Radom's Vis 35: Poland's Excellent Automatic Pistol

In the 1920s Poland began looking for a new standard military pistol, and tested a variety of compact .380s. The representative from FN brought along an early iteration of the High Power (along with their other entry) even though it was much too large and heavy to meet the Polish requirements. After a couple iterations of testing, it became clear to the Polish Ordnance officers that the High Power was a much more effective service pistol than the compact guns they had been instructed to look for.
Lo and behold, the ultimate choice was a domestic design based largely on the High Power (a direct deal with FN was not an option after Poland's relationship with FN had suffered through problems with the wz.28 version of the BAR). Toss in a delay to redesign the early decocking mechanism to satisfy the Cavalry (who didn't realize that the decocker wasn't actually meant to be used, but rather to just add another claim to the patent), and by 1935 the pistol was finished and formally adopted.
The Vis 35 is one of the best automatic pistols of WWII in terms of both handling and quality. In total 46,000 were made pre-war for Poland's military, and German occupation forces built another 300,000+ during the war.
/ forgottenweapons

[@Clipazine]

Those Radom workers deserve some serious respect for taking that risk, and the punishment they endured to provide arms to the Polish Home Army.

[@radyoo]

'because we don't beg for freedom, we fight for it'... Gen. Witold Urbanowicz 303 Squadron Commander

[@rickgigliotti4070]

They should make a movie for the 50

[@maotisjan]

"No price is to great to cast out the invaders" - Poland's policy regarding all those who attack us

[@maotisjan]

@@radyoo I'll have to remember this

[@Ayy-yu2zf]

@@rickgigliotti4070 Damn, that's a great idea!

[@dripman98]

I own a VIS Radom pistol with Nazi swastika markings on it, that was taken off a Luftwaffe pilot that crashed in Belgium in 1944 when he ran out of fuel. Private Leo Ortiz an American soldier captured the pilot , and confiscated the Radom pistol, took the grips off and replaced the grips with pieces of the ME 109's cockpit plastic, and put his wifes picture behind it. He brought it back to the States after he returned home. When Leo passed away, he gave it to his daughter, she sold the gun to a antique dealer , who sold it to a gun collector... I acquired the gun from a collector. It is a super nice gun to shoot. Serial number F 1969 MFG Date 1944

[@themeddite2935]

Jess R that’s a really interesting story

[@Panzer-Geomancer]

Is there a picture of that gun on the internet? It's a gun with an amazing history.

[@TheVladimirIgor]

Cool story

[@robertmurdock9750]

I have one with the same grips and the same thing with the picture. My father was in 101st 501 and a friend of his gave it to him before they left Austria. He took his wife's pictures out first though.

[@thesturm8686]

So that explain the Radoms with sweetheart grips on them

[@vinnyethanol]

As a Pole I'm glad to hear the world "Polish" and "Excellent" in the same sentence.

[@bendover9862]

+Whamosser Poland has made a lot of interesting and quality things over the years. I recently got an old Ursus C330, it is extremely practical and robust in its design, as well as easy to maintain.

[@baron8107]

+Whamosser Yeah. Poles are decent with military weapons. The Radom MSBS blows it's Italian counterpart - the Beretta ARX-160 - out of the water.

[@willsmooth8826]

+Григорий Александров wow Ursus ciapek, my neighbor still has one too

[@vinnyethanol]

+Scowler MSBS is super nice, I've seen people do all kinds of fancy manoeuvers with them.

[@95iBall]

+Whamosser World, polish and excellent? Big plans we have here ;D Jk

[@ID-8491]

Imagine if that weapon factory was located in Szczebrzeszyn.

[@Sebastianek1990]

+John Wiseman Best anti-enemy intelligence place if you ask me :D

[@ID-8491]

+Sebastianek1990 Aye :) And name the gun: Chrząszcz.

[@whistleblower8376]

That sir is a brilliant idea haha

[@ID-8491]

Whistle Blower Thanks :D

[@erdfgdvrefdvewdghebs7520]

chrzączdrzewoszyce

[@Zastava]

"Not a good day for the Poles" pretty much describes 1939-1989 :p

[@Walend]

+Zastava yeah :( Sadly, most of polish culture was wiped aut during war...

[@DMSBrian24]

+Zastava more like 966-2016 except for maybe few years of peace :v

[@shadowtactition2420]

+Walend not really those that left poland in time carry ed and recorded thier tradition

[@Walend]

Yes, but in most cases, they could not return to the country after war.

