WWII German P35 Matching Polish Radom P-35 9mm Semi-Auto Pistol C&R
SOLD FOR: $3056
LSB#: 230724DC017
Make: Fabryka Broni (Arms Factory), in Radom, Poland.
Model: P35
VIS 35 (Vis is Latin for “force”).
Grade I, Sub Variation 2 (Axis Pistols, Vol. II, by Jan Still)
Serial Number: 4892
Year of Manufacture: Ca. 1940-1942
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/ “P.35(p)””, with an “eagle/ swastika”, “eagle / 623”, and with an “eagle / WaA77” Waffenampt. The left side of the frame is marked with an “eagle / WaA77” Waffenampt. The right side of the frame is marked with the serial number “4892”. The inside of the slide and the barrel are marked with the serial number. The left grip panel is marked “FB in triangle” and the right panel is marked “VIS in triangle”.
Barrel Length: 4 5/8”
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a short narrow blade integral to the rib on the slide. 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 grips show light handling wear including nicks, scuffs, and scratches. Overall, the grips are in about Very Good Plus condition.
Type of Finish: Blued
Finish Originality: Original
The metal has been treated with cold blue.
Bore Condition: The bore is light gray with deep rifling. There is light erosion scattered through the bore.
In this writer’s opinion, this bore rates a 7.5 out of 10.
Many military and C&R eligible weapons have bores that will show erosion. This is not only due to age but to the fact that corrosive primers were commonly used in ammunition worldwide. For example, the U.S. used corrosive ammunition throughout WWII. The U.S. military did not begin to phase out corrosive-primed ammunition until the 1950s.
Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 70% of its current metal finish. The metal has been treated with cold blue. The metal shows small scrapes, thin scratches, and thinning on the leading edges. The front of the slide and front of the grip show prominent thinning. The thinned areas of the metal show varying degrees of discoloration from oxidation. The front of the slide shows surface erosion. Most of the markings are well defined. Some of the smaller stampings are lightly struck. The screw heads show moderate use. Overall, this pistol is in about Very Good condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The slide has light 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 single eight round magazine that shows scrapes. It appears to function correctly.
Our Assessment: This WWII P35 is a Fabryka Broni Radom VIS 1935 Grade I, Subvariation 2 pistol. It was made between 1940 and 1942 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 designed for the Polish Army, but only saw a few years of service before Poland was occupied by N@zi 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 N@zi occupation for use by German forces and is marked with Waffenampts and an eagle swastika stamping. The pistol is in about Very Good condition with matching numbers on the frame, slide, and barrel. There were only about 13,000 of this variation made during the war, and likely fewer surviving to this day, making the Radom a very collectible piece. This should be of interest to collectors of Polish firearms and of German weaponry used during WWII.
…Now go shoot something!
