- Vis Radom P35 Serial Numbers For Sale
- Vis Radom P35 Serial Numbers Chart
- Vis Radom P35 Serial Numbers For Sale
LSB#: 121121TS04
Make: F.B. Radom, Polish
Model: Model 1939 VIS-35
May 18, 2019 Vis Radom P35 Serial Numbers Average ratng: 8,2/10 4698 votes This 'Grade II' Polish Radom VIS 35 pistol was manufactured some time between 1939 and 1941. It is a self-loading, recoil operated, semi-automatic pistol that is chambered for the.9mm Parabellum cartridge.
Radom Vis P35 Serial Numbers The 9 mm Luger Vis 35 was one of the highest-quality military pistols made before World War II. The materials used were the best, and the fit and finish were commercial-grade. This pistol is certainly an enigma within the collector field for those of us that collect Polish VIS or Nazi Radom Pistols. Obviously the first and most distinguishing aspect of this pistol as noted is the serial number, which is '00000'. In the manufacturing world this would typically signify an early prototype or preproduction test pistol. It has also been theorized that this might have.
Serial Number: 34883
Year of Manufacture: 1936-1939
Caliber: 9mm
Action Type: Single Action Semi Auto with Removable Magazine
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. B. Radom / 1939” / Polish Eagle / “Vis WZ. 35 / pat. Nr. 15567”. There is a “D / 2” in an oval on the left trigger guard bow and another proof mark on the left side of the slide at the safety. There are characters and “34883” on the underside of the slide. “882” is on the left side of the barrel lug. There is an “E” is the stock slot cut-out.
Barrel Length: 4 ½”
Sights / Optics: The front sight is part of the rib. The rear sight is a dovetail set notch.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are checkered plastic. There is a “FB” on the left panel and a “VIS” on the right. The checkering is very sharp and these panels show no splits or cracks. There is very little wear whatsoever on these panels and the screws even show fire blue. The grips rate in about Excellent overall condition.
Type of Finish: Blue
Finish Originality: Factory Original
Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is sharp. There is no erosion in the bore.
Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 93% of its metal finish. The only mentionable wear on this pistol is on the right side of the slide. There is edge wear here and scattered surface freckling. There is one more freckle on the right side of the frame. There is some holster wear at the muzzle. The edges are sharp and the surfaces are true, this is a very sharp Radom. The screw heads are only slightly marked. The markings are crisp, except for the proofs on the trigger guard bows. Overall, this handgun rates in about Excellent condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this handgun.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: An unmarked black military style flap holster and 2 original magazines are included. The leather is very soft and the stitching is sound. The magazines rate in about Excellent condition and the holster in about Very Good.
Our Assessment: This is an early and high quality Radom. Wikipedia: Originally designed by Piotr Wilniewczyc and Jan Skrzypinski in 1930 at the Fabryka Broni (Arms Factory) in Radom under Director Kazimierz Oldakowski, it was adopted in 1935 as the standard handgun of the Polish Army. Considered by many to be one of the finest handguns ever produced, it is highly prized among collectors of firearms. The design was generally based on American firearms inventor John Browning’s Colt M1911A1, operating on the short-recoil principle, with the barrel being cammed down and away from the locking lugs in the slide. Unlike M1911, the barrel was not cammed by a link, but by a ledge of sorts, which contacts a portion of the barrel and forces it down as it is moved rearward with the slide by the recoil force, similarly as in Browning’s FN Hi-Power pistol and Spanish Ruby 0.45 ACP. It differs from M1911A1 also in other details. Its characteristic feature was a triangular grip shape, wider at the bottom, offering good ergonomics and firm grip. On the right side grip cover, the pistol had letters VIS in a triangle, on the left side—FB (for Fabryka Broni—”Arms Factory”) The handgun was prepared in late 1930, and at the beginning of 1931 the first pistols were ready for testing. Initially it was named WiS (an acronym of the Polish designers’ names); later the name was changed to Vis, meaning “force” in Latin, with the wz. abbreviation for wzór (“model”). The tests proved that the handgun was very accurate and stable (due to its size and mass, most stresses are absorbed and not passed on the shooter); while at the same time remaining reliable after firing more than 6,000 rounds. The Vis was generally regarded as one of the best military pistols of that period. Production started in the state armory Fabryka Broni in Radom in late 1935, and the following year it was introduced as the standard weapon of Polish infantry and cavalry officers. Successively, other units were to be equipped, and by 1942 all other handguns were scheduled to be withdrawn from service. By mid-1938, it was introduced to the armored and air forces. Before the Invasion of Poland, approximately 49,400 (out of 90,000 ordered) were delivered to the army. There was also a small information series of .45 ACP version, with 7 round magazine, but they were not produced in greater series. A .22 LR variant also existed, but no details are known, and its series was not produced in great numbers. After the Polish defeat in 1939, the Germans took over the Radom Armory and continued production of the Vis under the new name of 9 mm Pistole 645(p), which was for some reason often rendered as P 35(p) (the suffix “p” means “polnische”) (the German pistols of the first series had inscriptions VIS Mod.35 and P.35 (p) on the left side). Up to 1945, between 312,000 and 380,000 were produced and used by the German paratroopers and police.
