The photographs on the left are of the front and back of the Radom VIS 35 pistol, while the pictures on the right show the top and bottom of the sidearm. The pistol is shown with the magazine installed in each of these photographs.The full serial number on this pistol is located on the right side of the frame above the trigger and on the underside of the slide alongside the breech block. The serial number minus the letter prefix is found on the right side of the slide directly in front of the angled slide serrations and on the barrel being visible through the ejection port. The last three digits of the serial number is found on the left side of the barrel lug. The barrel lug has also been stamped with the Waffenamt 623 or Weapons Office inspectors stamp 623. The Waffenamt 623 or WaA 623 stamp was issued to the weapons inspector at the weapons factory located in Radom, Poland and to the Steyr plant located in Austria, which is where this barrel was probably manufactured.The magazine has been etched(not stamped) with the serial number minus the letter prefix.
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The number is located on the back of the magazine and near the bottom. This etched number is another reason why I believe that this VIS 35 is a Russian captured piece. Please see the text at the bottom of this page for more information.The photograph on the left is a close up the markings that are found on the left side of this sidearm.
The inscription on the slide reads as follows, 'F.B. RADOM VIS Mod. Nr.15567' and then underneath that is 'P.35(p)'. This marking indicates Fabryka Broni(weapons factory) located at Radom, Poland. The letters VIS are Latin meaning force.
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The next part of this inscription identifies the pistol as the Model 35 which has the patent number 15567. The bottom line of this slide marking is the German designation for the firearm which indicates Pistole 35(p), the suffix p stands for polnisch which translates to Polish.The slide has also been stamped with two different Waffenamts or Weapon Office stamps and with the German military test proof mark which is a Nazi eagle holding a swastika in a circle.
The Waffenamt 623 or WaA 623 stamp was issued to the weapons inspector at the weapons factory located in Radom, Poland and to the Steyr plant located in Austria. The Waffenamt 77 stamp was issued to lyo which is a German code for Kromolowski & Sohne which was located in Radom, Poland and to the Steyr plant located in Austria.The purpose of the Waffenamt stamps was to prove that each firearm and its components met the quality standards set forth by the Heereswaffenamt or Army Weapons Office. In order to carry this out, inspectors were assigned to individual firms for large corporations or to a specific area if there were several smaller manufacturers. These inspectors and their Waffenamt or WaA for short were responsible to the Heereswaffenamt rather than the manufacturer to which they were assigned. Each weapons office can be correctly identified by the individual acceptance stamp they used.Mystery marking. At the top of the slide in the picture at the left there is a square with the number 20 inside and another square next to it with the number 18 inside. As of this writing, I do not know what these two marks indicate.The picture on the right is one of them things that collectors have come to know very well.
Wz.35 Authentic. Wz.35 Authentic Pre- Wwii Polish Radom Vis P35 8 Rounds Magazine - Polish Eagle. This is an excellent, high condition Nazi marked Radom P35. The left side of the slide is marked F.B. RADOM VIS Mod.35.Pat.Nr.15567. The serial number, P0833 is located on the right side o.Click for more info Seller: Vintage Arms and Sporting Antiques.
This is an import stamp that is required to be on all firearms that are imported into the U.S. At times, the importer does a wonderful job of hiding this required stamp, but as can be seen here the importer placed the stamp right on the trigger guard. I have seen cases where this stamping was placed in an out of the way area such as under the grips or in very tiny fine print on the bottom of the pistol where an inserted magazine would conceal it.With this importers mark, we now know that this Radom came in to the U.S. Some time after the late 1980's. The first line of this import stamp reads as follows, C.I.A. And the line below it reads, Poland 9mm.
This two line import marking is nearly exactly what the law calls for except it would have been nice if the importer would have hid this stamp under the grips rather then stamping it on the trigger guard. The first line identifies the importer as Century Arms Incorporated, and tells us that they are located in Saint Albans, Vermont which is in the United States. The second line of this stamp identifies the caliber of the firearm and where it was made. This second line tells us that the caliber is 9mm Parabellum and that the pistol was manufactured in Poland.The importer, Century Arms Inc. Is still in business today and offers collectors a wide variety of firearms from around the world to choose from. The import law that is mentioned above can be referenced by viewing the gun control Act of 1968, Public Law 90-618 and under Subpart F-Conduct of Business sub-section 178.92 (a)(1) Firearms.The photograph on the left is a picture of the underside of the grips found on this Radom VIS 35 pistol, while the picture on the right is of the front of the grips.While this pistol does not have the famous Russian 'X' mark found on most of the Russian captured weapons, the finish on this Radom appears very similar to the other Russian captured and refinished weapons I have examined.
The Russian 'X' mark can be seen on this that is in the collection.Sadly, when the Russians captured these weapons, and most likely some time after the war, they dis-assembled and refinished them. On the bright side, I have noticed that when it came to pistols, the Russians would keep all of the numbered parts to a particular pistol together. The practice of keeping the firearm with its original parts did not always follow suit with other firearms that were captured, such is the case with the German K98k rifle.The Russians dis-assembled thousands of captured K98k rifles, and it seems to many collectors that they tossed all of these rifle parts in a large bluing tank together. Then when it came time to put the rifles back together again, they grabbed the needed part and gave no concern as to which weapon it was on originally. As long as the part fit and would function they were happy. On most of the Russian captured and rebuilt K98k rifles, the Russians would either grind away completely the original serial number on the smaller parts or they would make a lite etching across the serial number.
This lite etching was usually in the form of a strait line across the middle of the serial number leaving the original serial number easily readable in most cases. The Russians would then etch the serial number of the receiver onto these smaller parts, in a way making them matching again. The magazine on this pistol has an etched serial number on it.A Russian capture of a weapon does add a unique history to the firearm, but at the same time it does hurt its monetary value to collectors.
Still, any Radom VIS 35 pistol collection would not be complete without one of these Russian captured pieces in it.Resource:German Handguns by Ian HoggGerman small arms markings by Joachim Gortz & Don BryansThe standard directory of proof marks by Gerhard WirnsbergerOfficial guide to gunmarks by Robert BaldersonMauser military rifle markings by Terence LapinHandbook of military rifle marks 1866-1950 by Richard Hoffman & Noel SchottHistory Writ in Steel by Donald Maus.
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