Type 59 pistol

The Type 59 is a Chinese semi-automatic pistol that copies the Soviet Makarov pistol, and it is also known in China as the Red Star pistol. It entered production in 1959 and was first produced at Factory 626 in Bei'an, Heilongjiang Province, as a replacement for the Type 52, itself a copy of the East German P1001 and so of the Walther PP, and as a partial replacement for the Type 51 and Type 54 copies of the Tokarev TT-33. It is a blowback pistol with an eight-round detachable box magazine, chambered for the 9x18mm Makarov cartridge. The military version made between 1959 and 1963 has a shield embossed with five stars on the grip, while quality in later copies is described as poor after Soviet technicians left China during the Sino-Soviet split. It served as one of the standard sidearms of the People's Liberation Army alongside the Type 51 and Type 54, was used in the Vietnam War, and is still carried by some Chinese forces such as the People's Armed Police. Norinco sold a civilian export variant, the M59, in 9x18mm, .32 ACP and .380 ACP, and Vietnam produced a local copy as the K-59 or SN9.