[@shadowtactition2420]

+Walend well some passed to thier children where they can go back when poland became independent. Some of my parents friend children returned with the old tradition

[@TheGreatSawyer1]

Those wily Poles, that's actually an ingeniously engineered decocker. I'm more and more impressed as I look at the firearms industry in Poland

[@Walend]

+Sawyer Hamann Unfortunatly Polish gun industry and gun culture was mostly destroyed by Soviet Russia. After war w had to produce only russian weapons. Also many gun owners was arrested and killed. Only members of communistr party could have a gun. It's quite an issue to this day - goverment is against the guns, and people are mostly scare of guns.

[@piotrd.4850]

@@Walend During Civil Defence classes in communist Poland there _were_ lessons in shooting sporting carabines.... so much unlike today.

[@dementisvir8899]

I usually carry a Radom P64 for EDC. The only problem I have with it, is how excessive the double action trigger pull is. But it is very accurate, reliable, and powerful for it size and design.

[@DominikMaslyk]

Walend “Only Russian weapons” *PM-63 and the Glauberyt*

[@evancrosley2857]

@@dementisvir8899 I think most of the Soviet Bloc guns were meant to be carried without one in the chamber.

[@driftingmax9692]

I'm Pole, and i own this gun, it was originaly my greatgrandfather's pistol, as he was a army soldier.

[@remigiuszdarmach4233]

Man beter dont say that, you can go to jail for 15 years if cops find out.

[@vMUREKv]

@@remigiuszdarmach4233 There is actually an exemption for historical firearms such as these. PL: Trzeba tylko udokumentować ze tą broń otrzymano od pradziadka :)

[@remigiuszdarmach4233]

@@vMUREKv Patrzyłem na stronie policji i żeby tak było dziadek powinien mieć zezwolenie na broń i dokumenty potwierdzające ze to jego własonść. Jeśli dziadek nie daj Boże zmarł nie ma już legalnego sposobu na zarejestrowanie broni a jak pójdziesz z bronią na policję to cie zamkną za nielegalne przetrzymywanie groźnej broni bez odpowiednich kwitów. Broń jest po tym rekwirowana i jeżeli żadne muzeum się po nią nie zgłosi to zostanie przerobiona na żyletki.

[@slawomirk7462]

@Tymek Ragus A na Tygrysy mają VISy.!!!Tego też nie słyszałeś??😁😁😁😁

[@rd5281]

Posluszny niewolnik pojdzie do pana i odda klamke. A niewolnik ktory ceni sobie jakakolwiek wolnosc bedzie trzymal na czarna godzine gdy panow przyjdzie zabijac. Kto nie widzi ze caly swiat dzieli sie na wladze i niewolnikow ten glupi

[@wikidarek]

I am from Poland and I would like to thank you very much for your knowledge about Polish weapons, it is nice to hear from the lips of an American how beautifully he talks about weapons

[@gonnabeok]

It's worth to inform that from mid of 2018 Radom firearm factory is scheduled to launch a serial production of VIS pistol for civilian market... It's gonna be a fully functional product that will retain 99% similarity to the famous pre-war ancestor.

[@Jaszczur-sp2tx]

Szkoda tylko, że nasz polski rząd i unia europejska upierdolą całe strzelectwo w Polsce

[@riqui445]

Hope it happens waiting for a barrel to come out of the market. I'm trying to complete a Radom pistol.

[@zbigniewgurak8261]

The only thing I'm sure: these pistols were VERY EXPENSIVE.

[@MrMessiah44]

@@Jaszczur-sp2tx Ta .... unia europejska. Sprawdz najpierw jak to wyglada w innych krajach unii.

[@jefferyfite7122]

If there was ever a vintage pistol that deserves to be resurrected, it's this piece.

[@HighwayMule]

'My na Tygrysy mamy visy' - 'we have the vises against the Tigers [tanks]', said a popular song from the time of the Warsaw Uprising

[@vinnyethanol]

+HighwayMule Superior Polish handgun shoot through puny nazi tank. One bullet - one nazi!

[@Trumplican]

Im Polish but sadly they didn't have the vices against the tigers. no one did. Poland was faced with an impossible situation but they fought like hell.

[@GLADICEK2]

@@vinnyethanol Sadly, it was more like 1 dead nazi = 100 dead innocent Poles (during reprisals).

[@Aski2]

This horror finally got 6 million Polish citizens and 9 millon German citizens killed during WW2. What's more millions Polish and German were forcibly resettlet from East Europe.

[@Panzer-Geomancer]

@@Aski2 Out of the 6 million Polish citizens the 3 million were Polish Jews if I'm not wrong.

[@JanKowalski-bh6gf]

Man... you are the most intelligent American with care for details (which is so important) i saw on yt... you are a negation of stereotypes which we have in Europe about Americans... nice to see professionalists at work...i watch you often and i see that is your routine...

[@milkeywhey2998]

It doesnt tell any good about europeans

[@bigblocklawyer]

Glad we could so eloquently prevent the world from speaking German. You're welcome.

