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Open Joint-Stock Company Tula Cartridge Plant

139 Marat St., Tula 300004, Russia.
Tel.: (0872) 41-0352. Fax: (0872) 41-1174.  

The Tula Cartridge Plant sells products for hunting and sports. At present, TPZ JSC is the leading enterprise in the cartridge industry in Russia, the largest supplier of cartridges to the domestic and foreign markets. Tula-made ammunition is used in all Russian law enforcement agencies. The product quality control system operating at the enterprise guarantees the reliability and high efficiency of manufactured products. The company's specialists are constantly working to expand the range and improve the characteristics of manufactured cartridges. The enterprise is engaged not only in the production of cartridges for small arms, but also takes an active part in the development and testing of small arms systems together with well-known research centers in Russia.

According to the appraisal of the Minister of Defence of Russia Mr. S. Ivanov `The enterprise is the leader of domestic ammunition industry`. The plant traces its history back to the late 19th century when, in 1880, when on May 17 Emperor Alexander II decreed construction of ammunition-making facilities in Tula. The Emperor approved the position of the Military Council on the organization of cartridge production in Tula with the involvement of private capital. Already in 1882, the plant began to operate at full capacity and produced over 30 million 4.2-linear (10.67 mm) cartridges for the Berdan infantry rifle No. 2 per year. Since 1892, the plant began to produce new cartridges for the 3-line Mosin rifle of the 1891 model.

During the Great War, Tula-made cartridges accounted for a quarter of all cartridges supplied to the Russian fighting forces by domestic ammunition plants. In subsequent years, the plant was developing production, introducing advanced technologies and modern equipment. It is impossible not to note the great contribution of the TPZ to the provision of the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War. The plant supplied up to a peak of 400 million cartridges every year to the fighting army during World War II. After the war, the plant continued to exert a significant influence on trends in the ammunition industry.

Today, the plant manufactures around 40 kinds of ammunition for combat small arms and sporting and hunting guns of several calibres, 5.45x39, 7.62x39, 5.56x45 "Remington", 5,45x18, 5.6x39 "Bars", 9x17 "Kurtz", 9x18 "Makarov", 9x19 "Lueger", 45 AUTO, and 40 S&W for rifled small arms, metal shells for smooth-bore arms, and gas-filled cartridges.

The plant exports 85 of its cartridge output to more than 20 countries around the world. Tula's sporting and hunting ammunition, known by its brand name "Wolf", enjoys a high demand in foreign countries. The Tula Cartridge Plant today is a diversified engineering enterprise that has, in addition to its core business, lines to manufacture bellows, expansion bellows, low-voltage equipment, drive chains, and various tools.

Over the past 15 years, the production of a wide range of civilian cartridges for training shooting, self-defense purposes, sports and hunting has been mastered, which are supplied to the domestic and foreign markets under the TULAMMO trademark. The products of the Tula Cartridge Plant are in demand in the countries of North, Central and South America, the European Union, Australia, the Middle East, as well as in the CIS. The share of exports in total production in recent years has consistently been more than 50%. The products of the Tula Cartridge Plant for their high quality and stable characteristics have been awarded at the largest international and national exhibitions.

Tula is the administrative centre of Tula province - a subject of the Russian Federation. The province was established in 1937. It is located in the central part of East-European plain on the Middle-Russia upland, 160km South of Moscow. It extends 230 km. North-to-South, 200 km. West-to-East. Climate is moderate continental with average annual temperatures ranging from 3.80C to 4.50C, with warm summer (average temperature of +190C-200C) and moderately cold winter with frequent thaws (average January temperature is -100C) and sufficient humidification (475-575 mm of precipitation a year). Warm and moisture come along with dominating west and south air mass transfer. The province ranks first in the central economic region of Russia in terms of building stone and gypsum reserves, there are huge reserves of raw material for the manufacture of cement and wall facing. Key agricultural players are grain (over 2.2m tons a year), potato, sugar beet (around 700,000), milk (900,000), meat (over 200,000) where the province is capable of fully satisfying its population demand, meeting the world highest standards, and even export part of its agricultural produce. Turned out locally are yeast, beer, confectionery, honey, wax, propolis. The province enjoys a high motor road density. Crossing its territory are two national highways, namely, Moscow-Simferopol and Moscow-Voronezh. Tula has two railway links with southern areas of Russia, Crimea, Donbass, Saint-Petersburg, Minsk, Riga and many other big cities of Russia and CIS.