Zastava M88
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| Zastava M88 | |
|---|---|
 Yugoslavian M88, early 1990s production | |
| Type | Pistol |
| Place of origin | Yugoslavia |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Yugoslavia Serbia |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1987 |
| Manufacturer | Zastava Arms |
| Variants | M88A |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 0.85 kg (1.9 lb)[1] |
| Length | 175 mm (6.9 in)[1] |
| Barrel length | 96 mm (3.8 in)[1] |
| Width | 29 mm (1.1 in)[2] |
| Height | 130 mm (5.1 in)[1] |
| Cartridge | 9×19mm Parabellum[1] |
| Action | Short recoil actuated, locked breech, single action |
| Feed system | 8-round magazine[1] |
| Sights | Iron[1] |
The Zastava M88 is a Yugoslavian and Serbian semi-automatic pistol produced by Zastava Arms.[1] It is a compact derivative of the Zastava M57, which was itself an unlicensed variant of the TT pistol.[3]
The M88 was developed to replace the M57, then the standard side arm of the Yugoslavian military and law enforcement agencies, in 1987.[4] The Yugoslavian government charged Zastava with designing a derivative of the M57 chambered for 9×19mm Parabellum that was easier to conceal, more ergonomic, and more suitable for self-defense.[5] In response, Zastava engineers essentially scaled down the M57 design, incorporating an identical but shorter slide and barrel into the new pistol.[6] The M88 was also designed with a proprietary 8-round magazine with a unique flared base; this was supposed to make the magazine easier to change quickly.[1] The decision to move to the 9x19mm Parabellum cartridge from the 7.62×25mm Tokarev chambering of the M57 was also significant, and was partly motivated by export prospects.[2] Zastava had already produced an M57 variant known as the M70A, chambered for the 9x19mm cartridge, for foreign commercial sales.[7][3] Streamlining production on a single 9x19mm pistol for both domestic and export contracts was seen as cost-effective, and a major factor in creating the economy of scale necessary to make M88 production profitable for the Yugoslavian state.[2] Serial production of the M88 for Yugoslavian military and police orders commenced in 1988, but was canceled in 1991 due to the country's ongoing civil wars.[5]
The M88 had an extremely short service life with the Yugoslavian (and later Serbian) military and police.[4] After the end of the Yugoslav Wars, it was replaced in Serbian service by the Zastava CZ99.[4] By the 2000s, Zastava had resumed limited production of the M88 for the commercial export market, marketing the weapon primarily to civilians in North America and Europe for self-defense and sport shooting purposes.[8][4]
Features
The M88 has a shorter 3.5 inch barrel and a different hammer position than the M57.[8] The earliest examples manufactured for the Yugoslavian state contract featured no external safety.[5] During the early 1990s, Zastava also began producing a slightly modified M88 with an external safety on the slide; this received the designation M88A.[5]