[@bobese5099]

@@bigblocklawyer You did not prevent anything "boss".

[@diehard2705]

Bob Ese Europe would’ve been entirely fucked without America in both world wars

[@bamboozlednoodle6513]

Bob Ese we fucked up during the Cold War, but we did save Europe’s ass from the krauts

[@ToastytheG]

Whoa, was not expecting this level of national pride in the comments! I probably should have. Cheers Poland, from the US. I noticed the Vis 35 in a number of ww2 photographs, notably in the hands of one German paratrooper in Normandy. Nice to know some of the history behind this neat little gun. Thank you based gun jesus!

[@jacobkonkel6793]

There's a town in IL called Radom, that is the sister city to the original Radom in Poland. My family is from Poland, and moved to Radom, IL. I love seeing parts of my family history here and there. Thanks for the video.

[@JerzyFeliksKlein]

Chicago area was a popular destination for Polish immigrants. Till the end of the 20th century Chicago had the biggest concentration of Poles outside of Poland.

[@jacobkonkel6793]

@@JerzyFeliksKlein Thanks for the tidbit of history. I'm in southern IL and every small town is primarily founded by German or Polish immigrants. In the late 1800s, many Poles fled their country seeking arable land to farm (their trade back home) and ended up in the bread belt of America.

[@anonymous-dk1is]

@@jacobkonkel6793 "National Armed Forces" liked this pistol ! - ....kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZbFgYWDq7uBqMk

[@b3rs]

Hi! Great vid! There are some details I know of that I don't think were mentioned, so I'll list them for anyone who's interested: - VIS name came from WIS which stood for 'Wilniewczyc i Skrzypiński' ('i' = and) who were the constructors behind the project. Army decided to swap W with V and make it into Latin VIS, which means 'force' or 'strength' - Polish-made VIS were meant to be able to work with holster/butt so they had a hook to attach it on the handle. - When Germans found out about scheme with duplicate serial numbers they decided to move barrel production to Czech. It didn't help much cause Poles were just salvaging barrels from old firearms and refitting them with the rest of the gun. In the end whole production line had to be moved to Germany. - VIS's production has been reissued 2 or 3 times but it was either in small series or solely for US market. - They can be mainly found in US as most of the WW2 produced guns have been taken off German soldiers as a trophy.

[@zhubotang927]

Polish workers were brave in their defiance against occupation.

[@robertdeford560]

I have a VIS 35p I inherited from my father. He carried it during the Korean war & I wouldn't get rid of it for nothing in the world. I Carry it daily.

[@piotrd.4850]

@Robert Deford - can you put a video with history of the gun and family? Or page?

[@robertdeford560]

The history of the VIS 35 family is amazing, I've learned a lot about them from antique gun videos

[@alecklassen2737]

Rewatching this, it’s awesome to see just how much more comfortable Ian has become in front of the camera while maintaining a great combo of storytelling and history. A++

[@eisenkrieg553]

"A quite good and under appreciated firearm." It's just like Poland as a nation is.

[@paveloknowski1339]

There is nothing like that without a reason !

[@aquaticdavid1402]

Yes!!

[@terry7907]

We remember, in September, when the Winged Hussars arrived!

[@xexzersy]

almost poetic that my grandparents migrated to CT

[@ZbysioR]

I love how you did your research on history of this gun. Being polish I did not know any of this. thanks

[@ForceSmart]

I watched "Warsaw '44" (2014) (an excellent film) about the 1944 Warsaw Uprising recently and the VIS was prominently displayed as being a prized weapon by the brave young soldiers of the Polish Home Army.

[@ketra1504]

Oh God that movie, everyone in Poland hated it

[@LordVader1094]

@@ketra1504 Wait, really?

[@G0TIMAN]

@@LordVader1094 Yes :(

[@tompaj1620]

@@LordVader1094 does not depict enough all atrocities committed by Germans and Ukrainians fighting under Germans. Yes, it was Ukrainian battalion, sometimes more cruel then Germans, there were paroled criminals...( or animals...)

[@apoptose1558]

@@LordVader1094 It was controversial but "everyone hated it" sounds like an overstatement. The director, Jan Komasa, purposefully employed kitsch and Holywoody stuff in some scenes, which was triggering since Polish people are very serious about the Warsaw Uprising. Many thought it was distasteful. Sex scenes caused much controversy in particular.

[@patrislumumba07]

Man, this gun have some great history behind it!

