Home / Proof Marks / Soviet factory marks — Tula and Izhevsk

Soviet factory marks — Tula and Izhevsk

Soviet and Russian arsenal marks · Tula from 1918, Izhevsk from 1918, in changing forms through the Soviet period.
What it looks like
A stylised arrow, sometimes in a star or a triangle, with a year beside it: the Tula arrow and the Izhevsk arrow in their several forms.
Where it is on the gun
Barrel shank and receiver, usually with the year of manufacture.
Date range
Tula from 1918, Izhevsk from 1918, in changing forms through the Soviet period.

What it tells you

What this mark authorises you to say

Which plant built the rifle, and usually the year it was built — these marks are the primary dating evidence on a Soviet arm, and unlike the proof marks of western Europe they carry a hard year. The form of the arrow changed over time, and the changes are documented, so even a partially struck mark narrows the period.

What it does not tell you

What this mark does NOT say

It does not describe the current condition or the refurbishment history, which is recorded by the separate repair-depot marks. A factory mark and a depot mark on the same rifle are two different facts about two different events.

Sources for this page

Every claim above is attributed. The class of source is shown with each one, because a national proof house and an anonymous forum table are not the same evidence — and on proof marks the difference matters.

Related on this site

Makers whose guns carry marks like this:

Reading marks to identify and date a gun

Proof marks name the test and the era. The serial number, where a maker published a browsable chart, can name the year. The lookup cites the threshold behind every result.

Open the serial number lookup

Other soviet and russian arsenal marks

Mark descriptions observed and verified 2026-10-14. Proof marks are stamped by hand on guns up to a century old; a photographed stamp and a description in a book are not the same evidence. If a mark on your gun does not match anything here, that is a real answer — see the notes on unidentified marks.