The 7.62mm Tokarev (aka 7.62x25mm Russian Tokarev) was adopted as the official Soviet military pistol cartridge around 1930 in the Models TT-30 and TT-33 auto-loading pistols. Surplus guns (made in several different countries) eventually began finding their way to the US in the late 1980's. Quality varied significantly; however, both guns and ammunition were inexpensive and many are currently in circulation. The test pistol used here was a CZ Model 52, one of the better quality guns offered in the chambering.

Most surplus ammunition is Berdan primed and is usually corrosive. Barrel groove diameter has a rather large variance, with many pistols utilizing .311 to .312 inch bullets.

To develop handload data Starline cases were used (available direct at 800-280-6660). These are intended to house .308-inch bullets and will require neck reaming if .311- to .312-inch bullets are used. The Hornady 90-grain HP-XTP currently has a .309-inch diameter, which seated correctly and functioned properly in the CZ 52.

Bullets had a tendency to tilt during seating; however, with care they could be straight in the rather short case neck. A crimp was applied as a separate step using a Lee Factory Crimp Die.

Some "start" loads did not produce enough pressure to reliably operate the action on the test pistol, but all maximum loads functioned flawlessly.