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Zastava M57
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.[3] 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.[2] Zastava reverse engineered the Soviet TT in 1954, and began serial production of the weapon type as the M57 in 1963.[3] As of 2021, Zastava still produced modernized variants of the M57 with updated safety features - the M57A in its original chambering and the M70A in 9mm Parabellum.[5] HistoryDesigned in the mid-1950s, the M57 was an unlicensed copy of the Soviet TT-33 Tokarev.[3] 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.[3] However, the Tito–Stalin split prompted the Soviet government to cease military aid to Yugoslavia before deliveries of the pistol were fully completed.[3] In 1952, Zastava was charged with developing its own variant of the TT to satisfy the army's needs.[4] Zastava's engineers were able to reverse engineer the weapon by 1954, creating a faithful copy of the original TT.[3] However, its factory was already at capacity manufacturing rifles and submachine guns, and it was unable to open a new production line to produce a new handgun.[4] The project was shelved until 1956, when army officials again expressed interest in the TT design.[3] Work on an improved TT derivative began in earnest in 1957, and the first prototypes appeared in 1960.[3] The Zastava pistol was formally designated M57 and accepted for service in 1961.[3] Although the army took delivery of various pre-production models that year, serial production was delayed until 1963.[3] Zastava manufactured the M57 for the Yugoslavian state from 1963 until 1982, at which time at least 260,000 had been produced.[4] It was retired from military service in the former Yugoslavia during the late 1990s and early 2000s, being largely superseded by the Zastava CZ99.[3] Design detailsIn 1954, Zastava initially unveiled a handgun that was an identical copy of the original TT-33.[4] However, between 1957 and 1960, a number of modifications to the Soviet design were made.[3] 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.[4] The M57 was also fitted with a magazine safety, reducing the likelihood of an accidental discharge while the magazine is being removed.[4] 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.[4] There were a few minor internal changes as well, including a unique Zastava firing pin and a captive recoil spring to simplify disassembly.[4] Variants
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