My first C&R!

[BlueHeeler]

Happy days are here today!!! Almost exactly 2 months to the day I sent away for my C&R the UPS guy gave me a Yugoslavian Md. 57 Tokarev. This is my first handgun and I could not be more pleased. It is in great condition.

It struck me while I was examining it, this is not just a gun. This is real history with a story. It has been around the world and significantly older than I am. At some point, someone wrote their name in the holster in ball point pen, but I cannot quite make it out… Laka or Eaka maybe. I need to examine it with magnification. I think I am going to enjoy collecting as much as shooting. AKA I think I am going to enjoy being poor as much as not poor.

I am going to de-cosmoline the gun this weekend because it is leaking. In communist Yugoslavia, gun oils you! Tips and wisdom for this gun are appreciated.

Uhhh how does this ammo can open? It seems to be soldered/welded shut pretty well. There is a pull tab, but that is a trick for he-man. Are you supposed to yank on it with vice grips?

 

[WatTyler]

Nice pistol, Comrade! You're right on the pull-tab. You could worry it off with a pair of pliers, but a pair of Vice Grips is handier, since you can clamp on and use the grips as a twist key- kind of like you would with a big sardine can. It's just held in with lead solder. Good shooting!

 

[bbrown]

The environmentally friendly way is to field strip it, then put the parts out in the hot sun on some newspaper for about an hour or so while you do some honey-do's. That'll soften up the cosmolene enough to wipe most of it off. Then slather it in CLP and put it back out in the sun. The CLP and sun will get the rest of it out. Wipe it down. Enjoy your piece of history.

Bryan

 

[BlueHeeler]

Nice pistol, Comrade! You're right on the pull-tab. You could worry it off with a pair of pliers, but a pair of Vice Grips is handier, since you can clamp on and use the grips as a twist key- kind of like you would with a big sardine can. It's just held in with lead solder. Good shooting!

Great Success! Can is open. I did not want to start yanking and cranking on it if there was a logical key. Nope, the key to open is brute force.

 

[05dodgedaytona]

Very nice.

 

[rob b]

nice pistol
soak it in mineral spirits let dry and re-oil

 

[K31]

Where did you get it?

 

[c33m0n3y]

Congratulations! You're going to love your M57, it's a fun and cheap shooter.

K31-I got mine from SOG, they seem to have the best price on them - $189 + shipping.

 

[BlueHeeler]

Where did you get it?

Southern Ohio Gun of course. Those guys rock.

Congratulations! You're going to love your M57, it's a fun and cheap shooter.

I hope it is a fun shooter, I just need to get it registered and then it is party time. The good ammo is ridiculously inexpensive. I am liking this more and more.

My house/hands smell like cosmoline, which is not a bad thing. I might try the mineral spirits. Do I just field strip and dunk the gun?

 

[j8064]

Southern Ohio Gun of course. Those guys rock.


I hope it is a fun shooter, I just need to get it registered and then it is party time. The good ammo is ridiculously inexpensive. I am liking this more and more.

My house/hands smell like cosmoline, which is not a bad thing. I might try the mineral spirits. Do I just field strip and dunk the gun?

Welcome to the C&R world. It is a nice M57. You'll get to enjoy the smell of cosmoline over time...it's an acquired C&R attribute.

I'm confused about what you mean by "registered"? Registration is voluntary in Maryland.

Edit: Oops...my bad...I just noticed your location...

 

[BlueHeeler]

Welcome to the C&R world. It is a nice M57. You'll get to enjoy the smell of cosmoline over time...it's an acquired C&R attribute.

I'm confused about what you mean by "registered"? Registration is voluntary in Maryland.

Edit: Oops...my bad...I just noticed your location...

I already like the smell of cosmoline.

It should be interesting registering in DC. They do mandatory ballistics testing and they supply the ammo. I wonder if they have 7.62x25 in stock. AFAIK I am one of few C&R owners registering in DC. Possibly the first for handgun. We will see how this goes.

