AK47 Ammunition | Ammo Buyers Guide

Russian Ammo Brands & Headstamps
# 3 – Ulyanovsk Machinery Plant
# 17 – Barnaul Machine Tool Plant
# 60 – State Factory at Frunze, Kirgisia
(now Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan)
# 270 – Lugansk cartridge factory, Ukraine
# 539 – Tula
# 7 – Vympel State Production Association
# 711 – Klimovsk State Ammunition Factory
Chinese 7.62×39 Ammo
Bulgarian 7.62×39 Ammo
Yugoslavian 7.62×39 Ammo
German 7.62×39 Ammo
Hungarian 7.62×39 Ammo
Polish 7.62×39 Ammo
Romanian 7.62×39 Ammo
Korean 7.62×39 Ammo
Israeli 7.62×39 Ammo
Finnish 7.62×39 Ammo
United States 7.62×39 Ammo

The 7.62x39mm cartridge was developed by the Soviet Union in the late 1940s for use in their new AK-47 rifle. It quickly became popular among other communist countries and was also widely adopted by guerrilla forces and insurgents around the world. Due to its popularity, many countries developed their own production lines for this cartridge.

Some of the notable factories that have produced 7.62x39mm ammunition in the past include:

Izhevsk Mechanical Plant – Russia:
This factory produced the original AK-47 rifles and 7.62x39mm ammunition for the Soviet Union in the late 1940s. The plant has since been modernized and continues to produce ammunition today, including 7.62x39mm rounds for the Russian military and export markets.
It is difficult to estimate the exact quantity of 7.62x39mm produced by this factory over the years, but it is likely to be in the billions.
Tula Cartridge Plant – Russia:
This is another major ammunition factory in Russia that has produced 7.62x39mm ammunition since the 1950s. The plant has gone through several upgrades and modernizations over the years and continues to produce ammunition today.
It is estimated that the plant has produced tens of billions of 7.62x39mm rounds over the years.
Cugir Plant – Romania:
This factory started producing 7.62x39mm ammunition for the Romanian military and export markets in the 1960s. After the fall of communism, the plant was privatized and continues to produce ammunition today, including 7.62x39mm rounds.
The exact quantity produced over the years is unknown, but it is likely to be in the billions.
Zastava Arms – Serbia:
This factory has been producing 7.62x39mm ammunition since the 1970s for the Yugoslavian military and export markets. Today, the plant is known as Zastava Arms and continues to produce small arms ammunition, including 7.62x39mm rounds.
The exact quantity produced over the years is unknown.
Norinco – China:
This state-owned factory has been producing 7.62x39mm ammunition for the Chinese military and export markets since the 1970s.
The factory has gone through several upgrades and expansions over the years and continues to produce a wide variety of small arms ammunition, including 7.62x39mm rounds.
The exact quantity produced over the years is unknown, but it is likely to be in the billions.
Barnaul Cartridge Plant – Russia:
This factory started producing 7.62x39mm ammunition in the 1980s for the Soviet Union and export markets.
Today, the factory is owned by the Barnaul Machine Tool Plant and continues to produce small arms ammunition, including 7.62x39mm rounds.
The exact quantity produced over the years is unknown.