[@MrBielsoN]

Just a quick update FYI Radom factory "Lucznik" released a special edition of VIS (Radom) due to 100 anniversary of Poland's independence - it has 100 NIEPODLEGLEJ - written on the barrel. Priced at around 16k polish zloty - around 4k in US Dollar

[@Immortal__]

Thank you for the video. Those factory workers are heros. I never knew of this story. Rest in Peace to those who lost their lives smuggling weapons under the enemies noses, I for one won't forget you. Cześć ich pamięci

[@lukiradom]

Hello, greetings from Radom :)

[@robertarmstrong2470]

This pistol was the 1st weapon that hooked me into side arms in general, it just looked right, form and function.

[@jerrykeraj9486]

Beautiful gun..with big history... For sure one of the best in history of the 9mm pistols

[@fenderski1234]

Finally Ian! Cheers from Poland!

[@DeadCamper]

Clever and brave factory workers.

[@MejbiMajonez]

Ian, you're pretty wrong about our VIS, it's not forgotten, we fought and still fight to produce them, Radom actually is making them again, all gun lovers in Poland want them, so don't expect them to come to US cheap :)

[@steinelgaaen]

well.... it's forgotten in the rest of the world. Only gun nerd's like me know of it. 😊

[@vrisbrianm4720]

+MejbiMajonez I don't think Ian ever said the Vis is forgotten..

[@vlaricshard2]

+MejbiMajonez they're being produced again?!?!?!?! SWEET!!!

[@steinelgaaen]

Vickte w: i think he is referring to the title: forgotten firearms

[@MrOdrzut]

+MejbiMajonez Ian does Polish weapons finally and people are still bitchin

[@spavatch]

This hands down the most accurate and comprehensive introductory video for wz.35 I've seen to date. Excellent job!

[@abitnutz6747]

You have the very best gun oriented channel on KZbin. I have learned to appreciate the development of firearms more from you than I could have ever on my own and I have been a collector for over 40 years.

[@TheOneXLGI]

I started watching your channel few weeks ago and consider it the best gun channel on you tube. It's a pleasure to watch a smart and professional person do their job.

[@87Wayne]

I have one of these that my father brought back from Europe after WWII. It is a dated 1939 it is the final version the Nazis assembled using all the orig. parts with the shoulder stock slot in the hand grip. It does have the polish Eagle on the side. It is a very fine shooting easy to handle pistol.

[@paullantuch2205]

I have the same version, serial number just before 40K and no marks on the slide. Numbers are matched.

[@hart-of-gold]

One gun I would like to see disassembled is an Owen SMG. I have seen you fire one but would like to see the design features that kept the action clean and working. Great channel from an Aussie fan.

[@ForgottenWeapons]

+Hart Poole I would like to do a better video on the Owen, but they are quite rare here and I need to find one I can get access to.

[@zacharyfletcher6653]

+Rod 1984 and

[@zachfletcher6751]

Rod 1984 wow my bad. my phone pocket dailed that "and" comment. it's kinda funny, but i wasn't intentionally directing hate towards you. I can't quote albert einstein exactly, "each and every individual knows something that no other has knowledge of"

[@adamcichon6957]

Ian, the sacond Vis also have a dissasembly lever ;) . When you pull the slide to the end, you must press down the decocking lever, and it will hook on this noch on the hammer !!! Then you can easly pull spring guide rod and the slide stop will fall out, like in the early 3 lever model :D . I don't belive that nobody showed it to you.

[@gullybull5568]

he didnt reply 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@eatcommies1375]

Great Review, I was in Poland recently and saw a handmade gas pistol from ww2. Amazing homemade creation since guns were seized. Thanks for posting this!!🇺🇸🇵🇱❤️👍💪

[@jamesbasler9413]

Great video!!! Without this channel,I wouldn't even know some of these guns existed. Thanks......

[@joebiernacki7346]

During development, the Cavalry Branch required a decocking function. When using and firing the pistol when on horseback it needed a safe way to decock it.

[@I_will_pet_your_dogs]

Loved this video, Ian. I'm not a 'gun guy', but I have a love of history, and an appreciation for engineering, and your videos scratch all those itches.

[@Toolness1]

The Poles made* great firearms, I really love my Polish Tokarev, P83, and P64. The Poles suffered greatly during WWII. A lot of people did, but the Poles especially, and they definitely got screwed by their supposed allies both in the beginning AND after the war. *I say "made" because I am not aware of their modern production firearms, not because I think their current stuff isn't as nice.

[@birdplaygames]

Look up the MSBS it's almost done and soon will be in production. After the war we only made modified AK's.

[@jksmuga1]

P64 is rough but what a great pistol !

[@PiotrSzafranskiWarsaw]

"I am not aware of their modern production firearms" - possibly because today talented engineers go into other products design. Pre-1939 the competition against e.g. Germany was in firearms, today Polish companies try to compete against MAN supplying buses across Europe, things like this. Much friendlier competition too.

