Tokarev North Korean Type 68 Magazine 7.62X25 Cal. 8 Round 2nd Hand

Overview

This is a genuine second-hand steel magazine for the North Korean Type 68 pistol, feeding the 7.62x25mm Tokarev cartridge in an 8-round single-column body. The Type 68 was North Korea's domestic hybrid of the Soviet TT-33 Tokarev, blending the Tokarev's fire control internals with a Browning High Power-style detent-retained barrel and a heel-type magazine catch borrowed from European service pistols of the era. Because of that heel release, the Type 68 magazine body lacks the catch cut milled into standard Tokarev TT-33 magazines, and the two are not interchangeable despite sharing the same cartridge and outward profile.

Magazines like this one rarely turn up outside the handful of Type 68 pistols that have made their way onto the civilian surplus market, so a spare in usable second-hand condition is a genuine find for an owner rather than a routine accessory purchase. The 7.62x25mm Tokarev round it feeds is a hot, flat-shooting pistol cartridge with a long history in Warsaw Pact and Asian communist-bloc service pistols, and this magazine gives an owner a practical way to keep a range session going without stopping to reload a single mag by hand.

Buyers should treat this listing as a used, as-is spare part: finish wear, minor surface pitting and a working but not pristine follower and spring are normal for a magazine of this age and origin. It is sold as a functional replacement or backup, not a collector-grade item.

Key Features

• Feeds 7.62x25mm Tokarev ammunition in an 8-round single-stack configuration, matching the factory capacity of the original Type 68 magazine.
• Body is machined without the magazine catch cut used on standard TT-33 magazines, because the Type 68 uses a heel-release catch at the base of the grip rather than a side button.
• Steel construction with a blued or parkerized finish gives the magazine the wear resistance needed for repeated loading and unloading in the field or at the range.
• Witness holes along the spine let a shooter count rounds remaining at a glance without dropping the magazine to check.
• A serrated, locking floorplate keeps the follower spring under control during storage and speeds up field-stripping for cleaning.
• Second-hand condition means the magazine has already proven it feeds reliably in an actual pistol, rather than being an unknown new-production part.

Technical Specifications

Fit & Compatibility

This magazine is cut specifically for the North Korean Type 68 pistol and its heel-release magazine catch. It will not drop into a standard Soviet, Chinese, Romanian, Polish or Hungarian TT-33/Type 54 pistol, because those use a side-button catch that engages a notch this body does not have. Anyone unsure which variant they own should check whether their pistol releases the magazine from a button on the frame or a catch built into the base of the grip; the latter confirms Type 68 compatibility. Given how few Type 68 pistols circulate outside North Korea and a small number of war-bring-back examples, buyers are strongly advised to confirm frame markings and catch type before purchase.

Materials & Construction

Like contemporary Warsaw Pact and Asian Tokarev-pattern magazines, the body is stamped and welded from sheet steel, with a coil spring driving a steel or alloy follower and a stamped steel floorplate retained by a spring clip. The finish on surplus magazines of this vintage is usually a worn blue or black oxide over the original factory finish, often showing operational handling marks, light surface rust spotting, or holster wear typical of decades of service and storage.

Care & Maintenance

Field-strip the magazine periodically by depressing the floorplate retainer and sliding the plate forward, then lifting out the spring and follower for cleaning. A light coat of gun oil on the spring and the inside of the body helps prevent surface corrosion, particularly important on a second-hand magazine that may already show some pitting. Avoid storing the magazine fully loaded for extended periods, as this can set the spring over time and cause feeding issues; rotate it into range use periodically instead.

Brand Background

The Tokarev name traces back to Fedor Tokarev's TT-30/TT-33 service pistol, adopted by the Soviet Union in the 1930s and subsequently licence-built or copied across the communist bloc, including China, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Yugoslavia, and North Korea. North Korea's Type 68 sits at the end of that production lineage, combining Tokarev's proven fire control group with design elements borrowed from the Browning High Power to modernise the platform for domestic service. Decades on, these pistols and their magazines are collected as much for their unusual engineering history as for their shooting characteristics.

Who It's For

This magazine is suited to an existing Type 68 owner who needs a spare or replacement to keep the pistol running reliably, and to collectors of Tokarev-pattern surplus firearms who want a correct, period-appropriate magazine rather than a reproduction. It is not the right choice for owners of standard TT-33 or Type 54 pistols, who need the differently cut side-catch magazine instead.

FAQ

Will this fit my Russian or Chinese Tokarev pistol? No, the Type 68 magazine lacks the side catch cut used by standard TT-33 and Type 54 pistols and will not lock into those frames.

What condition is the magazine in? It is sold second-hand, in functional working order with typical surface wear and finish loss consistent with age and service use.

Can I use commercial 7.62x25mm ammunition in it? Yes, any standard 7.62x25mm Tokarev ammunition feeds correctly through this magazine, though feeding reliability should always be confirmed at the range before relying on it.

Does it include a spare spring or follower? No, this listing is for the assembled magazine only; no spare parts are included.