Zastava M57

Zastava M57
Zastava M57
	The M57 with a loaded 9-round magazine.
Type	Semi-automatic pistol
Place of origin	Yugoslavia
Service history
In service	1961–1992 (Yugoslavia)
Used by	Yugoslav People's Army, Viet Cong, North Vietnamese Army
Wars	Vietnam War; Persian Gulf War; Yugoslav Wars; Russian invasion of Ukraine
Production history
Designer	Zastava Arms
Designed	1957
Manufacturer	Zastava Arms
Produced	1963–1982
No. built	260,000–270,000
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Mass	854 g (30.1 oz)
Length	194 mm (7.6 in)
Barrel length	116 mm (4.6 in)
Height	134 mm (5.3 in)
Cartridge	7.62×25mm Tokarev
Action	Short recoil actuated, locked breech, single action
Muzzle velocity	480 m/s (1,575 ft/s)
Effective firing range	50 m
Feed system	9-round detachable box magazine
Sights	Front blade, rear notch; 156 mm (6.1 in) sight radius

The Zastava M57 is a Yugoslavian and Serbian semi-automatic pistol produced by Zastava Arms. It was the standard service pistol of the Yugoslav People's Army from 1961 until the early 1990s.^[2] The M57 was an unlicensed derivative of the Soviet TT pistol, but incorporated a number of detail modifications, namely a longer grip and a slightly larger magazine.^[1] Zastava reverse engineered the Soviet TT in 1954, and began serial production of the weapon type as the M57 in 1963.^[2]

As of 2022, Zastava still produces modernized variants of the M57 with updated safety features - the M57A in its original chambering and the M70A in 9mm Parabellum.

History

Designed in the mid-1950s, the M57 was an unlicensed copy of the Soviet TT-33 Tokarev.^[2] The Yugoslav People's Army had initially attempted to adopt the TT as its standard service pistol after World War II, and a number were delivered by the Soviet Union.^[2] However, the Tito–Stalin split prompted the Soviet government to cease military aid to Yugoslavia before deliveries of the pistol were fully completed.^[2] In 1952, Zastava was charged with developing its own variant of the TT to satisfy the army's needs.^[3] Zastava's engineers were able to reverse engineer the weapon by 1954.^[2] However, its factory was already at capacity manufacturing rifles and submachine guns, and it was unable to open a new production line to produce the TT.^[3] The project was shelved until 1956, when army officials again expressed interest in the TT design.^[2] Work on an improved TT derivative began in earnest in 1957, and the first prototypes appeared in 1960.^[2] The Zastava pistol was formally designated M57 and accepted for service in 1961.^[2] Although the army took delivery of various pre-production models that year, serial production was delayed until 1963.^[2]

Zastava manufactured the M57 from 1963 until 1982, at which time at least 260,000 had been produced.^[3] It was retired from military service in the former Yugoslavia during the late 1990s and early 2000s, being largely superseded by the Zastava CZ99.^[2]

Design details

In 1954, Zastava initially unveiled a handgun that was an identical copy of the original TT-33.^[3] However, between 1957 and 1960, a number of modifications to the Soviet design were made.^[2] The most noticeable difference is that the M57 was designed with a larger magazine that has a capacity of nine rounds as opposed to the TT-33's eight.^[3] The M57 was also fitted with a magazine safety, reducing the likelihood of an accidental discharge while the magazine is being removed.^[3] Zastava engineers added a dovetailed front sight that may be adjusted for windage, and the top of the weapon's slide is serrated to reduce glare.^[3] There were a few minor internal changes as well, including a unique Zastava firing pin and a captive recoil spring to simplify disassembly.^[3]

Users

Croatia^[3]
Ukraine^[1]

Former users

Yugoslavia^[2]
Serbia: Retired in the 2000s.^[2]

Notes and references

^ a b c "Vintage Weapons In a Modern War: The TT-33 Pistol In Ukraine". The Armourer's Bench. Beaverton. 26 March 2023. Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Sof, Eric (7 January 2023). "Zastava M57: The Yugoslavian-Made Clone of the Legendary Soviet TT-33 Pistol". Spec Ops Magazine. Dover. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k Thompson, Leroy (2022). Soviet Pistols: Tokarev, Makarov, Stechkin and others. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. pp. 65–67. ISBN 978-1472853486.

[AB-1] "Vintage Weapons In a Modern War: The TT-33 Pistol In Ukraine". The Armourer's Bench. Beaverton. 26 March 2023. Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.

[Sof-2] ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Sof, Eric (7 January 2023). "Zastava M57: The Yugoslavian-Made Clone of the Legendary Soviet TT-33 Pistol". Spec Ops Magazine. Dover. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.

[Thompson-3] ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Thompson, Leroy (2022). Soviet Pistols: Tokarev, Makarov, Stechkin and others. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. pp. 65–67. ISBN 978-1472853486.