[@wardasz]

@Toolness1 now we are making Beryl - an exelent modern version of AK. And also try to made brand new modular rifle (MSBS) but it will take some time probably

[@imienazwisko6225]

UR tank destroy wapon

[@JanKowalski-rd7yb]

Greetings from Poland! I've seen this video a couple of years ago and loved it, now I'm rewatching "FW" during my vacation... I know there is quite a lot of western gun enthusiasts, who like polish firearms (I'm looking at you, Beryl), but it seems they often get confused, when it gets to polish firearm naming, so I thought I would drop some info on this. Mind you, I'm a hobbyist, not a gun expert, just happened to study linguistics and also speak czech (and czech gun "naming" is similar to polish). Anyway, all firearms always have their "proper" designation, for example polish "pistolet maszynowy wz. 1984", which stands for "machine pistol, model 1984". In case of handgun presented in this video, it's "wz. 35". Similarily, czech made Skorpion machine pistol has designation "Sa vz. 61", where "vz" stands for "vzor", which in turn is exactly the same thing as polish "wzór". Then, it's also quite common worldwide, that the weapon's "name" includes the name of manufacturer, like "FN", "H&K" and so on. In case of polish firearms made in the city of Radom, the manufacturer is "Łucznik", which stands for "Archer". This is why some of those firearms have a logo showing a silhouette of an archer, typically on a pistol grip. Now, it can get a bit confusing, because the full company name is "Fabryka Broni Łucznik". The "Fabryka Broni" part literally stands for "Weapon Factory". Note, that in this video the gun has "VIS" in the triangle on the grip. Most firearms from Łucznik have in this place exactly same triangle, but with letters "FB" inside of it, which is simple acronym, just like, say, "FN". Moving on, some guns have also the place of manufacturing included in their "name"; in this case it's the polish city of Radom. Last, but not least, most firearms have also their "common names', because using them is in most cases easier, than using full, proper designation, for example "Desert Eagle", "VIS", "Skorpion" et c. Of course, when a gun comes in different varieties, like when it's chambered for several different cartridges (like aforementioned Desert Eagle), then you have to go into specifics. So, when you are looking for a polish gun for a collection and see something like " Radom Fabryka Broni Łucznik karabinek wz. 96 Beryl", it's exactly the same thing as - for example - "Irwindale, CA AMT Automag IV". "Radom" is here equivalent of "Irwindale, California", "Fabryka Broni Łucznik" is the equivalent of "Arcadia Machine & Tool", "Beryl" is same as "Automag", and lastly "wz. 96" is same as "IV". "Karabinek" stands for "assault rifle". I think it's also worth noting, that majority of modern polish firearms have their "common names" derived from names of elements in periodic table. Examples: "Beryl" (beryllium), P-83 pistol "Wanad" (vanadium), underslung grenade launcher "Pallad" (palladium), .50BMG anti-materiel rifle "Tor" (thorium) and so on. Sometimes it can be also the name of mineral instead of element, like in case of machine pistol PM-84 "Glauberyt" (glauberite). Hope this helps all collectors!

[@wenomowicz]

Great video, cheers from Poland mate.

[@pecak]

I always wanted to have one of those. If you own one you can be 90% sure it took part in WWII combat one way or the other.

[@RobWhittlestone]

Excellent, Ian. Many thanks for your well-researched authoritative and respectful review of this classic pistol. All the best from Switzerland, Rob

[@ivanstepanovic1327]

My uncle has one of those. My great grandfather got it in WW2, from a German officer who surrendered to him. Looks like the early model, same grip as in the "early model" presented here.

[@johnhmstr]

+Forgotten Weapons The Pole's bad reputation in WWII appears to be very much not deserved. This is an amazingly well designed and built firearm. An excellent forgotten weapon. :-)

[@knutdergroe9757]

John_Hmstr , Yes it is. Poland lasted longer then France, And was attacked on both sides, at the same time. The U.S.S.R. to the east, the NAZIS to the west. Poland was a far better allie to England and France then was returned. Then Obuma, did not treat Poland well at all, just a few years ago. They (Poland) have all too often been shit on by allies, I pray the U.S. takes good care of them.

[@maticzapla2]

God bless you for these kind words.

[@simaodocaminhao]

@@knutdergroe9757 Poland had been invaded from ALL directions: Nazi Germany from the West, North (Prussia) and South (Czechoslovakia) while USSR invaded from the East.

[@jugo1944]

They fought very hard, it was just hopeless. They fought from exile as well

[@ViciousTuna69]

Thank you for the info, & the video. I have a Grade 2 VIS 35, and am just beginning to understand & appreciate it's history!

[@Sephiroth391]

Thank you, it was a good video and amount of trivia you've dug on vis is really nice.

