I recently picked up a P35 and need some help finding out when it was made. As you can see from the pictures it isn't exactly a collectors item with the replacement grips, broken take down lever, and reblued but it was cheap and it fills a hole in my collection. I have been looking on the internet to try and find out when it was made but I haven't had any luck. I was wondering if anyone knew what color grips would be correct for this gun. Also the serial number is a little confusing to me. I cannot tell if it supposed to be H0 (zero) or HO (letter O). It is all matching, non import marked, a 3 lever and it does not have a cut out for a stock. Thanks for any information.
Brad
Radom Pistol Serial Numbers
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??
Serial Production Definition
After the Polish defeat in 1939, the Germans took over the Radom Armory and continued production of the Vis under the new name of 9 mm Pistole 645(p), which was for some reason often rendered as P 35(p) (the suffix “p” means “polnische”) (the German pistols of the first series had inscriptions VIS Mod.35 and P.35 (p) on the left side). The serial numbers are factory original and were not restamped. The slide and barrel displays several Radom factory production markings (please, see pictures). The machining and polishing of the frame, slide and barrel is different from the later production VIS pistols. The internal mechanism of the pistol seems to be the same as in later. Feb 01, 2019 Radom Vis 35 P35. This is a discussion on Radom Vis 35 P35 within the Handguns forums, part of the Gun Forum category; This piece recently reappeared from who know of how long it has been in hiding, brought in by a lady who found it in old.