- Vis Radom Pistol Serial Numbers Lookup
- Vis Radom Pistol Serial Numbers Lookup
- Radom Pistols
- Vis Radom Pistol Serial Numbers Location
- Vis Radom Pistol Serial Numbers Chart
Gents, Do we know when the Radom Model 35 pistols with E prefix serial numbers (with WaA77) were manufactured? The early E prefix pistols seem to be mixed into those with shoulder stock cuts while later ones without cuts still have slide legends without the added P.35(p) markings. The first pistols, made before the German takeover, were marked on the left side of the slide with a fairly large Polish eagle. On either side of the eagle are two line markings - F.B.Radom over the date on the left side, and 'VIS-wz 35' over a patent number on the right side. On the right side of the pistol the serial number”D0259” is stamped on the receiver. The pistol has a decocker, take down latch, grip safety, shoulder stock slot, and lanyard loop. It also has black plastic grips with FB on one side and VIS on the other. Markings: There are a number of light proof marks on the right side of the trigger guard and trigger. The right side of the frame is marked “34883”. The left side of the slide is marked “F. Radom / 1939” / Polish Eagle / “Vis WZ.
Slide markings: 'F.B. Radom VIS Mod 35 Pat. 155567' on early ones and 'bnz' on late ones. Serial numbers: Kxxxx. Resistance Vis: Small numbers of Vises were assembled by the resistance from parts stolen from the Radom factory.
I thought you might be interested in seeing a Polish P.35 9mm Radom pistol. At first glance it might appear homely, but the Radom is considered by many experts as one of the best pistols to come out of the WWII period. It was well made and robust. Poland produced this pistol, which had a blend of features from the M1911 pistol and the Belgian 9mm High Power. It has a grip safety like the M1911, and the barrel is unlocked via a cam like the High Power. The lever on the slide is a decocker - it retracts the firing pin into the slide and drops the hammer on the hammer retaining plate.
The lever to the rear of the grip frame is not a safety - it's a slide retaining latch to aid in disassembly. The slide release is just above the trigger on the left side.
There is no manual safety; the design relies solely on a half-cock notch or the floating firing pin which allows safe carry with the hammer down. The decocker was put on the gun in response to a request by the Polish cavalry to help in operating the pistol one-handed; the other hand had to control the reins of a horse.
Men on horseback wielding pistols were not a good match for German tanks, however. When Germany overran Poland in 1939, it took over the Radom plant and began to produce the pistol for its armed forces, including the Navy, fallschirmjaegers (paratroopers), police and the SS. The native Polish workers promptly began smuggling parts of the pistol out of the plant to arm resistance forces.
When the Germans found out about this practice, they executed a dozen plant workers in front of their co-workers. Later, to stop sabotage, the Germans started making barrels for the pistols in Austria, and later moved all the machinery to Austria.
This particular pistol was made in Poland in 1942, and bears the German waffenamt acceptance stamps. Later guns dispensed with the takedown latch. Earlier ones were slotted for a shoulder stock. The 'VIS' on the right grip panel is Latin for 'power' or 'force.' The 'FB' on the left grip panel stands for Fabryka Brony (Weapon Factory), the Polish government manufacturing facility in Radom, Poland. This gun is in excellent shape for being 70 years old, and could still give good service.
It will fire any commonly available 9mm Luger ammo. Luckily for collectors, Germans have always been meticulous about marking their firearms, both military and commercial. It's fun to 'read the marks' that can tell you a lot about firearms made in or accepted by Germany. Here are the marks on a Polish P.35 Radom pistol made in 1942.
In this picture you will see the 'Eagle over WaA77' mark on both the slide and the frame. This waffenamt codes the pistol as being made at the Polish weapons factory in Radom. The next mark (somewhat indistinct) 'P.35(p)' is the official German designation for the Radom P.35. The (p) stands for polnische, the German word for 'polish'. The Eagle over Swastika indicates ownership by Nazi Germany.
The 'Eagle over 623' stamp indicates that the pistol was given its final acceptance at the Steyr plant in Austria. From there it was likely shipped to the German armed forces, likely paratroopers, police or SS. The markings on the barrel camming lug are fairly straightforward. At the top are the last three digits of the serial number, insuring that the proper barrel is mated with the proper slide and frame. Next are two 'Eagle over 623' acceptance stamps by the Steyr plant in Austria. Probably dimension checks and a proof load. And finally, the 'Eagle over swastika' ownership stamp of Nazi Germany.
Again, the history of a German firearm can be read if you know their marking customs and codes. Although this is a Polish-made firearm, if the Germans used it, it was marked per their protocols. Hope you found this as interesting as I did. Luckily for collectors, Germans have always been meticulous about marking their firearms, both military and commercial. It's fun to 'read the marks' that can tell you a lot about firearms made in or accepted by Germany. Here are the marks on a Polish P.35 Radom pistol made in 1942. In this picture you will see the 'Eagle over WaA77' mark on both the slide and the frame.
This waffenamt codes the pistol as being made at the Polish weapons factory in Radom. The next mark (somewhat indistinct) 'P.35(p)' is the official German designation for the Radom P.35. The Eagle over Swastika indicates ownership by Nazi Germany. The 'Eagle over 623' stamp indicates that the pistol was given its final acceptance at the Steyr plant in Austria. From there it was likely shipped to the German armed forces, likely paratroopers, police or SS. The markings on the barrel camming lug are fairly straightforward. At the top are the last three digits of the serial number, insuring that the proper barrel is mated with the proper slide and frame.