[@adrianniemiec8669]

I am also from Poland , and for the 1930's this actually was a decent gun. Great review by the way , thanks !!!

[@JenniferinIllinois]

I just picked up a Polish P-64 and now I want one of these. Thanks Ian!! ☺ -Jen

[@ScottRuggels]

i own one of these. I bought it, as it was inexpensive at a Gun show, and then shot it. Tiny sights, but it was freakin' accurate, so i bought some replacement magazines for it, and for years used it as my duty gun as an Amored Car courier. It's a late period manufacture, covered in German proof marks, having hollow pins, and (unfortunately) lacking the take down lever. Still, the weapon was, and is still my "to hand weapon" for many years and i trust it. never had a problem with it. Thanks for covering this pistol.

[@shareitall1011]

I always get exited when i see you in my feed, keep up the great work

[@VegasCyclingFreak]

I wasn't familiar with these until today. They are pretty cool! The de-cocking mechanism is ingenious.

[@MichaelCorryFilms]

I instantly thought High power when I saw it. Browning high power was one of the first I ever fired and still is one of my favorites.

[@aadam-kz5my]

It`s a beauty, Radom should definitely start making them again.

[@TrailsTrailsTrails]

I never owned a weapon but I really enjoy your videos! So much knowledge, history and mechanics. Thanks!

[@AFSienko]

I understand and empathize that Polish city names are impossibly difficult to pronounce, but in this case it's read like it's written, "Ra-dom" rather than Raydom. Thank you for the video :)

[@KoRbA2310]

Greets from Radom town lads :)

[@LoftBits]

In a song, written during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, one of the lines goes "...they have VIS-es to shoot Tigers" (it rhymes in Polish...). I remember learning that song at school (I grew up in Poland, as you may have guessed) and asking my dad what "a VIS" was - and thus I learned about the pistol :-)

[@Gew219]

One of the best looking and best performing pistols in my opinion. It's just so slick.

[@CairSilverwolf]

Congrats - finally a well made english language ViS video - I browsed through your videos and saw that you made some about AT- rifles - but I did not see a quite sucessful polish AT rifle - kb ppanc wz.35 known as UR - I'd love to see that. It would be great if you did a pice on few other polish firearmes - service rifle wz.38M , Mors submachinegun and Błyskawica (lightning) submashinegun - first 2 were in early stages of adoption for service when the war broke out, last one was a uniqe design- a weapon desingned while under occupation to be produced in larger quantities without acces to a production plant (in other words a gun that was to be mass produced in small worshops that did not specialized in guns.) - they all are very rare ,and quite forgotten

[@ForgottenWeapons]

+CairSilverwolf I have excellent guest-written articles on the Mors and Błyskawica on ForgottenWeapons.com, as well as photos of a wz.38M. If I can ever get my hands on working examples of any of them, I will happily do videos.

[@CairSilverwolf]

Well reading articles is one thing (and I am form Poland so I read "Strzał" in polish - and there are some vids done by poles in polish) - I simply enjoy the idea that my country's history and accoplishments are seen and talked about, by foreigners (from my point of view), in a way that is based on facts,and without stereotypes. Unfortunatlly it is still quite rare. So I hope you will have a chance to do a simillar video on other polish firearms.

[@ukaszkos8233]

+Johann Bach Typical believer of UFOs.

[@szymonnowak4628]

+Forgotten Weapons Dear Ian, you would have to jump the plane, and over the pond to Poland. Both "Ur" and Mors are to be found at the Museum of the Army (Muzeum Wojsk Lądowych) in Bydgoszcz - they have a 'perfectly preserved' anti-tank rifle wz. 35 (the "Ur" - though its presence elsewhere in Europe cannot be ruled out) and the third of all surviving Mors smgs, gifted by the government of Hungary (where it ended up in wartime). Apparently, no parts on this one had to be reconstructed (another Mors is at the Museum of the Polish Armed Forces in Warsaw, but it had to have some of its bits recreated). Warsaw is also the place where you could lay your hands on Błyskawica and probably some others (at the aforementioned institution or at the Museum of the Warsaw Uprising - they hold quite a collection there). An option, it seems, for your future overseas travels - may there be many! Apart from the above, You are due (perhaps even overdue) great praise for the voice, the turn of phrase and the general manner of delivery, which truly distinguishes you among many gun-related narrators. Some may take it for granted, but it's a rare trait. With the passion, the knowledge and the personality, you beat them all hands down.

[@troy9477]

Szymon Nowak -Darn right, Ian is the greatest. Long live Forgotten Weapons!

[@sober667]

And now we making VIS 100 as new handgun for our military in memory of that one

[@ScottRuggels]

I used one of these as my duty pistol in 2003 when I had an armored car job. It's still around as my nightstand pistol. Love the thing.

