Just picked up a Type 56 pistol. The guy I bought it from claims that some NVA and VC officers had their pistols chromed. Don't know if that's true or not, but it is non-import stamped and made during the Vietnam war. Also it's not obvious in the pictures, but there is quite a bit of holster wear on the sides of the slide. I'm assuming either way it's a vet bring back. Any thoughts?
Chinese Tokarev - Chrome
- Thread starter 56hawk
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Lack of import marks and no external safety would lead me to believe that it was a bring back, there were a small number of these pistols imported and sold without the safety, but they would have had import marks.
Looks like a nice one!
Looks like a nice one!
Yeah, I figured as much. Still I'd rather have a Vietnam capture gun that the vet chromed than one of those stupid import ones with the added safety.
Shadow 7D
Member
Um, or something imported before 68
True, or smuggled in after 68. However being made in China in 63, I'm not sure how likely it would be to have been imported before 68.
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
I know of at least one bring-back Type 56 that got chromed stateside by some GI's during the Vietnam war as a presentation piece for a well respected officer who was retiring.
That was at Ft. Carson CO in 1969 as I recall.
We had another one brought in to our AMU shop by a wife who's husband mailed it home.
It had a bullet hole in the slide, so she brought it in to see if we could "fix it".
It wasn't chrome though, just fully loaded with a round still in the chamber!!!
rc
That was at Ft. Carson CO in 1969 as I recall.
We had another one brought in to our AMU shop by a wife who's husband mailed it home.
It had a bullet hole in the slide, so she brought it in to see if we could "fix it".
It wasn't chrome though, just fully loaded with a round still in the chamber!!!
rc
mikelspokane
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I disagree about the NVA or Viet Cong nickel plating or chroming their weapons. I know of two different guns brought home that were taken from officers and have a very unique plating. Not a fairy tale, but very real to those who brought them back.
ApacheCoTodd
member
I'd say that saying none or never in relation to the possibility is a pretty broad and bold statement. Unlikely? Sure. But impossible... well it's impossible to say with any certainty, says I, with certainty.
Besides, while it's nice, it's still not a finish quality I'd generally expect on a western finished piece.
Besides, while it's nice, it's still not a finish quality I'd generally expect on a western finished piece.
Rail Driver
Member
Actually, that's irrelevant - they wore flap holsters.
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EmGeeGeorge
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A guy brought in a weird .45 acp that looked like a giant crude colt 1903... It was a bring back made in Vietnam at some little shop, taken off an NVA officer...
It was chromed/nickel plated...
It was chromed/nickel plated...
Numeric
Member
Didn't the Russians hand out nickel-plated Nagants as prizes/rewards? Perhaps this was something similar?
jimmyraythomason
Member
Individual officers may very well have had their sidearms nickled or chromed.
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Individual NVA officers did not have their personal sidearms chromed or nickel. This was a communist army, Individual officers were not individuals. as we think of the word, issue firearms were property of the state, not theirs to play with. Once again, you can argue about presentation guns, or I was told,etc, or what ever. NVA military firearms were never chromed or nickel. This is also true of WWII guns, The German army ( or Japanese ) did not issue or have firearms plated. If it is a military bring back and it is chromed or nickel, regardless of the war, then it was done after the fact. I'm not referring to looted presentation guns ( such as solid gold PPKs ) but military firearms that would be picked up or firearms that would be used or captured on the battlefield. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
ApacheCoTodd
member
Yup, and no Allied service members carried plated SAAs in WWII either...
They weren't engraved " Property of the US Government" either , apples and oranges. BTW, Patton wasn't the only General to carry a SA Colt in WWII, there were at least two others and in Viet Nam there were at least two Generals that carried Nickle Colts, they were not government issue either I'm not trying to start a flame or argument. If you want to buy a chrome plated gun taken off a NVA colonel in hand to hand combat, please , feel free to do so. I'm just stating the facts. No modern army in the world issued nickle or chrome plated firearms to it's combat troops, especially any Asian communist Army. I'm really sorry if that upsets you, but that is the facts, and before the insults start Yes, I spent 2 and 1/2 tours in Nam. My last tour was cut short, something about a Medevac and a sucking chest wound, perhaps by a chrome plated AK carried by a SS NVA Colonel I'm out of here, sorry to upset people with facts, I know that can be unpopular.
