· The construction of the Tula armoury
· The mastership of Tula armourers
· The Tulsky oruzheiny zavod in the 19th century
· The Tulsky oruzheiny zavod in the beginning of the 20th century
· The Tulsky oruzheiny zavod in the years of World War II
· The Tulsky oruzheiny zavod in the post-war period

The construction of the Tula armoury

The construction of the Tula armoury began on February 15, 1712 after Peter's the First decree. The factory was supplied with progressive for those times equipment: water machines, machines for outer and inside finishing barrels. For the first time checking gauges were used in the production of mechanisms. Application of progressive technologies of 18 century greatly have improved of quality of discharged production. As a result by the Tsar's decree the weapons produced in Tula were established standards.
In 1720 the factory was producing 22 thousand reliable, light infantry and dragoon guns, flintlock pistols; beginning in 1749, fire-arms were complemented by mass production of cold steel — hades, sabres, broadswords, swords.

The mastership of Tula armourers

The mastership of Tula armourers flourished in the second half 18th century. Artistically decorated Tula arms and particular articles were in great demand. The unique and very beautiful diamond-cut steel — an original technique developed in Tula, other secrets of finishing metal and wooden articles are deeply rooted just into this epoch. The best examples of applied decorative art are famous beyond the Russia borders up till now.
By the end of the 18th century the names of remarkable gunsmiths became well-known, among them Ivan Pushkin, Ilya Lyalin — the creator of double-barrel breech-loading flintlock shotgun. Ivan Polin — the designer of one of the first models of multi-charge repeating fire-arm.

The Tulsky oruzheiny zavod in the 19th century

Reconstructed in the 19th century the Tulsky oruzheiny zavod became one of the best plant of Europe. In 1879 the well-known Berdan rifle with improved sliding bolt was put into production. A Model Shop specializing in the development of its own models of different small arms and hunting guns was set up at the factory. The output of various products increased: single-barrel and double-barrel rod guns, breech-loading guns chambered for centre-fire cartridges, smooth-bore and combination guns. Damascus steel technology developed with the participation of a talented designer Mosin was used in manufacturing barrels.
For several years S. I. Mosin was busy in design, of the magazine rifles of various systems. In 1891, after completing tests of two systems — the Mosin system and the system of the Belgium designer L. Hagan, — just the Mosin rifle named "The three-linear rifle Model 1891" (the 0.375 magazine rifle) was adopted by the Russian Army.

The Tulsky oruzheiny zavod in the beginning of the 20th century

In 1902 the plant went over to fully mechanized in-line production of hunting shotguns (at first hammerless shotguns – model “A”, then hammer shotgun - Model "Б" and then the shotgun of Ivashentsev system). The Tula factory was the only armoury in the world to manufacture a remarkable pattern of small arms — Model 1910 Maxim-type machine gun with complete interchangeability of parts.
In the 20th the factory was manufacturing the Model "P" shotguns, Model NK-8.2 rifled carbine designed by Kochetov, the TOZ-1 and TOZ-2 small-caliber rifles, single-loading rifles TOZ-7 and TOZ-8 and TOZ-10 intended for sport shooting.
In 1927 a design bureau was set up at the factory. As a result of its work the plant started to produce such models as PV-1 and ShKAS aircraft machine guns.
In 1939 a talented designer F. V. Tokarev worked out the self-loading spinning rifle SVT-38 ranking high with the best semi-automatic rifle of World War II Model M 1 Garand.
During 1927-1938 the first domestic spinning frames were designed and manufactured at the plant, the new base of textile engineering was brought into being.
In 1932—1939 the manufacture of milling machines was mastered, three models-universal, vertical and horizontal millers were put into mass production.
In 1927-1939 the ShKAS and UB aircraft machine guns, cannons B-2 - the most rapid-firing rifle in the years of World War II were put into production.

The Tulsky oruzheiny zavod in the years of World War II

In 1941—1945, working under the motto:" Everything for the front, everything for the victory" the Tula gunsmiths were manufacturing the SVT-38/40 sniping rifles, ShVAK aircraft cannons, Nagan revolvers and TT pistols.

The Tulsky oruzheiny zavod in the post-war period

The post-war period was the time of the fruitful work in the creation of various sporting and hunting fire-arms. Such models as the T03-25 double-barrel hammerless shotgun, the "BM" double-barrel hammer gun and small-caliber rifles TOZ-8M, TOZ-12, TOZ-16, TOZ-17, TOZ-18 were designed in these years.
At the same time the plant was producing the 7,62 mm Simonov's carbines SCS.
In 1965 the plant started manufacturing the TO3-34 over-and-under double-barrel shotgun designed by Korovyakov N. I. and Ochnev V. P. In 1961—1982 the Tula Arms Plant received an order for production of the known worldwide Kalashnikov submachine gun (six modifications of this weapon were put into production), anti-tank guided missiles as the organic parts of the "Malyutka", "Fagot", "Konkurs" complexes; underbarrel grenade launcher "Kostyor".
In 1986 the TOZ-87 autoloading hunting shotgun (automatic reloading is effected by powder gases) was designed by N. I. Babanin, with serial production being launched.
The plant has covered a long and glorious path.
The new generation of gunsmiths has own inimitable style that has absorbed all known artistic methods of gunmaking using various materials — gold, silver, bone, pearl. Traditions of the Tula Levsha are alive up till now. The articles of Tula gunsmiths were repeatedly displayed at various exhibitions, fairs and were marked with the highest awards.
Joint-stock company "TOZ" carefully keeps up to its history, follows the glorious age-old traditions and looks ahead with hope.
Taking into account a historic importance of the Tula armoury as the oldest in Russia arms plant the Tula Armoury Museum was organized in 1920, it retains much interesting and surprising about the history of fire-arms production, mastership in Tula, really unique, models of weapons.