[@PoundItNailIt]

Thank you for doing a piece on this piece. A random was the first pistol I ever owned; inherited it from my grandfather who had a cousin give it to him as a bring back from the war. The story is that my dad chased his cousin around the yard with it one afternoon when he got mad but was too weak to manipulate it to make it fully functional (fortunately!). I loved that pistol and learned a lot of good handling, marksmanship and safety from the times that it was in my possession. It was in a slightly rough shape and I definitely shot the shit out of it, but ended up sell / trading it to a collector in Arizona some years ago ended up getting $300 and a Ruger p89 (sent legally through an FFL of course) and was very happy with the deal. I kept trying to see what the serial number was on the late model that you displayed just out of curiosity if it ended up being the one that I sold that guy.

[@admiralmw]

Yes, finally! Thank you, sir. :)

[@BartAnt84]

Ian, from what I remember cavalry wanted decocker, so cavalryman could operate it single handed while riding a horse(they weren't a fans of carrying cocked and locked guns).

[@slaughterhound8793]

Glad to see this video. I have read a pretty good amount about these pistols in the past, enough that for a while I really wanted one. They are still good pistols to have, but there are just too many good guns out there, so I had to whittle down my wish list, and the Radom was one that got kicked off it. Maybe someday I'll start looking for one again, after I get some of the more available firearms into my collection. This was an excellent review, & I enjoyed seeing in detail the takedown procedure, and the de-cocking mechanism. Thanks.

[@browndd]

i clicked on ur video with out even looking at the title as is my custom with your channel but this video is special i have always really liked these pistols.

[@yokoshemp]

First pistol I ever shot. It was purchased at Kmart! Yup once upon a time you could buy a pistol from Kmart.

[@popefacto5945]

Once upon a time, you could buy a Thompson submachine gun through the mail from Sears. How things change...

[@jacobstaten2366]

Once upon a time, there was K-Mart.lol

[@Joshua-hz3cl]

@@popefacto5945 wish we still could

[@raider762]

Cool story about how they smuggled the guns out of the factory during wartime.

[@lambastepirate]

+raider762 the barreta gun company in italy made guns for germany and at night they made guns for italian partisans but they never got caught cool story also

[@NismoNick240sx]

+-T-X-M- By being afraid of being sent to a concentration camp or hanged by the invading army that has taken control of the gun factory.. you did hear what happened to them once they were caught right?

[@NismoNick240sx]

-T-X-M- Just answering your question. Don't get me mistaken, I'd probably have been one of those 100 men.

[@98RandR]

In Poland home army had, their own weapon factories. We even made our own version of sten

[@bartoszbaranowski604]

Workers did not get caught. There are two factors here, nazis had a mole in AK(resistance), which most likely had intel on this. Secondly, AK screwed up, they did not erase serial numbers on their firearms(or organized theft of duplicates). So after a firefight( AK was on their way to do that mole), nazis got their hands on firearms with serial numbers matching those in their posesion.

[@CTCAC2000]

your knowledge of all these weapons is amazing!

[@loftsatsympaticodotc]

Great detailed video, Ian. Keep up the good research and stories. Amazing lot of facts here. cheers.

[@gfarrell80]

10:50. aahh!! Those crafty Poles!

[@stalkerponocy9116]

I'm so proud to see such a great gun made in my country. In that moments I'm proud to be a Pole.

[@VillageBoy44]

I'm proud to say that this is the very first gun I have ever fired, a week ago, during my first visit on the shooting range. My friends took me there as a surprise bday present. It was a blast!

[@Arcadius8]

Wow i am from Poland and i have never heard of it, but looks amazing! I am impressed.

[@terrorbilly3367]

"master" race ends when you realise that poles has made quite nice gun

[@eliasjazz]

best comment

[@mrspike007able]

The Polish Eagle Marked ones were Slotted for a Direct Copy of the FN Hi Power Shoulder Stock with a Holster Attached, Strap, Cleaning Rod.

[@CFELLERS1]

Just saw your VIS 35 report. Absolutely awesome with your history.

[@bryanjaeck4828]

About 50 years ago I shot one of these Radom pistols, thanks for the video.

[@Pandzikizlasu80]

Dual serial numbers to take pistol from production line without notice? Oh, those cunning people from Radom... (In fact, we have jokes abaut them in Poland, but in this case full respect).

