Reading Russian Ammo Box Markings and AK Manufacturing Marks

Conflict Armament Research investigates the arms and ammunition used in conflicts to attempt to determine their origin. For instance, the group has collected and examined ammunition used by ISIS, noting that much of it was manufactured in the U.S. or by U.S. companies (possibly captured Iraqi stockpiles). (PDF report here). However, they also offer illustrated field guides that may be useful to those interested in Soviet/Russian small arms, including a booklet on "Warsaw Pact-Calibre Ammunition Quantity Tables" (PDF), "Warsaw Pact-Calibre Ammunition Box Marking" (PDF) (basically, how to read the markings on spam cans or crates of ammunition), and "Identifying Marks on Kalashnikov-Pattern Weapons" (PDF).