CA Legal or CA Private Party Transferable: This handgun is a C&R eligible and can be transferred/sold in California because C&R handguns are exempt from the Roster. This handgun can be sold to a California resident as a private party transaction (PPT) at our shop in Simi Valley. If sold to a California resident it must be DROSd. This does not apply to out of state buyers.
Sold For: $3,525 Microsoft office for mac os x 10.7. Capture one pro styles torrent.
This 'Grade II' Polish Radom VIS 35 pistol was manufactured some time between 1939 and 1941. It is a self-loading, recoil operated, semi-automatic pistol that is chambered for the .9mm Parabellum cartridge. The pistol has been designed to operate as a single action firearm that utilizes an external hammer and a locked breech. The pistol has a blade front sight and a V notch rear sight that is drift adjustable for windage only. The pistol is fed by an 8 round single stack detachable box magazine. The pistol employs a push button magazine release that is located at the bottom rear corner of the left side of the trigger guard. An empty magazine will easily eject from the pistol under its own weight. The pistol features a decocking lever located at the rear of the slide and above the left grip. The pistol has a 4.53 inch barrel with 6 grooves using a right hand twist. The pistol has an overall length of 8.31 inches and an unloaded weight of 37 ounces. This firearm does employ a slide hold open mechanism to inform the operator that the last round has been fired. This pistol has a blackish finish and black checkered grip panels that sport the FB monogram molded into the left grip and the VIS monogram molded into the right grip panel. The blackish finish seen on this pistol is identical to the finish found on Russian captured weapons. Please see the text at the bottom of this page for more information.
The pistol has its beginnings at the Fabryka Broni(weapons factory) located at Radom, Poland. The pistol was designed in 1930 by Piotr Wilniewczyc and Jan Skrzypiński under the supervision of Kazimierz Rawicz Oldakowski. It did not take the Polish military long to realize the potential of this sidearm and in 1935 it was adopted as the standard handgun for the entire Polish Army. The VIS 35 is based on the design of Brownings M1911 pistol. The VIS 35 differs in that the barrel is not cammed by a link as seen on the M1911, but rather by a ledge which contacts part of the barrel and forces it down as it is moved rearward with the slide by the force of the recoil. This is very similar to the operation of the Hi-Power pistol which a number of collectors feel was an improved version of the M1911. Many collectors consider this pistol design to be one of the top handguns produced during the second world war and as such it is highly sought after by collectors.
The Polish designation for this pistol was pistolet wz. 35 Vis, and the Germans designation for it was 9 mm Pistole 35(p), the suffix p stands for polnisch(Polish). Originally it was named WIS which is an acronym of the two Polish designers names, Piotr Wilniewczyc and Jan Skrzypinski. It was decided soon afterward though to change the name to Vis, which meant 'force' in Latin, with the wz. prefix designation standing for wzor(pattern or model).
When the Germans occupied Poland in 1939, they continued the manufacturer of the VIS 35 and between 312,000 and 380,000 were produced and then used by the German paratroopers and police. During this time, the Germans feared that the Polish technicians whom were being forced to manufacturer this pistol might supply the resistance with weapons. So the Germans moved production of barrels and the final assembly of the VIS 35 to the Steyr plant in Austria. Still, the underground supply of VIS 35 parts as well as completed weapons found their way to the Polish resistance and was used in conflicts such as the Warsaw Uprising.
