Type 77 pistol
Encyclopedia
The Type 77 is a 7.62x17 mm Type 64 caliber semi-automatic pistol in service with all branches of the People's Liberation Army
(PLA) of the People's Republic of China
, People's Armed Police
and various Chinese police forces
. The Type 77 has been the main sidearm of the PLA for over two decades and is slowly being phased out by the QSZ-92
pistol in both military and police service but is still in widespread use across the country amongst second line military units and provincial police forces. Beginning in 1990, several variants of the Type 77 were developed for the international market.
and the silenced
Type 64 and Type 67 pistols, the Jinan Military Region Ordnance Factory began development of a self-defense weapon for officers, armed police and public security police in 1976 and by 1978 a design for the new side arm had been selected. In 1981 the design had been finalized for production and was designated as the Type 77.
-operated handgun that fires the indigenously developed 7.62x17mm Type 64 pistol round, which was originally created for the Type 64 pistol. The Type 77 utilizes a striker-fired single action firing mechanism and is carried with a loaded magazine and empty chamber.
The Type 77 has both a forward blade front sight with a slight taper and a rear, fixed notch.
The magazine seems to be derived from the Czechoslovakia
n vz. 52 and is a single-stacked box magazine that carries seven rounds and is released by a button on the left side of the frame on the trigger guard below the actual trigger. A lanyard ring is located at the bottom of the grip. The frame is covered by a one-piece plastic wrap-around grip retained by a single screw. The grip is marked with a single five-pointed star in a circle on each side.
The most unique feature of the Type 77 is the use of an obscure, system of operation developed in the early 20th century by firearms designer, Witold Chylewski, and first manufactured under Louis Schmeisser
and later Hugo Schmeisser
's Theodor Bergmann Waffenfabrik
, a German
arms manufacturing company.
This German 'Einhand' system allows the user to single-handedly chamber a cartridge by pulling the trigger guard back, which is connected to the slide. This pulling action will retract the slide back against the return spring. When the trigger guard is released, the slide will return and chamber the cartridge almost instantaneously. The chamber is fluted to reduce slide recoil, this reduces gas pressure acting on the base of the cartridge case. The trigger is then pulled to fire in single-action and the trigger guard is then automatically locked forward as to not strain the index finger during normal firing. An advantage of this system is that misfired cartridges can be quickly discharged with only one hand. If one prefers to carry with a loaded chamber, a traditional, manual safety exists above the left grip panel on the frame.
Recently, China has begun importing the Israeli
CornerShot
gun system for the People's Armed Police, and at the same time, began developing its own modifications of the weapon for the Type 79 submachine gun
. The CornerShot Type 79 has been slightly modified to house the Cornershot system and most notably mounts a Type 77 pistol in a special, rotating mount, placed under the barrel that also houses a tactical flashlight
. This rotating mount allows the user to fire the pistol and the submachine gun independently of each other. In addition the entire barrel of the Type 79 can also turn left or right, with the user able to see around corners thanks to a small camera attached to a side mounted LCD screen.
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...
(PLA) of the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, People's Armed Police
People's Armed Police
The People's Armed Police , officially Chinese People's Armed Police Force is a paramilitary or gendarmerie force primarily responsible for civilian policing and fire rescue duties in the People's Republic of China, as well as provide support to PLA during wartime.In contrast to public security...
and various Chinese police forces
Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China
The Ministry of Public Security , is the principal police and security authority of the mainland of the People's Republic of China and the government agency that exercises oversight over and is ultimately responsible for day-to-day law enforcement...
. The Type 77 has been the main sidearm of the PLA for over two decades and is slowly being phased out by the QSZ-92
QSZ-92
The QSZ-92 Services Pistol is a semi-automatic pistol designed by Norinco and it is in limited service in the People's Liberation Army since the late 1990s.-Development:...
pistol in both military and police service but is still in widespread use across the country amongst second line military units and provincial police forces. Beginning in 1990, several variants of the Type 77 were developed for the international market.
History
Following the successful development of the Type 64 pistolType 64 pistol
The Type 64 pistol is a semi-automatic pistol, formerly in service with the People's Liberation Army but has since been replaced by several other firearms, although it still remains in service with some Chinese police forces...
and the silenced
Suppressor
A suppressor, sound suppressor, sound moderator, or silencer, is a device attached to or part of the barrel of a firearm which reduces the amount of noise and flash generated by firing the weapon....
