The Zastava M57 is a semi-automatic 7.62x25TT pistol from Serbia/Yugoslavia that’s based on the Soviet Tokarev TT33. It uses a longer grip than a typical Tokarev and can fit 9 rounds in the longer magazine. While this is a 1957 variation on a 1930s design, they’re still in production! With a C-prefix on the serial, this pistol likely dates to 1961.
M57 Features
- Half cock safety & slide lock
- Drop free, 9 round magazines
- Single action
- Lanyard loop on the handgun and on the mags
- Basic design inspired by the 1911
- Easily removable hammer block
- Captured recoil spring & reticulating guide
The biggest main difference you’ll notice on the M57 vs other Tokarev TT33 style handguns is the grip. It’s slightly taller, holding 9 rounds in the single stack magazine instead of 8, and I MUCH prefer it. On a normal TT33, my pinky hands off the bottom, while on this one, it’s got a home. That extra grip surface is appreciated, because surplus 7.62x25TT ammo is spicy stuff and is snappier than a typical 9mm cartridge. Note: you can use the “extended” 9 round mags in the 8 round Tokarev, but not the other way around.
Another interesting difference between a TT33 and the M57 is that it comes with a recoil spring that’s captured. The guide rod can bend in the middle, allowing you to extract it.
Cosmoline
Most of the M57s and magazines I’ve seen have been liberally coated (commie coated?) with lots of protecting cosmoline. Expect that the magazines will be sticky. You may need to use solvents and a dental pick to get all of it out. An ultrasonic cleaner will really come in handy.
M57 Issues
Issues I experienced were:
The magazine disconnect was already disabled by some Yugoslavian grunt, so I just smoothed it a bit more so it didn’t scrape against the mags.
Grip panels can sometimes come loose with shooting.
The trigger is awful heavy.
Summary
Surplus versions of the M57 are incredibly affordable. If you want a TT33-ish pistol that fires 7.62x25TT, but one that’ll better fit normal sized hands, definitely buy one before they increase in price.