Radom P-35(p) [Pistole Modell 645(p)]
Polish designation = Pistolet wz. 35 Vis
(Mfg by Fabryka Broni w Radomu, assembled by Steyr-Daimler Puch A. G.)
Vis Radom Pistol Serial Numbers Lookup
(Click PIC to Enlarge)Caliber: ........................ 9mm Parabellum
Rifling & Twist: .............. 6 groove, right-hand twist
Barrel Length: ............... 4.72 in. (120mm)
Overall Length: ............. 6.93 in. (176mm)
Weight: ........................ 2.5 lbs. - 1.123 kg (loaded), 0.950 kg (unloaded)
Magazine Capacity: ....... 8 rounds
Qty Mfg: ....................... Approximately 400,000
Source: .... www.gunsworld.com', Vis (weapon) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Radom VIS35
(16 picture virtual tour)
Observations: (by 'Claven2')Note: Pics of rifle provided courtesy of Milsurps.com member 'Claven2'.
Vis Radom Pistol Serial Numbers Lookup
Borrowing design characteristics and features of pistols designed by John Browning and Dieudonne Saive such as the M1911 and the Hi-power, the Radom wz. 35 VIS was first tested in 1931 in Poland. Originally referred to as the WiS (an acronym of the Polish designers' names), the pistol was renamed VIS, meaning 'power' in Latin. The wz designation being used with all Polish arms, standing for wzór (model).
At the time, the VIS was generally regarded as one of the best military pistols available when series production started at the State Armory in Radom in late 1935, while the following year it was adopted as the standard weapon of Polish infantry and cavalry officers. Early guns were milled in the mainspring housing to accept a shoulder stock that though designed and prototyped, in practise was never issued.
Before the 1939 Invasion of Poland (by Nazi Germany), approximately 49,400 (out of 90,000 ordered) were delivered to Polish forces. After the Polish defeat that same year, the Germans took over the Radom factory and continued production of the gun, assigning it the standardized name of 9 mm Pistole 645(p) which is often referred to as the P 35(p). Up to 1945, between 312,000 and 380,000 were produced for the German Reich, where they were issued primarily to the SS, the Fallschimjager (paratroopers) and police.
Soon after occupation of factory, the Germans moved production of P35(p) barrels to the Steyr works in Austria in an effort to prevent complete pistols from falling into the hands of the Polish resistance. As a result, resistance forces were obliged to manufacture crude barrels in underground shops - ultimately several hundred VIS pistols were smuggled from the factory, fitted with barrels, and provided to the Home Army for use in the Warsaw Uprising.
In 1944 as German forces were in retreat to the advancing Soviets, all production was moved to the Steyr works in Austria where the VIS remained in production until April 1945.
Pistols made after 1939 (under German occupation) were manufactured in three distinct variations, each with small modifications to simplify production. Generally, the wartime German-produced VIS pistols were of much lower quality than the pre-war Polish made guns. By the end of the war, quality dropped off rapidly and the pistols became very crude, though still functional.
Poland did not restart production after the war. The country had fallen under the Soviet sphere of influence and forces in Poland adopted a Polish-built version of the Tokarev TT-33 to serve as the issue sidearm.
Collector's Comments and Feedback:
Radom Pistols
Vis Radom Pistol Serial Numbers Location
1. When looking at acquiring a Radom VIS for your collection, it is wise to first determine wha variant you are looking for and whether the available piece will match your expectations or not. As mentioned in the Observations write-up, there are really four distinct variations out there.The first pistols, made before the German takeover, were marked on the left side of the slide with a fairly large Polish eagle. On either side of the eagle are two line markings - F.B.Radom over the date on the left side, and 'VIS-wz 35' over a patent number on the right side. These pre-war guns (at the time of this writing in 2008) can (and do) bring upwards of $3000 in North America, depending on condition. The same gun with legitimate German markings added (indicating it was captured at the factory or depot level) can bring even more, if in top condition. These Radoms are commonly referred to as 'Polish Eagle' or 'Polish Eagle, Nazi capture'. Some Polish references call these two 'pre-war' versions 'Group One.'
The guns bearing a single line rollstamp on the slide without the Polish eagle was manufactured during the period of Nazi occupation. There are three recognized types of occupation-made VIS pistols (The Polish reference material designations are in brackets); Type I (or Group 2) has the slide stop , decocker (on the slide) and the takedown lever(on the frame) and is sometimes referred to as a 'three lever gun'. These also have the mainspring housing milled for a shoulder stock which, to the best of my knowledge, was never issued in service.
Type II (Group 3) pistols have the shoulder stock cut eliminated and some other changes, including elimination of the grip screw bushings. The depicted pistol is a Type II.
Type III (Group 4) pistols have the takedown lever eliminated. Instead of using the lever to lock back the slide for disassembly, the decocker is pushed down so its tail rests in a notch in the hammer. There are many other minor changes to speed up production, including much sacrifice in fit and finish. Type II and III guns are by far the most commonly encountered variants, though Type II, being better made, are generally more sought after.
After the Soviets over-ran the Radom factory, Type III Radom production was moved completely to the Steyr works in Austria. Most of this late-war Steyr production run was issued with crude wooden grips. Fully Steyr-produced guns are rarer and more valuable than production at Radom under Nazi occupation, and a few VERY rare pieces marked with the 'BNZ' in lieu of the Radom rollstamp are worth even more. The BNZ code (as used on Steyr made K98k rifles) was only applied to less than 1000 pistols while the machinery used for slide rollstamp was undergoing installation at the Steyr Works. The standard slide rollmark was then used until end of the war.