The APS, designed by the young talented Tula gunsmith Igor Stechkin, became such a pistol.
In fairness, it must be said that in the story of the APS pistol there is still a lot of incomprehensible and even mysterious things. Let's start with the fact that Igor Yakovlevich himself was a very extraordinary person. For example, members of the commission remembered for a long time the defense of his thesis on the topic “Self-loading pistol of 7.65 mm caliber” (Stechkin graduated from the weapons and machine gun department of the Tula Mechanical Institute). According to contemporaries, the project was so original that one of the members of the graduation committee publicly expressed doubt that this weapon would work. In response, the student pulled out a pistol of this design that he had personally made from his jacket pocket, and fired it with blank cartridges three times into the ceiling of the auditorium where the defense was taking place...
As a result, Stechkin received a “red” diploma and a job assignment straight to one of the main “weapons factories” of the country - TsKB-14 (now the Tula Instrument Design Bureau). Moreover. The 26-year-old graduate of the institute at the Central Design Bureau is almost immediately tasked with creating a new army 9-mm pistol, which, with single and automatic firing modes, could effectively hit the enemy at distances of up to 200m. Moreover, this happens at the end of 1948, when the battle between ten weapons designers for the right to arm the Soviet army and navy with a new self-loading pistol reaches its climax. And, in principle, it is already clear that the victory in this battle is won by Nikolai Fedorovich Makarov, who, by coincidence, has been working at TsKB-14 for four years now, and, moreover, was the scientific consultant of such a sensational thesis of a student at the Tula Mechanical Institute Igor Stechkina.
Now it is difficult to say what kind of participation Nikolai Makarov, in addition to the development and “fine-tuning” of his pistol, could have taken in the creation of the “Stechkin automatic pistol” (APS). Some design features and the procedure for assembling and disassembling the APS are similar to the PM. Both pistols, despite the fact that work on the Makarov began several years earlier than on the Stechkin, were put into service at the same time - in 1951. And both designers also received the Stalin Prize together - in 1952. Stechkin – for “APS”, Makarov – for “PM”. But at the same time, in the memoirs of Igor Yakovlevich Stechkin, it was still clear that APS was his own engineering brainchild. “The task I received was to design a 9 mm pistol that allows single and automatic shooting at distances of up to 200 meters, has a large capacity magazine and uses a holster as a butt. After development and approval of the project, a sample was manufactured, which successfully passed factory tests. After modifications and elimination of shortcomings, field tests of two pistols were carried out in comparison with Mauser, Astra pistols and the Sudaev submachine gun. My pistol, showing excellent results, was noticeably superior to Mauser and Astra, and practically not inferior to PPS,” recalled Igor Stechkin in 1966.
Since 1952, "APS" went to the troops. Its serial production was launched at the facilities of the Vyatsko-Polyansky plant "Molot". However, already in 1959, the production of the “Stechkin automatic pistol” was discontinued. And this became another mystery of this pistol.
The tactical and technical data of the APS, as an individual weapon intended for use in a combat situation in a collision with a trained enemy, suited the Soviet military. Lengthening the barrel to 140 mm (93.5 mm for the PM) made it possible to partly compensate for the weakness of the 9x18 PM pistol cartridge, and, together with the greater weight compared to the Makarov and smoother operation of the automation, made it possible to achieve good shooting accuracy - dispersion of bullets with single shots at a distance of 50 meters from the APS it did not exceed 5 cm. At a distance of 200 meters, the dispersion radius of bullets when firing from the APS increased to 22 cm, but for a trained shooter, effective fire from this pistol at distances of more than 100 meters was not particularly difficult .
A 20-round magazine and an original fire rate retardant made it possible to conduct automatic fire from the APS. At the same time, Stechkin provided a mechanism that made reloading the pistol almost instantaneous. After the ammunition is used up, the magazine feeder tooth raises the bolt stop, which holds the bolt in the rear position. And after replacing the magazine, the shooter only has to press the bolt stop head to be ready to fire again - the bolt stop will go forward and send the cartridge into the chamber, while the hammer will remain cocked.
In addition to the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, the APS and its modifications, according to foreign experts, were supplied to Angola, Cuba, Bulgaria, Libya, Mozambique, Zambia, etc. There are photographs of Ernesto Che Guevara posing with the APS; it is reliably known that the Stechkin was one of Fidel Castro’s favorite weapons. And not in vain. “Unlike the Makarov pistol, the recoil of which is felt by the hand as sharp, the Stechkin is very pleasant to shoot. Accuracy is also excellent. The store is very easy to equip. The trigger mechanism and its characteristics are very good for a military weapon,” American small arms specialist Nick Steadman assessed this pistol. In addition, the APS turned out to be a very reliable weapon. There are known cases of firing 40 thousand rounds without any damage to the main parts of this pistol.
However, paradoxically, “APS” did not take root in the Soviet Army in mass quantities. The most common version is the inconvenience of carrying this weapon. In order to ensure the stability of automatic fire, especially at long distances, a wooden holster was attached to the Stechkin, which also served as a butt. The weight of the pistol with a holster and butt was almost 2 kg. In addition, army requirements stipulated that each soldier armed with a Stechkin had to carry with him 4 more loaded magazines of 20 rounds each. Therefore, in the army environment of that time there was a murmur that the new weapon was too “heavy and cumbersome.” As a result, in the 60s of the last century, most of the army “Stechkins” migrated to weapons depots, and in return, in the 70s, the crews of combat vehicles, aircraft and gun crews were armed with “clamshells” - a shortened modification of the AK-74 - AKS-74U.
