When the Polish TT-33 arrived, it was filled with heavy grease, which meant the gun required complete disassembly. Takedown was similar to the 1911 (and identical with the Chinese version tested above), involving rotating the barrel bushing (180 degrees). We later found takedown to be easier if we left the barrel bushing alone, slipped the split retainer off the barrel-lug pin and removed that pin, then slid the slide forward off the frame, being careful to contain the compressed recoil spring within the slide until we could carefully remove it. The magazine also was designed for easy disassembly.
The metal beneath the grease was well machined and finished, and nicely blued. The importer, Southern Ohio Gun, said these Polish pistols were new, and we don’t doubt it. The barrel was white on the outside, and looked like new on the inside. The locking lugs within the slide showed signs of having been tested for hardness, a sure indicator that the maker cared enough to test the product before shipping it.
The grips were black plastic. The left panel had a raised thumb rest that interfered slightly with the trigger finger of lefties. The Chinese version of this pistol did not have a thumb rest. The Polish TT-33 and its magazine both had lanyard rings. The ring on the frame was on the left side, which would interfere with southpaws if they wanted to use a lanyard as a steady rest. Removal of the grip panels involved inserting a screwdriver into the magazine well and sliding a clip on the left panel rearward, permitting the panel to be removed from the frame. The right side was then accessible for similar removal. The grips were well made and fit the gun snugly.
When we cleaned the Polish gun, we found all its major parts were numbered, and all but the magazine matched the serial number. We found rust within the hole in the hammer that holds its spring. The spring was slightly bent, and we noted that the hammer had noticeably less spring tension than either of the other two pistols.
The Polish TT-33 had a crisp trigger pull, which broke at 5.3 pounds. Its sights consisted of a dovetailed, U-notched rear and a small, narrow blade at the front. The front blade appeared to be integral with the slide. Although the sight picture was more delicate than we’d have liked, it was superior to that of the Chinese gun, on which we had trouble getting a clear sight picture. We would have preferred a wider front blade and a wider rear notch for faster sight acquisition.
The safety was a small lever beneath the slide lock, located where it was possible to take it off by shoving it down with the thumb. When we first tried it, the safety was very stiff, but it loosened up during our testing. The fit and finish of the safety didn’t match the rest of the gun, so it may have been added after the gun was made. It blocked the trigger, and that appeared to be all it did.
Some of our shooting team got their hands bitten by the hammer. The same shooters didn’t get bit by the near-identical Chinese version. Comparison showed a little more steel beneath the hammer of the Chinese gun, enough to force the web of the hand out of danger.
On the range we found the Polish TT-33 didn’t always fire the old surplus cartridges. We went back inside the gun and stretched the hammer spring from a length of 1.3 inches to 1.5, and that helped, but was not enough to make the gun totally reliable with the surplus ammo. We switched the entire firing block with the Chinese-made version and that cured the problem. When we had the Chinese hammer assembly temporarily installed, we checked the Polish gun for accuracy, but found it made no difference. The Polish TT-33 worked perfectly with the recently made Sellier & Bellot ammo.
Every time the gun fired it fed and cycled properly from its eight-round magazine. The guide rails that were part of the hammer/sear assembly did a great job of directing the rounds into the chamber, and of course the bottleneck shape helped. Ejection was very positive. It took us a long time to find the first few empty cases. This round gives a sharp and loud report, and we got every bit of 1,400 fps out of all three types of ammo.
