Prvi partizan ( sr, Први партизан, Prvi partizan; abbr. PPU) is a Serbian manufacturer of

ammunition Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other we ...

and

handloading Handloading, or reloading, is the practice of making firearm cartridges by assembling the individual components (case, primer, propellant, and projectile), rather than purchasing mass-assembled, factory-loaded ammunition. The term ''handlo ...

components, based in

Užice Užice ( sr-cyr, Ужице, ) is a city and the administrative centre of the Zlatibor District in western Serbia. It is located on the banks of the river Đetinja. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 59,747. The C ...

, Serbia. The company produces ammunition for civilian and military consumers in a variety of

caliber In guns, particularly firearms, caliber (or calibre; sometimes abbreviated as "cal") is the specified nominal internal diameter of the gun barrel bore – regardless of how or where the bore is measured and whether the finished bore matc ...

s in various loadings. Several ammunition articles list Prvi partizan as one of the few sources of certain unusual cartridges, such as the 8x56mmR used in the M95/30 variant of the Mannlicher M1895, the

7.92×33mm Kurz The 7.92×33mm ''Kurz'' (designated as the 7.92 x 33 kurz by the C.I.P.) is a rimless bottlenecked intermediate rifle cartridge developed in Nazi Germany prior to and during World War II, specifically intended for development of the Sturmgeweh ...

cartridge used in the

StG 44 The StG 44 (abbreviation of Sturmgewehr 44, "assault rifle 44") is a German assault rifle developed during World War II by Hugo Schmeisser. It is also known by its early designations as the MP 43 and MP 44 (''Maschinenpistole 43'' and ''44''). ...

rifle, and the 7.65×53mm Argentine cartridge. In early 2009, the company began manufacturing 8mm Lebel ammunition, becoming the first commercial manufacturer in decades to produce it.

Headstamp

Prvi partizan cartridges carry the

headstamp A headstamp is the markings on the bottom of a cartridge case designed for a firearm. It usually tells who manufactured the case. If it is a civilian case it often also tells the caliber: if it is military, the year of manufacture is often adde ...

"ППУ" ("PPU"),International Ammunition Association Headstamp Page
/ref> which stands as abbreviation of the company's name in

Cyrillic The Cyrillic script ( ), Slavonic script or the Slavic script, is a writing system used for various languages across Eurasia. It is the designated national script in various Slavic, Turkic, Mongolic, Uralic, Caucasian and Iranic-speaking co ...

letters, "Први партизан Ужице" ("Prvi partizan Užice"). Prvi Partizan has made ammunition with the headstamps PP and PPU.

History

The company was founded in 1928 under the name ''FOMU - Fabrika Oružja i Municije Užice'' ("Weapons and Munitions Factory in

). During World War II the decentralized Resistance-run ammunition works run by Tito's partisans was named ''Prvi Partizan fabrika'' ("First Partisan factory"). This name was retained after the war when it was moved back to the FOMU facility in Užice. According to the global trade data company Panjiva, Prvi partizan is listed as the third biggest foreign ammunition supplier in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

market for 2016. The Government of Serbia invested 4 million euros for the new hall construction in 2017.

Production

Handgun cartridges

Rifle cartridges

Incidents

On 4 September 2009, seven employees died and 15 others had minor injuries after four explosions occurred in the gunpowder area. The Government of Serbia later declared 5 September 2009 as the National Day of Sorrow for the victims.

References

External links

*
Official website USA
{{authority control 1928 establishments in Serbia Ammunition manufacturers Companies based in Užice Defense companies of Serbia Government-owned companies of Serbia Manufacturing companies established in 1928 Serbian brands