Fedor Tokarev

Fedor Vasilievich Tokarev (Фёдор Васи́льевич То́карев) 2 June 1871 [14 June in old Russian calendar] – 6 March 1968) was a Russian weapons designer and deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR from 1941 to 1950. Outside the former Soviet Union he is best known as the designer of the Tokarev TT-30 and TT-33 self-loading pistol and the Tokarev SVT-38 and SVT-40 self-loading rifle, both of which were produced in large numbers during the German-Soviet War. Due to his contributions to Soviet arms design Tokarev received the Hero of Socialist Labor award in 1940.

He also designed the prototype of the FT-1 / ФТ-1 panoramic camera (FT stands for: Fotoapparat Tokareva / Фотоаппарат Токарева).

Biography

 * 1888 - Admitted to the Military Vocational School at Novocherkassk; age 17
 * 1892 - Graduated as Cossack noncommissioned officer and sent to the 12th Don Cossack Regiment as an armorer-artificer; age 21
 * 1896 - Returned to Novecherkassk as Master Armorer Instructor; age 25. Applied for admittance to the Military Technical School.
 * 1900 - Graduated as a Cossack commissioned officer, age 29, and returned to his old unit, the 12th Don Cossack Regiment as Master Gunsmith.
 * 1910 - Submitted his version of a conversion of the bolt-action Model 1891 Mosin-Nagant rifle to semi-automatic fire, which merited official testing. Age 39
 * 1927 - Designed Tokarev Model 1927 submachine gun prototype.