Don Davie

The between-wars Polish army was the last of the European military forces to maintain the cavalry tradition on a large scale.  After the architects of the Polish rearmament policy of the 1920s bypassed the military-type pistols then available, the firearms designers Wilneiwcyc and Skrzpinski developed a pistol in 9mm calibre with features making it ergonomically suited to cavalry service.  Manufactured from 1935 to 1945, the firearm was, in Polish production, one of the better pistols of the period.

Produced at the Polish arsenal at Radom (and commonly known as the Radom), the Vis 35 pistol employed some well-established Browning features from his pistol manufactured by Colt and adopted by the United States Government for service use in .45 ACP calibre as the M19ll and from his last design, in 9mm Parabellum, put into production by Fabrique Nationale d’Armes de Guerre  (FN) as the Grand Puissance Modele 1935 (GP or HP 35).  In addition, the Vis 35/Radom has unique features that make it a particularly sturdy and reliable firearm.

In appearance, the Radom’s Browning inheritance is unmistakable.  The slide and receiver have a marked resemblance to the M1911 and M1911A1 but the Poles appear to have distrusted some Colt features, in particular the barrel bushing, the barrel link and pin and the slide stop plunger and spring assembly.  The Radom’s barrel has a nose forged on its underside, in common with the GP model, rather than the Colt link and pin, and a full-length recoil spring guide protrudes from the front of the slide when the slide is drawn back.  The slide stop is in the same position as on the M1911 and its derivatives but, lacking a slide stop plunger, is held in place by the recoil spring and the bottom strut.

On the left hand side of the pistol, the slide has a hammer release thumb piece that permits the hammer to be dropped on a loaded chamber with complete safety – a spring returning the release to its original position when pressure is removed.  Unlike other military pistols with hammer releases, beginning with the Walther HP/P38, the Radom is not double action and the hammer must be thumbed back to fire.  As noted above, the slide release occupies the same position as on the Colt models but in place of the Colt manual safety the Radom has a thumb lever for locking back the slide in disassembly.  The push-button magazine release catch is in the Colt/Browning position.

The Radom has a Colt-type stirrup trigger, a rowel hammer that is partly shrouded by the rear of the slide when not cocked, similar to that on the Colt Commander model and on Mauser’s much earlier pistols, and a grip safety.  The left side of the receiver at the rear of the trigger is relieved, as on the M1911AI.  As required for cavalry service, the pistol has a lanyard loop on the base of the removable mainspring housing which itself is slotted to receive a shoulder stock.  The fact that the slide is marked “Pat. Nr. 15567” may indicate that the Poles contemplated marketing the pistol commercially.

In field stripping, the Radom breaks down into five components – slide, barrel, recoil spring guide rod and captive springs, slide stop, and receiver.  There are no small, loose parts to be lost.

The above description applies to Radoms produced from 1935 to 1939.  Following the fall of Poland, the Germans were sufficiently impressed with the Radom to resume production at the Radom arsenal and to put the pistol into service issue as the P35p.  Pistols produced under the German regime vary considerably in quality of materials and workmanship and may lack grip safeties, hammer releases, takedown levers and stock slots.  However, all Radoms in good mechanical condition are strong and reliable firearms.  In his authoritative Small Arms of the World: The Basic Manual of Small Arms, W. H. B. Smith noted that they will handle any 9mm Parabellum round normally found.

An American Radom fancier has commented that, despite the exceptionally high tension of the recoil springs (about 22 lb/ 10 kg), the pistol will function reliably with ammunition ranging from comparatively light American loads to Israeli cartridges produced for use in the Uzi machine carbine.  Although Radoms made for the Polish military were all of 9mm Parabellum calibre, a Radom chambered for the .30 Luger cartridge was extant in the mid-1980s and it is rumoured that prototypes were produced in 38ACP/9mm Steyr and 45ACP.

The Radom’s inherent accuracy is perhaps attributable to its mass, the tight bore diameter of 8.81mm, the dampening of perceived recoil by the massive double recoil springs, and the very comfortable tapered grip.  It would owe nothing to the sights, which are as primitive as those on M1911A1.  Although the Poles were in contact with FN as the GP model was developed, they elected not to adopt the double-row magazine and this contributed to the Radom’s slender profile.

The Vis 35/Radom was the only military weapon of Polish design produced by the nation’s armaments industry in the 1920s and 1930s.  It is an exceptionally reliable, sturdy and accurate pistol that is a tribute to the advanced concepts and engineering competence of its designers and manufacturers.  In Jane’s Guns Regognition Guide, it is noted that it was reported in late-1994 that the Radom was being put back into production in Poland.  Apparently, this has not occurred but the fact that it was considered at a time when there was a plethora of excellent military pistols is perhaps indicative of the merits of the pistol.

VIS MODEL 35 (RADOM) PISTOL: TECHNICAL DETAILS

Calibre: 9mm Parabellum.

Magazine: Single line, 8 round capacity.

Barrel length: 4.75 in/ 120.65mm.

Overall length: 7.75 in/ 196.85mm.

Mass: 37-38 oz/ 1.047-1.075 kg.

Action: Recoil operated, semi-automatic.

Ezell, E. C., Small Arms of the World: A Basic Manual of Military Small Arms (11th Edition), Harrisburg, Stackpole Books, 1977.

Hogg, I & R. Adam, Jane’s Guns Recognition Guide, Glasgow, Harpers Collins Publishers, 1996.

Smith, W. H. B., Small Arms of the World: A Basic Manual of Military Small Arms (4th Edition), Harrisburg, Military Service Publishing Company, 1953.

Thompson, J., ‘The Radom: toughest 9mm ever’, in K. Warner (ed.) Gun Digest, (41st Edition), Northbrook, DBI Books, 1987.