TargetTalk

I couldn't help but notice at the Desert Midwinter how many free pistol shooters we had and how many were shooting TOZ. There were 4 or 5 for sale at the match.

I'm sure that the influx of cheap TOZs into the U.S. has made getting into the sport more affordable and thereby brought a lot of new shooters into the game.

Anyone else noticed this? How about other countries?

Now, if we could just find parts....I think it's a Commie plot.

I Live in France, and it is exactly the same here. The TOZ dominates the shooting ranges for two main reasons : it is cheap and it is a very good pistol (the proof is that it owns many world records and olympic medals).
Other renowned free pistols like the Hammerlis were designed after the TOZ mechanism.
I recently bought one when a stock of 1000 brand new TOZ found in a Russian factory were put up for sale. The price is of 850 euros, with a RINK custom grip (wonderful) and spare parts such as a firing pin and its spring.

Berq55 wrote: . . . . Other renowned free pistols like the Hammerlis were designed after the TOZ mechanism. . . . .

Congratulations on the good deal on the TOZ, Berq!

Since I shoot a Hammerli I couldn't let you take credit away from the company. Here is the quote from Warren Potter on the Pilkguns site:

http://www.pilkguns.com/c17.shtml

Vostok
The Toz 35 is truly a remarkable pistol. For thirty years it has dominated the event, and unless somebody produces something special, there is no reason to suppose it won't continue to do so for some time yet. Basically it’s a Russian version of an early Hammerli. Nothing is particularly well made, machining is fair but not great and the factory grips are quite uncomfortable (the best add-on you can buy for this gun is a set of Morini grips). But the trigger, when set up right, is exceptionally consistent and the overall balance and feel contribute to it being a “forgiving” gun. Sight radius is not as long as some, and maybe this adds to the comfort level. Typically a good shooter with a Toz may not shoot as many tens as a similar shooter with a Hammerli, Pardini or Morini. It seems that the poor shots don't punish so badly, it’s far easier to shoot an eight (or worse) with the other pistols.

It's funny, Freepistol, because some say that Hammerli designed their pistol after Toz, while others like Warren Potter say the contrary.
So, I don't know where the truth lies, but it would be interesting if a faithfull source could tell us which one of these pistols was produced first !

I've looked around on the Internet: The first Hammerli Freepistol 100 was produced during 1950 and 1956. The TOZ 35 showed up in the hands of the USSR competitors in 1959.
I don't want to question the quality of the TOZ 35, but I guess everyone knows that the USSR was famous in copying others techniques. But nevertheless they provided less fortunate shooters with a potentially excellent gun.
Good shooting.
Guy

The first Hammmerli Free Pistol was the MP33, not the model 100. And the MP33 was pretty much a straight forward development from a pre-war German model.

Guest22 wrote:I've looked around on the Internet: The first Hammerli Freepistol 100 was produced during 1950 and 1956. The TOZ 35 showed up in the hands of the USSR competitors in 1959.
I don't want to question the quality of the TOZ 35, but I guess everyone knows that the USSR was famous in copying others techniques. But nevertheless they provided less fortunate shooters with a potentially excellent gun.
Good shooting.
Guy

The Toz may have a similar falling block action to the early Hammerli, but the Toz trigger mechanism is lightyears ahead. It is this feature that makes the Toz the success that it is.

The TOZ underlever action may be similar to (modeled after?) the early Hammerli action, but the trigger concept and design are totally different. The TOZ trigger is a design masterpiece, and clearly sets the gun apart from the similar-looking Hammerlis.

FredB

j-team wrote:The Toz may have a similar falling block action to the early Hammerli, but the Toz trigger mechanism is lightyears ahead. It is this feature that makes the Toz the success that it is.

The TOZ's low barrel axis was an upgrade.

Definitely an aesthetic similarity, but as has been mention, the TOZ's striker system, is faster than the early Hammerli hammer and pin design. It's funny that Hammerli later used the striker system in their upgraded 150, 160, and FP-60 FPs. In the meantime, the "upgraded" and coveted Russian FP, the MC-55, went back to a short arc hammer and pin design!

Toznerd