WWII Nazi Occupied F.B. Radom VIS Model P.35 (p) 9mm Semi-Auto Pistol, C&R
SOLD FOR: $1301.01
LSB#: 210514MW02
Make: Fabryka Broni (Arms Factory), in Radom, Poland
Model: VIS 35 (Vis is Latin for “force”) Grade II, Subvariation 1 (“Axis Pistols”, Vol. II, by Jan Still)
Serial Number: L6233
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 “WaA77” waffenamt, eagle over “623” waffenamt and eagle over swastika. There are remnants of the “P.35(p)” marking, but it is mostly missing. The left of the frame has an eagle over “WaA77” waffenamt. The right side of the frame is marked “L6233” and with an eagle over “77” waffenamt. The bottom of the slide is marked “L6233” and there are some other markings we don’t recognize. The barrel lug has incomplete markings. The right of the slide is marked “6233” by the ejection port. The trigger guard has inspection marks. The bottom of the trigger guard is import-marked “9MM POLAND / CIA ST ALB VT”.
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 scattered light nicks, scuffs and scratches with a chip loss on the right near the magazine release. There are light tool marks around the screw-holes. The checkering is generally sharp. There are no cracks. Overall, the grips are in Very Good condition.
Type of Finish: Blued
Finish Originality: Refinished
Bore Condition: The bore is bright with sharp rifling. There is no erosion in the bore.
Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 96% of its current metal finish. The finish is thinning at some edges. There is minor operational wear and only a few minor marks through the finish. There are scattered nicks and some minor erosion under the finish. The markings range from clear to worn and incomplete. Overall, this pistol is in Fine condition as refinished.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The trigger is crisp and 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 brown leather flap-holster and a total of two eight round magazines. The holster has scattered wear, scratches and scuffing. The stitching is coming loose at the top-rear by the magazine well, but is otherwise intact. Overall, the holster is in Good condition. One magazine has “6233” hand-scribed on the spine, showing minor wear, intact feed lips and a strong spring, in Fine condition as refinished. The other magazine shows more notable wear and scattered minor erosion, but also has intact feed lips and a strong spring, in Good-plus condition.
Our Assessment: This is a Fabryka Broni Radom VIS 1935 Grade II, Subvariation 1 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 and frame, though any serial marking which was on the barrel is no longer present. The pistol is in Fine condition as refinished with about 96% of its new metal finish remaining. The bore is great with strong rifling and no erosion. The grips have some handling wear and a chip near the magazine release on the right panel. There were about 70,000 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!