Anyone know how to date a Toz 35?

[amonkey]

Hey all,
Does anybody know of a reference for finding manufacture dates for Toz 35's? I've got a great old example with a very low SN and was curious. Thanks in advance...

[toznerd]

Ya giv 'er dad a case of vodka, her mum a pot of borscht, and save the flowers for her pretty sister, MU....






Seriously, I was under the impression that the cyrillic characters somehow roughly indicated the month and/or year(?) and the numbers were the number of units in the period (?) I can't remember where I read that.....

I'll try to track that down.

toznerd

[mjmarz]

Actually,most do have low serial numbers as I suspect not that many were made each year. The key to dating is in the cyrillic letters prefixing the numbers on the 35's.

On the 35m, the first two digits are the year of manufacture with the last digits suggesting the number of the gun in that year's run at that specific factory.

Most guns I have seen have 3 digit serial numbers, but the cyrillic prefix varies greatly.

I am curious as to what years are denoted by the various alphabet letters.

[mjmarz]

I have also noted that the machined hole in the side of the receiver varies between guns. Most I have seen are rectangular in shape but some are circular. Both seem to have originated from Tula. I often wondered what the reasons were for the change in configuration. Hopefully someone will write on the subject, probably when Russia becomes sufficiently prosperous to enable people with curiosity and leisure time to research out the variations and then publish the findings.

[Guest]

How can you tell a 35 from a 35M?
Mine is engraved w/ TOZ 35 on the receiver.

[Ed Hall]

How can you tell a 35 from a 35M?

The "M' versin has a larger trigger guard, a barrel band at the front of the forearm and a sleeve mounted front sight, if memory serves me well...

Take Care,
Ed Hall
US Air Force Shooting Teams
Bullseye (and International) Competition Things

[Mellberg]

A little off-topic here:
How old is the Toz 35 design? When did they start producing them for the market?

[mjmarz]

I believe production started in or around 1959. It was probably produced for the soviet team activity in the 1960 Olympics. As it was probably scheduled for that event, it was tested, distributed before and used in training preceding that event. Or such is my surmise. Someone really needs to contact the Tula arsenal and have them give us a hx of the gun along with its production. I am sure they are all on record there. My russian has gotten rusty, not having used it in 45years, so I am not in a postion to write them.