German produced VIS pistols were issued in four different series or grades due to the attempts to simplify and speed up production. As the war progressed and started going badly for the Germans, they moved the complete production of the VIS 35 to the Steyr plant in Austria in late 1944. At this plant, the last simplified model of the fourth series was produced which had no inscriptions at all besides the bnz stamping. The Pistole 35(p) actually remained in production until a month before the European war ended in May of 1945. Generally and as we have seen with other arms produced by all sides during conflicts, the wartime pistols were of much lower quality than the prewar specimens.
The four different grades of the Polish Radom can generally be classified as seen below. I say generally due to the fact that some collectors do not consider grade 1 pistols starting with the first manufactured Radoms but rather with those pistols first produced by the Germans. While other collectors consider grades 3 and 4 as being the same. So there is a lot of interpretation written into the grading system and nothing is set in stone. I also did not include in this grading system the 'Resistance Radoms' that were assembled by the Polish resistance from parts that were stolen from the Radom factory. Nor did I include the custom built Radoms that were offered by Z.M. Lucznik. The letters 'Z.M.' indicate Zakłady Metalowe or Metal Works. Some collectors classify these pistols as the 'Reissue Radoms'. So generally, the four different grades of the Radom pistol is as follows..
Grade 1 = These pistols were produced before WWII between 1935 and 1939 and will not usually have any German markings. All parts will have a high quality of bluing except for the barrel, recoil spring and the recoil spring guide which are polished white. The grip panels are checkered hard rubber. The shoulder stock slot, lanyard ring, decocker and disassembly lever are present. On the left side of the slide it is stamped 'F.B. RADOM' and then the year of production underneath(1935-39), then the Polish national eagle stamp, and on the right of that it will be stamped 'VIS wz.35' and 'pat. Nr.15567'.
Grade 2 = These pistols were produced by the Germans between 1939 and 1941. The pistols were manufactured mostly from original pre-war parts and might retain some Polish markings on them. All parts will have a lessor quality of bluing then the Grade 1 examples but the finish and quality of the pistol is still very good. The barrel, recoil spring and the recoil spring guide are polished white. The grip panels can be a checkered black plastic, checkered brown plastic, fine or coarse checkered hardwood. The Lanyard ring, decocker and disassembly lever are present but the shoulder stock slot has been omitted on all but the very early examples. The slide markings have been changed to 'F.B. RADOM VIS Mod. 35 Pat. Nr.15567' and then underneath that is 'P.35(p)' The 'P.35(p)' stamp on the left side of the slide has been eliminated from the slide legend on late grade II pistols.
Vis Radom P35 Serial Numbers For Sale
Grade 3 = These pistols were produced by the Germans between 1941 and 1943. The bluing on the parts of grade 3 pistols was done over a rough or a poorly polished surface. Early examples will have a blued finish while on others, the blued parts will be the rear sight, slide stop, magazine release catch, hammer, hammer release, and grip screws. The pistol frame, slide, and magazine will be parkerized. The barrel, recoil spring, and recoil spring guide are polished white. The lanyard ring is still present but the decocker, disassembly lever and shoulder stock slot has been omitted. The grip panels can be a checkered brown or red plastic, fine or coarse checkered hardwood, or a grooved hardwood on late production. The slide markings are 'F.B. RADOM VIS Mod. 35 Pat. Nr.15567'.
Vis Radom P35 Serial Numbers Chart
Grade 4 = These pistols were produced by the Germans between 1943 and 1945. By this time, the Russians were knocking on the door and production was moved to the Steyr plant in Austria. These pistols exhibit the worst quality of finish. The grips panels are usually a brown plastic or wood and be absent of the 'FB' and 'VIS' monograms. The lanyard ring is still present but the disassembly lever, decocker and shoulder stock slot has been omitted. These pistols are found with a crude one piece recoil spring guide instead of the telescopic one that was normally used, and the magazine follower is from the P-38 pistol. The slide markings on early examples will be 'F.B. RADOM VIS Mod. 35 Pat. Nr.15567' while late versions just have 'bnz'.
Vis Radom P35 Serial Numbers For Sale
After the war and now being under Soviet control, the People's Republic of Poland took the Soviet TT 33 pistol as the official sidearm. The TT 33 was considered much inferior to the VIS 35, especially from a point of ergonomics and reliability. The reason for the switch as you may have guessed, was political and the Soviet influence was a very decisive factor in this decision.