ApacheCoTodd
member
Since no one can generate a "fact" that there were never any one-off plated side arms and the weapon has no import marks, has a story, - for what that's worth - has second rate plating, holster wear, no external safety, aged plating to a period when it would hardly have been worth plating and no engraving indicating it as an American captured presentation piece - I'm still going with bring back in this state.
I don't think anyone stated or believes it's an "as issued" indicator of a regulation, plated sidearm but rather possibly a sidearm that was once made "special" by the carrier or the giver of it as a gesture to the recipient.
Not a pissing match, just an opinion. We had several non factory chrome, nickel, silver and gold plated weapons in 5th Group found all about Iraq formerly in the possession of various ranks of officers and even some higher NCOs. Did the Iraqi Army plate them? Nope. Did/do they exist? Yup. Are many of them "bring backs" now? Well...
Probably, 40 years from now some will pick at that nit.
I don't think anyone stated or believes it's an "as issued" indicator of a regulation, plated sidearm but rather possibly a sidearm that was once made "special" by the carrier or the giver of it as a gesture to the recipient.
Not a pissing match, just an opinion. We had several non factory chrome, nickel, silver and gold plated weapons in 5th Group found all about Iraq formerly in the possession of various ranks of officers and even some higher NCOs. Did the Iraqi Army plate them? Nope. Did/do they exist? Yup. Are many of them "bring backs" now? Well...
Probably, 40 years from now some will pick at that nit.
VAPOPO
Member
Actually Japanese Officers had to privately purchase their own side arms in WW2 so there could be Nickle plated guns that were brought back from the pacific theatre. Also The South Vietnamese may have captured chromed it and had it recaptured by the VC. Strange things happen in war.
Shadow 7D
Member
Ok, so this is the thing
much like a North Korean Tok, of which I've heard about 2 online, and have seen picks on 1
and the presentation Nagants, which are real, I've seen pics, and even seen one up for sale, here's the kickers
These are HENS TEETH extremely rare, and pricy, much more common, is the standard gun that somebody took to the bumper shop for a coat of chrome.
So, the point is, most likely it's the 99%, and proving the 1% is almost impossible without provenance.
much like a North Korean Tok, of which I've heard about 2 online, and have seen picks on 1
and the presentation Nagants, which are real, I've seen pics, and even seen one up for sale, here's the kickers
These are HENS TEETH extremely rare, and pricy, much more common, is the standard gun that somebody took to the bumper shop for a coat of chrome.
So, the point is, most likely it's the 99%, and proving the 1% is almost impossible without provenance.
eastbank
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i bought a ww-2 9mm chromed p-38 a long time ago that was a bring back, but it was chromed in a motor pool in germany by the G.I.. the chrome was so thick and uneven you coulg not fire it. i had the chrome elecricly removed. the pistol fired then but was butt ugly. eastbank.
Ditchtiger
Member
Maybe it made a trip through the Classic Arms shop.
New chromed Tokarev Pistols going for $300.
New chromed Tokarev Pistols going for $300.
In RVN, at least in 1966, both in Saigon and Nha Trang there were enterprising Vietnamese who would, for a few Dong, bumper plate a GIs souvenir weapon before he sent or carried it back to the land of the big PX. I'm quite sure they swore to their friends over a few beers that , that was the way they captured it. I was also told , but don't know for a fact that a group of Navy CB's at Cam Ran Bay had a shop going and for a few dollars they would also chrome your dome or any thing else you wanted bright and shiny. As an aside there was a crew chief in Camp Holloway that had his issue 45 chromed. I had met the individual and can confirm he was a walking moron, he bought the gun from the government and didn't even get to keep it
beatledog7
Member
It's surprisingly difficult to prove that something has never happened or that something doesn't exist.
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