Type 64 and Type 67 pistols, the Jinan Military Region Ordnance Factory began development of a self-defense weapon for officers, armed police and public security police in 1976 and by 1978 a design for the new side arm had been selected. In 1981 the design had been finalized for production and was designated as the Type 77.
Design details
The Type 77 pistol is a compact, pocket-sized, blowbackBlowback (arms)
Blowback is a system of operation for self-loading firearms that obtains energy from the motion of the cartridge case as it is pushed to the rear by expanding gases created by the ignition of the propellant charge....
-operated handgun that fires the indigenously developed 7.62x17mm Type 64 pistol round, which was originally created for the Type 64 pistol. The Type 77 utilizes a striker-fired single action firing mechanism and is carried with a loaded magazine and empty chamber.
The Type 77 has both a forward blade front sight with a slight taper and a rear, fixed notch.
The magazine seems to be derived from the Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
n vz. 52 and is a single-stacked box magazine that carries seven rounds and is released by a button on the left side of the frame on the trigger guard below the actual trigger. A lanyard ring is located at the bottom of the grip. The frame is covered by a one-piece plastic wrap-around grip retained by a single screw. The grip is marked with a single five-pointed star in a circle on each side.
The most unique feature of the Type 77 is the use of an obscure, system of operation developed in the early 20th century by firearms designer, Witold Chylewski, and first manufactured under Louis Schmeisser
Louis Schmeisser
Louis Schmeisser was one of the best-known weapon technical designers of Europe. He is associated with the development and production of the Bergmann machine guns used during the first World War. Additionally, he designed the Dreyse 1907 Pistol which saw use in both World Wars.Schmeisser was born...
and later Hugo Schmeisser
Hugo Schmeisser
Hugo Schmeisser was a German developer of infantry weapons in the 20th century.Schmeisser was born in Jena, Saxe-Weimar. His father, Louis Schmeisser , was one of the best-known weapons designers in Europe...
's Theodor Bergmann Waffenfabrik
Theodor Bergmann
Theodor Bergmann was a German businessman and industrialist best remembered for the various revolutionary firearms his companies released. Like many entrepreneurs of the era, his activity was centered on bicycles and the nascent automobile...
, a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
arms manufacturing company.
This German 'Einhand' system allows the user to single-handedly chamber a cartridge by pulling the trigger guard back, which is connected to the slide. This pulling action will retract the slide back against the return spring. When the trigger guard is released, the slide will return and chamber the cartridge almost instantaneously. The chamber is fluted to reduce slide recoil, this reduces gas pressure acting on the base of the cartridge case. The trigger is then pulled to fire in single-action and the trigger guard is then automatically locked forward as to not strain the index finger during normal firing. An advantage of this system is that misfired cartridges can be quickly discharged with only one hand. If one prefers to carry with a loaded chamber, a traditional, manual safety exists above the left grip panel on the frame.
Recently, China has begun importing the Israeli
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
CornerShot
CornerShot
CornerShot is a weapon accessory invented by Lt. Col. Amos Golan of the Israeli Defense Forces in cooperation with American investors. It was designed in the early 2000s for SWAT teams and special forces in hostile situations usually involving terrorists and hostages...
gun system for the People's Armed Police, and at the same time, began developing its own modifications of the weapon for the Type 79 submachine gun
Type 79 submachine gun
The Type 79 but more commonly known is the first generation indigenous submachine gun used by the Chinese military, security, and police forces. The submachine gun was type classified in 1979 and entered mass production in 1983....
. The CornerShot Type 79 has been slightly modified to house the Cornershot system and most notably mounts a Type 77 pistol in a special, rotating mount, placed under the barrel that also houses a tactical flashlight
Flashlight
A flashlight is a hand-held electric-powered light source. Usually the light source is a small incandescent lightbulb or light-emitting diode...
. This rotating mount allows the user to fire the pistol and the submachine gun independently of each other. In addition the entire barrel of the Type 79 can also turn left or right, with the user able to see around corners thanks to a small camera attached to a side mounted LCD screen.