However, “Stechkin” did not die, because by that time, for its power and accuracy, it had already become loved by employees of special units of the Ministry of Defense and the State Security Committee. Moreover, in the late 60s, especially for them on the APS basis, designer A.S. Neugodov (TsNIITOCHMASH) developed a “silent” version of the “APS” - “APB” (silent automatic pistol). Reducing the sound level when firing was achieved due to the perforation of the barrel and a special expansion chamber placed on the barrel, ease of wearing and use - due to a removable wire shoulder rest and a soft holster. Of course, the use of a silencer reduced the effective range of the shot. But at a range of 50 meters, the APB still has few equals.
This modification of the APS was put into service in 1972, and from that time on, the Stechkin began, in fact, a “second life.” “APS” and “APB” were actively used by Russian special forces during the war in Afghanistan (1979-1989) and in all local conflicts that arose in the post-Soviet space. Moreover. In the 90s, during the rampant banditry in Russia, the structures of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs began to actively arm themselves with army Stechkins. And this is also understandable, since this automatic pistol occupies a niche between two other types of standard weapons of Russian law enforcement agencies - Makarov pistols and Kalashnikov assault rifles. However, the Russian police were not original in this regard - after the fall of the Berlin Wall, some German police officers also armed themselves with Stechkins.
Thus, the “Stechkin automatic pistol” outlived its creator for a long time (Igor Yakovlevich died in November 2001) and still remains a sought-after weapon in the structures of the Russian Ministry of Defense, FSB, FSO, Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as special forces of a number of foreign countries. This is probably one of the most important signs of a designer’s genius - when the product he created, despite the emergence of new ideas and designs, continues to work even after the death of the creator.
TT or PM?
Sometimes you can witness a dispute between “experts” in the field of weapons. For example: until recently, it was customary to argue about which pistol was better, the Makarov pistol (PM) or the Tula Tokarev pistol (TT). In general, such disputes concerning absolutely any small arms, practically of the same class, are, to say the least, incorrect. Two different samples, in this case a pistol, can only be compared in a specific situation. And even then, all the disadvantages and advantages of one or another will be indirect. During use, not at the shooting range, but in a real life-and-death pistol fight, the advantages and disadvantages of a weapon are determined, first of all, by the qualifications and experience of the shooter, this also includes the technical condition of the pistol and ammunition, that is, their reliability and quality at the current time. And the tactical and technical characteristics of a weapon will be an advantage only if they are used correctly.
Production of TT pistols (model 1930) began in 1933. Mass production fell during the Great Patriotic War. Pistols produced during this period do not differ in quality of manufacture and assembly. The weapons conveyors at that time were not always staffed with qualified personnel (teenagers, women), and the necessary steel for the manufacture of weapons was not always at hand. Pistols were also received from the front for repair. In addition, pistols produced before 1943 suffered from design flaws and defects. The firing of such pistols, as a rule, amounted to no more than 700 - 750 shots, after which malfunctions in the operation of the automation began. Malfunctions such as the magazine falling out and the firing pin being lost were also common. TT pistols found at the sites of former battles and restored by “black diggers” may also be on hand, more often in the criminal world. The reliability of such specimens is extremely low. Today, the TT pistol remains in service in certain units of various law enforcement agencies; these are usually pistols produced in the post-war period, but the technical condition of many of them leaves much to be desired. The main disadvantage of the “modern” TT, compared to the PM, is low reliability. But this unreliability is not related to the design of the pistol; it is the result of poor-quality manufacturing, assembly and harsh operation, which significantly affects the reliability and time factor. Disadvantages compared to PM include weight and dimensions. TT is heavier and larger (with a magazine without TT cartridges - 850 g. PM - 730). Another disadvantage is the inability to fire by self-cocking. The advantage of the TT over the PM is its ammunition, which has a fairly high penetrating effect. The TT uses a 7.62X25 cartridge with a bullet weighing 5.5 g and an initial speed of 420 - 450 m/s. From the TT you can hit an object wearing body armor up to class II armor protection (PM only up to class I). Therefore, the TT is in great demand among killers. One of the advantages is that it is a fairly common and cheap ammunition (cheap and cheerful).
The PM pistol was put into service in 1951 to replace the TT pistol, and to this day it is actually in service with the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other law enforcement agencies of Russia, although more advanced models that meet modern requirements have officially been put into service (PYa "GRACH" "; GSh-18, etc.). PM differs from TT primarily in its high reliability. To this day, the PM is one of the most reliable pistols in the world. In terms of reliability, it is on a par with pistols such as GLOK. The main disadvantage compared to the TT is the ammunition with a relatively low bullet penetration. Therefore, the PM pistol as a modern weapon is of little use for the Armed Forces. It is also not suitable as a means of disabling or stopping vehicles, if used, for example, in traffic police departments. However, during a shootout within the stairwell, the PM is still preferable to the TT. Since practically no modern door can withstand a bullet fired from a TT if it is not armored in the appropriate class, third parties may therefore suffer, which is not acceptable when carrying out operational activities by employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. There is such a thing as action-stopping bullets. Here, theoretically, an equal sign can be placed between PM and TT. But in practice (according to statistics), the stopping effect of PM bullets is considered higher. This is due to the cross section of the bullet. The cartridge used in the PM is 9X18 with a bullet weight of 6.1 g and an initial speed of 315 m/s. The advantage over the TT is the presence in the PM of a self-cocking firing mechanism, as well as automatic blowback action.
Conclusion. Of course, the PM is a more modern and reliable weapon than the TT. But in modern conditions, the Makarov pistol is more suitable only as a police or security weapon, and even then not always, but for the army it is already outdated. If there is nothing to choose from, then the TT pistol can be used to hit protected targets, where the PM is of little use due to the low penetrating effect of the bullet. Reduced to normal combat, well-debugged TTs are good to use as training and sports weapons. Ammunition is cheap and there are still plenty of cartridges of this caliber.
So, what is better - PM or TT? The question remains open.
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