 

[c33m0n3y]

My house/hands smell like cosmoline, which is not a bad thing. I might try the mineral spirits. Do I just field strip and dunk the gun?

Blue, there are several ways to get the cosmo out after you field-strip it. I use a canned gun cleaner that melts it away and leaves no residue. Don't forget to remove the grips to clean them well, as they have a lot of nooks for cosmo to stick around.

This is from holepunch, who gave me a good point-by-point procedure for stripping the grips:
1. Check the weapon is clear (duh lol)
2. Let the magazine drop out.
3. Look up in there with a flashlight and look for a flat piece of stamped steel shaped like the letter tee. It will be in the left grip. It's a lever. Flip it the other way and the left grip will fall out. Actually if it's gunky it's will *peel* off lol.
4.Looking thru the hole in the frame where the left grip was, find the equivalent lever in the right grip, and flip it. It's smaller and shaped different, but you'll understand how it works once you've removed the left one.
5. Go to town with mineral spirits or Kroil or whatever you use. The plastic seems chemical resistant *so far*. Not sure what if anything eats it. I'd avoid acetone or gasoline as those probably fog it.

 

[august1410]

That's a really nice pistol.

 

[Ethan83]

Nice! I love my Romanian Tok - big boom and cheap ammo! Crappy sights, but great trigger!

 

[hole punch]

...It struck me while I was examining it, this is not just a gun. This is real history with a story...

::hugs:: I totally understand!

I got mine from SOG too and they did me good. I can't believe how great condition these are in! I let my buddy open the package (not a gun guy, but wants to get a hand gun) he saw the cosmo and said "they look rough", but once I got the cosmo out they were very good shape!

Something to note, you can't work the slide when the hammer is half-cocked. This drove me NUTS until I figured out what was going on. At first it seemed to be happening randomly and I thought I had a busted gun. Every now and then the slide wouldn't work!! So, if you accidentaly put the gun in half-cock and need to work the slide, simply put the weapon in full-cock and carry on.

Enjoy cleaning her up! I still haven't shot mine. Need to get out and burn thru some of this spam can of Romy 80's production I picked up.

 

[fivepointstar]

Congrats...looks like you have one in VG cond!!

 

[jmira]

you guys recommend 7.62x25? fun/cheap caliber? I still have a virgin C&R license..

 

[BlueHeeler]

Blue, there are several ways to get the cosmo out after you field-strip it. I use a canned gun cleaner that melts it away and leaves no residue. Don't forget to remove the grips to clean them well, as they have a lot of nooks for cosmo to stick around.

This is from holepunch, who gave me a good point-by-point procedure for stripping the grips:
1. Check the weapon is clear (duh lol)
2. Let the magazine drop out.
3. Look up in there with a flashlight and look for a flat piece of stamped steel shaped like the letter tee. It will be in the left grip. It's a lever. Flip it the other way and the left grip will fall out. Actually if it's gunky it's will *peel* off lol.
4.Looking thru the hole in the frame where the left grip was, find the equivalent lever in the right grip, and flip it. It's smaller and shaped different, but you'll understand how it works once you've removed the left one.
5. Go to town with mineral spirits or Kroil or whatever you use. The plastic seems chemical resistant *so far*. Not sure what if anything eats it. I'd avoid acetone or gasoline as those probably fog it.

This helps a lot. I just spent the last 3 hours taking it down to bits, meticulously cleaning with mineral spirits, and reoiling. The slide is ultra smooth, barrel spotless, and it weeps cosmo from under the grips and safety.

That's a really nice pistol.

Did you know it is not illegal for us shotgun shooters to own a pistol? Immoral maybe, but at $189 it beats a fruity bicycle.

 

[Atlasarmory]

 

[LostSoul]

you guys recommend 7.62x25? fun/cheap caliber? I still have a virgin C&R license..

Absolutely, and you answered your own question as to why! I love shooting my Polish Tokarev, and surplus ammo is quite inexpensive. But it is corrosive, so clean accordingly after a range trip.