Vis wz. 35

Fabryka Broni Radom · Pistol · Out Of Production · 1935

Also known as: Pistolet wz. 35 Vis, Radom Vis, VIS-35, Pistole 35(p), P 35(p)

Overview

The Vis wz. 35 (also known as the Radom Vis) is a single-action, hammer-fired, short-recoil semi-automatic service pistol designed by Polish engineers Piotr Wilniewczyc and Jan Skrzypiński and produced at the state arsenal Fabryka Broni in Radom from 1935. Adopted as the standard sidearm of the Polish Army in 1936, the Vis was widely regarded at the time of its introduction as one of the finest military pistols in the world - a Browning-pattern locked-breech design clearly inspired by the Colt M1911 but distinctly Polish in its execution, with a grip safety, an unusual slide-mounted decocking lever (rather than a manual safety), and a slide-takedown catch. After the German invasion of Poland in 1939, the Radom factory was seized and the pistol was put back into production for the Wehrmacht as the Pistole 35(p), where it was particularly favored by Fallschirmjäger paratroopers and Waffen-SS units. Production continued under occupation through 1945, ultimately reaching some 360,000 examples. The design was reissued in modernized form by Fabryka Broni as the Vis 100 starting in 1992.

Specifications

Weight (empty)	950 g (33.5 oz)
Overall Length	207 mm (8.15")
Barrel Length	121 mm (4.76")
Height	137 mm (5.39")
Width	33 mm (1.30")
Action Type	Short Recoil
Firing Mechanism	Hammer Fired
Trigger Type	Single Action
Magazine Capacity	8 rounds
Magazine Type	Detachable Box
Muzzle Velocity	351 m/s (1152 fps)
Muzzle Energy	459 J (339 ft·lbf)
Effective Range	50 m (55 yd)
Barrel Rifling	Right Hand
Rifling Twist	254 mm (10.00")
Number of Grooves	6
Frame Material	Steel
Slide Material	Steel
Barrel Material	Steel
Stock Material	Wood
Finish	Blued

Calibers

9x19mm Parabellum · primary · 9mm NATO — also known as 9mm Luger, 9mm NATO, 9x19mm

Features

Firing modes: Semi Automatic
Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
Safety mechanisms: Grip Safety, Decocking Lever, Slide Takedown Catch
Features: Browning Short Recoil Locked Breech, Decocker, Fixed Iron Sights, Checkered Wood Grips, Lanyard Loop, Single Action Only

Variants

Pistole 35(p) — Occupation Production
FB Vis 100 — Modern Reissue

Service history

Operators

Polish Army · adopted 1936 · as Pistolet wz. 35 Vis
Wehrmacht · adopted 1939 · as Pistole 35(p)
Waffen-SS · adopted 1939 · as Pistole 35(p)
Fallschirmjäger · adopted 1939 · as Pistole 35(p)
Armia Krajowa (Polish Home Army) · adopted 1939
Polish People's Army · adopted 1944

Conflicts

World War II (1939-1945)
Warsaw Uprising (1944)

Production

Estimated total produced: 360,000 · Production years: 1935-1945

Approximately 360,000 produced across pre-war Polish production and five major batches of German occupation production. Modern Vis 100 reissue (1992-present) adds additional units.

Origin

Country of origin: Poland

Designer: Piotr Wilniewczyc and Jan Skrzypiński

Discontinued: 1945

Notes

The Vis is unusual in that the only manual control on the slide is a decocker, not a safety - the gun is meant to be carried hammer-down on a loaded chamber, with the grip safety preventing accidental discharge. Polish-production Vis pistols (pre-1939) are highly sought after by collectors, with quality and finish dropping noticeably across the five major batches of German occupation-era production. Some late-war 'slave-labor' Vis pistols were sabotaged or deliberately produced to lower tolerances by Polish workers in the Radom plant.

Background

When German forces captured the Radom factory in September 1939, they kept production running for the Wehrmacht - but Polish workers on the line spent the rest of the war quietly sabotaging guns where they could and smuggling components out the gates to the Armia Krajowa resistance. Stories persist that Vis pistols used in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising were assembled from parts spirited out of the same factory whose product was being issued to the Germans hunting them.