The Norinco TT-Olympia is a clone of the 1936 Walther Olympia in the Jaeger (hunter) trim. It’s a semi automatic, shrouded hammer, 22LR made in China. I bought one because it was $200 and there’s a handgun ban coming in Canada.
- 22LR
- 4.75″ barrel
- Mine had a <3lb trigger
- (2) 8 round magazines
- Single action
- Manual safety
- Last shot slide hold open
- Comes with add-on under-barrel weight
Usability
Usability is not great compared with newer handguns. It’s only made for right handed shooters: not only are the controls RH only but the grip swell and shape will make it uncomfortable for lefties to shoot as well. If you use the add-on barrel weight, you have to shoot it one handed, Olympic-style.
The mag release is very recessed and that makes it hard to press. Mags drop free as long as the magazine basepad extensions are aligned with the magazine.
The magazines on mine are TERRIBLE to load. Instead of a full length spring that’s shaped to the inside of the mag like most magazines today, it uses a round spring that only bears on the front of the follower. But, because 22LR cases put all the pressure at the rim/rear of the follower, you frequently bind the magazine trying to load it because the 22LR rounds must be pitched up in the mag to fit and the shitty round spring has troubles fighting against all the rim binding.
You can modify a S&W Model 41 mag for use in the TT Olympia. Bonus: you get 10 rounds in the Model 41 mag instead of 8 in the TT Olympia.
The safety must be pressed directly up or down. Pressing in towards the gun will make it very difficult to use as it will stick in the detent.
The slide locks open with an empty mag but there is no externally accessible slide lock. You can still lock the slide open by holding it back and then pressing the lock up.
Shooting the gun one handed with the barrel weight is great. The trigger is light, the grip is fantastic for a rightie.
The trigger is fantastic. It’s light (mine is under 3lbs) short, and has very little overtravel. Excellent considering the price.
The sights don’t leave much or any light between the front sight and the rear sight notch. I wonder if it’s supposed to be that way or if it’s because they copied the sights from the longer barrel model?
Reliability on mine has been 100% so far.
Conclusion
I don’t know who I’m writing this review for. The gun is sold out in Canada and transfers will soon be frozen, they don’t sell them in the US, and you’re not going to be able to buy them in police states like Australia or the UK or whatever. I guess some people might find themselves owning one and might want more info on what the gun is good at or what to improve. If that’s you, I hope you found this helpful!
