ATA Arms

ATA Arms describes itself as a Turkish firearms manufacturer and exporter that takes a Turkish brand into international markets.² Celal Yollu established ATA in Istanbul’s Dudullu İMES industrial area in 1997, and his sons Fatih and Yavuz joined him in establishing the brand.^{1, 3, 4} ATA began production with Yollu’s own CY design.³

Yollu was born in 1942 in İncesu, Kayseri, the son of a carpenter.⁵ In 1955, at the age of thirteen, he repaired a relative’s shotgun.⁶ In 1959 he opened his first workshop and made his first single-barrel shotgun.⁷ His work later took him through Kayseri and Düzce to Istanbul.⁸

ATA began in Istanbul’s Dudullu İMES industrial area.¹ Its address is now Alemdağ Mahallesi, Elmalı Sokak 5/A, Çekmeköy, Istanbul.⁹ It also has an ATA Defense office and showroom at Çankaya, Ankara.¹⁰ Yavuz and Fatih Yollu lead the business.⁴

ATA describes Vursan’s agreement with Beretta in 2000 as a partnership.¹¹ In 2002 Yollu sold Vursan to Beretta and took charge of ATA.¹² ATA dates its manufacturing work for Weatherby to 2008; the models it makes include the SA-08, Orion and Element.¹³ It credits Teague Precision with cooperation on the SP PRO12’s chrome-lined barrels and elongated forcing cones.¹⁴