WWII Nazi Occupied F.B. Radom VIS Model Mod.35 9mm Semi-Auto Pistol, C&R
SOLD FOR: $1125
LSB#: 210926DA05
Make: Fabryka Broni (Arms Factory), in Radom, Poland
Model: VIS 35 (Vis is Latin for “force”) Grade II, Subvariation 2 (“Axis Pistols”, Vol. II, by Jan Still)
Serial Number: R4350
Year of Manufacture: Ca. 1942-1944
Caliber: 9mm Parabellum
Action Type: Single Action Semi-Auto Pistol with Removable Magazine
Markings: The left side of the slide is marked “F. B. RADOM VIS Mod.35. Pat. Nr.15567″ with eagle over “77” waffenamt, eagle over “623” waffenamt and eagle over swastika. The left of the frame has an eagle over “77” waffenamt. The right side of the frame is marked “R4350” and with an incomplete waffenamt. The bottom of the slide is marked “R4350” and there are some other markings we don’t recognize. The left of the barrel lug has “350” and an eagle over swastika marking, the right has an eagle over “623” waffenamt and “8”. The trigger guard has inspection marks on the right.
Barrel Length: 4 5/8”
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a short narrow blade integral to the rib on the slide. The blade has been painted white. The rear sight is a “V” notch dovetailed into the slide. There is a thin narrow rib running down the center of the entire length of the slide with a finely checkered finish.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are two-piece checkered black plastic grips. The left panel has “FB” in triangle and the right has “VIS” in triangle. The grips have light handling wear with some scattered light nicks and scuffs. There are a few light tool marks around the screw-holes. The checkering is well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in Very Good condition.
Type of Finish: Blued
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is light gray with sharp rifling. There is very minor erosion scattered through the bore and some of this will likely prove to be stubborn fouling that may come out with a patient cleaning.
Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 50% of its metal finish. There is finish wear scattered throughout. There is infrequent scattered minor surface oxidation and minor erosion with some light erosion on the left of the slide and a patch of more notable erosion in the frontstrap. There are some light nicks, scuffs and scratches. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads are tool marked with strong slots. The markings are generally clear, some are poorly struck. Overall, this pistol is in Good-plus condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The trigger is crisp and the slide has minor play to the frame. There is a de-cocker on the slide and a grip safety. We did not fire this handgun. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This pistol comes with a brown leather flap-holster and a single eight round magazine. The magazine has light operational wear, some grinding around the bottom of the body which may indicate that the floorplate was re-mounted, intact feed lips and a strong spring, in Very Good condition. The holster has scattered light wear, scuffs, scratches and spots of more notable wear at the locations of the sights with intact stitching.
Our Assessment: This is a Fabryka Broni Radom VIS 1935 Grade II, Subvariation 2 pistol made in 1942-1944 during WWII under German occupation before manufacture was moved to Steyr in Austria in late 1944. The design of the pistol was roughly based on John Browning’s M1911 with a slide release, de-cocker and grip safety. The VIS was originally designed for the Polish Army, but only saw a few years of service before Poland was occupied by Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia. After the war, the Russians forced the Poles to adopt the Soviet TT-33 Tokarev, even though the Tokarev was considered inferior in both ergonomics and reliability, and the VIS was no longer produced. This pistol was made during Nazi occupation for use by German forces and has matching serial markings on the slide, frame and barrel. The pistol is in Good-plus condition with about 50% of its original metal finish remaining. The bore is still strong with minor erosion. The grips have light handling wear. There were about 73,000 of this subvariation made during the war, and likely fewer surviving to this day, making the Radom a collectable piece. This should be of interest to collectors of Polish firearms and of German weaponry used during WWII. Please see our photos and good luck!