RADOM P-35 Info???

[wag51486]

I have a F.B. Radom P-35 handgun from WW2 in 9mm I believe. Does any body know any good websites where I get info on disassembling it and any good sites to get replacement parts, such as springs, maybe a new barrel, etc?

[american lockpicker]

Try Marstar.

[OldShooter]

go here:

http://www.gunsworld.com/world/radom_us.html

They have some information and a field stripping guide.

I have one of these from the early Nazi days, with all the controls. It's a very well made pistol and a good shooter. Too bad it is only single stack.

[wag51486]

They have some information and a field stripping guide.

I checked out the website and according to them the Grade 1 is before German occupation and that Grade 2 is after German Occupation and does not have a slot for the sholder stock. Mine has a slot for the shoulder stock, but it also has the German Waffenant sysmbols on the left side of the gun, does this add value or am I mistaking the symbols for German when they are Polish? I think they are the same markings as on my K98 Mauser.

[captkirk9195]

I've got a fairly nice one (Thanks granddad).

For more info on the VIS, look here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vis_(weapon)

It is a 9MM Parabellum.

Check your serial number to know when it was made and the quality/value.

Finding good Magazines is a bit of a challenge, but I finally got a decent mag, and wow, it is an accurate shooter.

HTH
Jason

[OldShooter]

If yours has the slot for shoulder stock, it is definitely an early version. It may have been in house when the Germans moved in and adopted it with their stamp. Double check the stamps though, the Polish Crest is an eagle. The German stamp will have spread wings with WaA 77 below in a arc. My slide is stamped F B RADOM VIS Mod.35Pat.Nr15567 and below P.35(p). An original magazine will also be stamped, one of mine has a Waffenant with 189 below. The other isn't stamped. I don't have a holster. From the serial number, mine was manufactured around 1941. It isn't polished, but it has all the controls and is a well made pistol.

Different "experts" have different methods of defining the grades. It is what it is. Yours is at the better end of the spectrum especially if those marks are not German. The P.35(p) makes it definitely German, along with confirmed Waffenants.

How about a nice photograph?

[wag51486]

The German stamp will have spread wings with WaA 77 below in a arc. My slide is stamped F B RADOM VIS Mod.35Pat.Nr15567 and below P.35(p). An original magazine will also be stamped, one of mine has a Waffenant with 189 below. The other isn't stamped. I don't have a holster. From the serial number, mine was manufactured around 1941. It isn't polished, but it has all the controls and is a well made pistol.

Different "experts" have different methods of defining the grades. It is what it is. Yours is at the better end of the spectrum especially if those marks are not German. The P.35(p) makes it definitely German, along with confirmed Waffenants.

There is the Spread wings with the WaA 77 underneath. There is also the P.35(p) on it so I assume it is certainly German. It does seem to also have the Polish Crest, maybe, I am not sure exactly what it is see pic #2. These are stamped after the pat. number. The pistol does also have the sholder stock slot, so maybe the pistol had just rolled of the line when the Germans came in and they just stamped it with the waffenant??

[wag51486]

Sorry the pictures I took were too many bytes to upload. How do I fix that?

[James K]

The first pistols, made before the German takeover, were marked on the left side of the slide with a fairly large Polish eagle; on either side of the eagle are two line markings - F.B.Radom over the date on the left, and "VIS-wz 35" (name of pistol and "Wzor" (model) 35) over the patent number on the right.
These can bring up to $3000, depending on condition. The same gun, with German markings added (indicating it was in the factory or depot and was captured) can bring even more in top condition. These are variously called simply "Polish Eagle" or "Polish Eagle, Nazi capture". A Polish writer calls them all "Group One."

The single line marking, without the Polish eagle, was used during the Nazi occupation. The designation P.35(p) was given to the Radom by the Germans. There are three recognized types. Type I (Group 2) has the slide stop, hammer drop lever (on the slide) and the dismount lever, so it is sometimes referred to as a "three lever" gun. It also has the mainspring housing cut for the (never issued) shoulder stock. Prices top out at about $1500.

Type II (Group 3) has the shoulder stock cut eliminated and some other changes, including elimination of the grip screw bushings.

Type III (Group 4) has the dismount lever removed. Instead of using it to lock back the slide for takedown, the hammer drop lever is pushed down so its tail rests in a notch in the hammer. There are numerous small changes. Type II and III guns go around $700-900 in top condition, around $400-500 in average shape. They are the most commonly seen Radoms.

After Radom was "liberated" (actually captured by another brutal dictatorship), Type III Radom production was moved to Steyr, in Austria. Apparently, for one reason or another, the grip molding equipment was not available, most Steyr production has wooden grips, with curved grooves.

Steyr production guns are also more valuable than Nazi production at Radom, with top condition prices up to $2000 and as high as $3000 with the "bnz" marking.

HTH

Jim

[OldShooter]

There is a book by Terrence Lappin about this gun.