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Title:	PISTOL, SEMI-AUTOMATIC -  POLISH PISTOL M35 9MM SN# 2926
Maker/Manufacturer:	WILNEWCZYC & SKRZYPINSKI
Date of Manufacture:	1936
Eminent Figure:
Catalog Number:	SPAR 1043
Measurements:	OL: 19.6CM 7 3/4" BL: 12CM 4 3/4" 2.5 lbs. unloaded

Object Description:

POLISH PISTOL M35 9MM SN# 2926
Manufactured by Fabryka Broni, Radom, Poland in 1936 - Standard Polish M35 semi-automatic pistol. Recoil-operated with 8-round, in-line, detachable box magazine inserted into grip. Utilizes Browning Hi-power locking system. 6-groove rifling, right hand twist. Muzzle velocity 1150 fps. Weapon weighs approximately 2.25 lbs.

Markings:
Frame: 2926.
Slide: FB RADOM/1936R. Polish Eagle. VIS-WZ35/PAT. NR. 15567.
Grips: VIS in triangle. FB in triangle.
Various proof marks on other parts and old Army label taped on slide.

Notes: "It is a close copy of the Colt M1911 pistol...but it is chambered for the commonly available 9mm Luger or Parabellum cartridge. The Radom factory was established during World War I to manufacture military arms in what would later become Poland Manufacture of the VIS 35 or P35 pistols began in 1935. The pre-war guns can be identified by the Polish national crest marked on the slide. These relatively uncommon variants are commonly referred to as 'Polish Eagle' Radoms.
After Poland fell in 1939, the Germans took over the Radom plant and assigned Steyr to run it. The Radom plant continued manufacture of VIS 35 pistols until the plant was occupied and destroyed by the advancing Russian army in December 1944.
The Germans liked the Radom so well, that Steyr copied it and manufactured approximately 40,000 of these historically-interesting pistols in Austria between July 1944 and May 1945.
Most Radoms made during the war have German 'Waffenamt' acceptance proofs on the slides and frames. Identifying these marks adds to the already rich history of the pistol. THE RADOM VIS PISTOLS, by Robert J. Berger, (Available from Rutgers Books Center, Dept. AR, 127 Raritan Ave., Highland Park, N.J. 08904, (908) 545-4344) is a reference that may help you learn more about the Radom." - A.L., American Rifleman, February 1998

"The Polish Model 35 is variously as the Radom, from the arsenal at which it was made, or as the VIS (from the initials of the designers, Wilneiwczyc & Skrzypinski). The locking of the breech and slide is controlled by a cam on the barrel, as in the FN-Browning GP35. On the side of the slide is a catch which drops the hammer under control onto a loaded chamber after first blocking the hammer's path to the firing pin, allowing subsequent thumb-cocking. On the frame, the device which appears to be a safety catch is in fact no more than a slide lock to facilitate stripping; the only true safety device is a grip safety, although the hammer drop lever could also be considered as an additional type.
During the German occupation of Poland, these weapons were made for the German Army (as the Pistole P35(p) and may be found very roughly finished and without the hammer release catch or the slide lock; the original Polish pistols are easily identified by the prominent Polish eagle engraved on the slide, and by their outstanding finish and fit. Production for Germany is marked simply with 'Pistole 35(p) and the usual Wehrmacht acceptance stamps. Unusually, the Radom factory did not have the normal German three-letter code but marked the pistol in exactly the same way as the original Polish production, except omitting the year and the Polish eagle.
Heavier and larger than the general run of pistols chambered for 9mm Parabellum, the wz/35 is among the best - and is certainly among the more comfortable - to shoot.
In 1922 the Zaklady Metalowe Luznik of Radom - the commercialized arm of the Random arsenal - put the Radom pistol back into production, principally for collectors but also as a service pistol for anyone so inclined. The original engineering drawings of 1937 were used as the basis, and the pistol is virtually identical though with very slight differences in weight and overall length. It is, of course, to an exceptionally high quality of manufacture and finish." - Hogg & Weeks

References:
Hogg, Ian S. & John S. Weeks. MILITARY SMALL ARMS OF THE 20TH CENTURY. 7th Ed. Krause Publications. Iola, Wi. 1998.