Aviation Naval Warfare Land Systems Small Arms By Flag By Year By Tag

Zastava M88

1987 COLD WAR MODERN

Zastava M88 History

The Zastava M88 originated from the Tokarev series of semi-automatic pistols from Soviet Russia, which debuted in the 1930s. While this line of pistols continued to serve, the Soviet sphere of influence was evident in countries such as Yugoslavia during the Cold War. Zastava Arms has been a small arms manufacturer for over 100 years and began producing Tokarev's 7.62mm M57 and later the much-improved, redesigned M70 for the pistol-friendly 9x19mm Parabellum cartridge . The 9mm cartridge is a proven small firearm, and this move also opens the pistol door for those interested in the export market.

So the M88 series is a further development of the M70, which appeared in 1988.

With the exception of the 9mm cartridge, the M88 remains relatively faithful to the Tokarev series. The action is semi-automatic with a Browning-type slider running along the length of the pistol.

A spring-loaded magazine inserts into the bottom of the handle and holds eight ready-to-fire cartridges. There are sights on the rear and front of the weapon. The trigger system is sturdy and ergonomically curved while sitting in a thick trigger guard. The sides of the handle are covered with wooden furniture, while the back of the slide features a generally accepted vertical line designed to provide a firm grip when guiding the slide. Empty ink cartridges are ejected through the opening at the top of the carriage.

As such, the M88 is a very traditional semi-automatic pistol design with little flare, but a solid design foundation.

The M88 was originally offered for the Serbian army, police and security forces, although it appears to have a rather limited range. It was also offered to the civilian market with little-known success and was eventually sold in the United States by Euro American Arms. For the US market, there is a version available that fires. 40 Smith & Wesson cartridges are also available to discerning buyers. For the Serbian military, the M88 was eventually replaced by the updated CZ 99 series semi-automatic pistols.

The CZ 99 was even more successful worldwide, with the same 9mm and .40 S&W cartridges.

The M88 was developed into another production form, referred to simply as the M88A. This version differs from the original M88 in that it has an external fuse mounted on the slide assembly.