Yugo M57 Tokarev - Half-Cock in Glove Box

[Subverto]

Like many of you I jumped on the Tokarev bandwagon eight months ago when the surplus ammo was dirt cheap and Yugo M57s in unissued condition could be had for $200. Well, now that the surplus ammo has dried up, and my personal supply of it is running low, I figured I might put the my M57 on glove box duty in my car. I already picked up some modern ammo for it and tested for reliability, and am now ready to keep it in my glove box. But there's one problem: What condition should I keep it in while it's in the glove box?

My first thought was cocked and locked with one in the chamber, but I don't trust the after market safety one bit. So cocked and locked is out of the question. This leaves either half-cock with a loaded chamber, or chamber empty. Do any of you have experience with carrying a M57 at half-cock? I did a Google search and there wasn't much info on the m57, but a lot of people say that the Russian and Chinese variants are meant to be carried chamber empty. Reason being there is no firing pin block, and a blow to the hammer (such as if you dropped the pistol and it landed on the hammer) would most likely cause it to fire. However, I also read that the M57 has a much deeper half-cock notch which should be able to withstand a much harder blow.

This brings me to my next thought. If I am keeping this gun in my glove compartment, with no intention of ever taking it out unless I need it, could anything possible hit it hard enough to sheer the half-cock notch off and fire a round? The only two things I could think of is if I got rear ended at a dead stop from a guy going >60mph and the gun were to slide backwards into the rear of the glove compartment OR if I some how managed to roll the car over multiple times at highway speed and during one of these rolls the hammer got smashed into a wall of the glove compartment.

Anyway, long story short: Do you guys think the possible risks (if there really are any) of keeping the gun half-cock with a round in the chamber outweigh the benefit of being able to cock the hammer back with one hand instead of having to rack the slide with both?

[B92G]

i have one, i would not trust that saftey AT ALL! mine fell out when i pushed it up too far. the safety is a total piece of SH!T. I too bought one months ago and now have only a few rounds left and no more ammo to buy it seems that the supply is dried up. I currently have mine for sale, but if it doesn;t get sold or traded i am going to convert it to 9x19 and also use it as a back up gun. I could never brign myself to carry one in the chamber, not that i don't trust myself, i just don't trust the gun as i carrry a g26 with one in the chamber.

[WVBob]

I would never trust it. The ones I've had would go off in a heart beat. The decocker on some worked....sometimes and other times they fired. That's why I tested them at the range.

As for ammo Midway has S&B in stock and Prvi Partizan, Wolf and Winchester will be in by the end of the month. I like the Prvi Partizan and Wichester.

[Steve_NEPhila]

NO!!! Do not leave a loaded chamber while the hammer is half cocked. The half cocked position is not a "Safe" position. Since you plan on leaving the weapon in a state that requires manipulation before it can be fired (half cocked), just leave the chamber empty and rack the slide when you need it.

I am not intimately familiar with the internal workings of a Tokarev, yet I do know many types of single action pistols. Half cocked is never a safe way to keep the pistol with a loaded chamber. Furthermore, a glove box is a terrible place to leave a weapon, especially a fifty year old former Soviet bloc weapon that was never subject to product liability litigation. There are far too many situations where this can go wrong for you, a car accident, a friend or family member borrows the car and gets pulled over etcetera...

I advise you to leave the curio pistol at home in your safe, leave the defense work up to the tools built for the job.

[thebearpack]

There are far too many situations where this can go wrong for you, a car accident, a friend or family member borrows the car and gets pulled over etcetera...

I advise you to leave the curio pistol at home in your safe, leave the defense work up to the tools built for the job.

Excellent advice right there. You're flirting with disaster leaving that M57 in the glove box with a round chambered. If it has to be in the car leave the chamber empty. Better yet, leave it at home.

[harold63]

My self-preservation 1911's stay fully loaded, round in the chamber, but decocked. They all have firing pin safeties (an option I prefer) and the beaver tails have all been nicely cut down (I pat myself on the back for the job I did on them) so that it is easy for even my 17 year old daughters to hammer back with one hand (which they have had a ton of practice doing). This is my personal preference, no matter how I carry one. What you want to do may not be wise. It is a low risk thing you are asking, but a risk, indeed. Bad luck finds good people, sometimes, and who wants to get shot while you are being treated like a towel in a dryer by your car as it knocks down the next yeild sign.

[harold63]

NO!!! Do not leave a loaded chamber while the hammer is half cocked. The half cocked position is not a "Safe" position.

True this, big time, especially for this firearm.

[harold63]

I advise you to leave the curio pistol at home in your safe, leave the defense work up to the tools built for the job.

Nostalgia and self preservation should not be in association with one another.

[Azzy]

Word is the supply still exists, its the overseas sellers that are wary of selling things for dollars.

At least, thats the word I got from an importer, so, take with that in mind.

[Grumpa72]

My self-preservation 1911's stay fully loaded, round in the chamber, but decocked. They all have firing pin safeties (an option I prefer) and the beaver tails have all been nicely cut down (I pat myself on the back for the job I did on them) so that it is easy for even my 17 year old daughters to hammer back with one hand (which they have had a ton of practice doing). This is my personal preference, no matter how I carry one. What you want to do may not be wise. It is a low risk thing you are asking, but a risk, indeed. Bad luck finds good people, sometimes, and who wants to get shot while you are being treated like a towel in a dryer by your car as it knocks down the next yeild sign.

I don't necessarily agree with your carry option. The 1911 platform, with and without the series 80 safety, was designed to be carried with one in the chamber, hammer cocked, and thumb safety on. I am sure you know this as well as the fact that it was not designed to be carried the way you do. Just my two cents. Fwiw, I carry a Colt Commander with the series 80 safety carried as I described.

Ok, no more thread hijacking.