Where your AK was made.Factory marks, arsenals and the ammo plants that fed them.
1Russia
Izhevsk (Izhmash, now Kalashnikov Concern) marks its rifles with an arrow inside a triangle. Tula uses a star. Molot in Vyatskie Polyany builds the RPK and the Vepr. Do not confuse the Russian Izhevsk mark, an arrow with feathers, with the Romanian Cugir arrow, which has none.
2Warsaw Pact Arsenals
| Country | Factory | Mark |
|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria | Arsenal, Kazanlak | 10 in a double circle |
| Romania | Cugir | Arrow in a triangle, no feathers |
| Romania | Sadu | Lower quality finish, few nice guns |
| Poland | Radom (Lucznik) | 11 in an oval |
| East Germany | Wiesa (Ernst Thaelmann VEB) | K in an oval |
| Hungary | FEG | Factory 23 |
| Yugoslavia | Zastava | Zastava marking |
3China
Polytech and Norinco were export companies. Rifles under their names came from several military arsenals, with factory numbers such as 26, 66 and 416 in a triangle.
4Ammunition Plants
| Plant | Brands | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tula Cartridge Works | Wolf, Tula | Early TCW headstamp |
| Barnaul | Barnaul, Monarch, RAM | Steel case leader |
| Ulyanovsk | Bear brands | Since 1917 |
| Klimovsk | KSPZ | Founded 1936 near Moscow |
| Novosibirsk LVE | LVE | Over 60 years of ammo |
| Vympel | Golden Tiger | Youngest Russian plant, 1976 |