[@maciejkucia8234]

Decoker actually WAS necessary, as we in Poland really loved cavalry (sort of still do). When you're in saddleback it's hard to control your firearm, so Cavalry department demanded it. Cavalry almost never fought on horseback, but they were old-school :)

[@gameboyterrorysta6307]

Ehm... I need to correct this. During the world war 2, quite every european army (including germany) used horses and cavalry. And they usually fight on horsebacks. The caliber of gun was also choosed for cavalry. Quote hear "Have you ever tried to kill a horse with a 7mm bullet?" XD

[@michaelmierzwa6403]

And no Poland actually has a lot of tanks there calvary are retired from battle for almost 40 years and calvary are only symbolic in Poland

[@lostinspace013]

"And they usually fight on horsebacks" absolutely NOT true dude.

[@Moto_Fun]

There will be auction of brand new Vis Pistols: aukcjavis.pl/aukcje/

[@piotrwln9348]

Excellent video and explaining the history.

[@mlaskota]

Bardzo dobry, merytoryczny materiał!

[@SamuraiPie8111]

a decocker was probably very important to cavalry because they didn't want a live handgun with no safety jostling around on their belts when they were riding horses

[@loganjones5766]

Did Poland still have horse riding cavalry in 1935?

[@tomaszkornaszewski3275]

Yes. But cavalry was simply faster moving infantry. And not so tired by marching. Since 1935 polish rules for cavalry forbade of charges and any other way of fighting from the horse. Polish cavalry was to move using horses and fight as ordinary infantry.

[@nichevo1]

@@tomaszkornaszewski3275 I believe you call this style of cavalry "dragoons"

[@tomaszkornaszewski3275]

@@nichevo1 Yes, but 4, 3 centuries earlier.

[@Fifek666]

That is true! Polish cavalry was a big scope of the polish army after polish-bolshevik war in the 1919-21. This had to be the case until modernising policies that was planned to start in 1939 to focus on the more modern, starised military weapon to supply its large foot army, but the western neighbors had other plans. :D I've heard that this was one of the ideas for mr. H to attack Poland this time because it will be much stronger after just a few years. And he just got lots of czechs' LT 38 tanks (later remarked as PzKpfw 38[t]) so there was no other option from the Wehrmaht point of view. www.wykop.pl/cdn/c3201142/comment_jZ9doLUvnco2Dp5Nrt0LsvXgmiLk03qJ.jpg is this propaganda poster.

[@remiel3315]

Hi Ian, my gunsmith buddy just got one of these in for repair(its all locked up with the slide back and empty mag in, not rusted) that has the waffen marks but was nickle plated. He did not know what it was but I remembered this video and was able to tell him what it is.

[@PMMM9]

As usual a very interesting review and history.

[@RetroARguy]

Ian, you can actually take the late guns apart without holding the slide. The hook on the top of the (not present in the earlier guns) hammer is meant to be lowered into a corresponding notch under the slide to hold it rearward.

[@vis35ak]

+Onot Actually the way to lock back the slide on the late war guns is to pull the slide all the way to the rear and press the de-cocking lever down and while holding it down ease the slide forward. The bottom of the de-cocker catches on that notch on the hammer you describe. A late war Radom was my first handgun, I got it in 1979 and I still have it.

[@4CAMan]

What I thought was neat with these weapons that you didn't mention is that the earlier ones made by the Polish had a slot in the mainspring housing for a shoulder stock which doubled as a case, similar to the stocks seen with Broomhandle Mausers. However, it appears that none of these stocks were ever made, and once the Nazis took over the factory that slot was one of the first things to go.

[@vigidriver6281]

Great review on a great WWII pistol. Thank you

[@ksk6044]

Greetings from Poland, thanks for the great video and interesting history lesson

[@bartekt6690]

Hi Ian A small correction - the coping of solutions with HI POWER went both directions - Browning got the barrel bushing solution taken from VIS. I personally think that VIS was more copy of 1911 than HP (VIS got only locking solution and ammo taken from HP). Greetings from Poland Bartek

[@prociu2]

It's not called Radom in Poland. Everybody uses VIS as it's name.

[@dasboot5903]

That is correct !!!!

[@anonecki]

Radom has quite a reputation here

[@miko8732]

@@anonecki Radom, is a town, Fabryka Broń Radom is the correct name

[@murphy7801]

How random

[@anonymous-dk1is]

"National Armed Forces" liked this pistol ! - ....kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZbFgYWDq7uBqMk

[@vladantheimpaler]

My late grandfather, retired lieutenant colonel, kept one as a war trophy. My good-for-nothing uncle pawned it off somewhere during our latest round of warfare.

[@bokachoy]

Great video that's one of my favorite WWII guns I got to pick one of those up someday. Thanks.

[@dasboot5903]

Once again .... thank you so much for a wonderful video, about a small Polish hand gun, I would love to own one one fine day, but unfortunately by a stupid gun law, I can not legally buy one. I hope deeply in my heart, that it will change in the nearest future, Sincerely yours.

[@ogladaczjutjuba3745]

You can, it just takes some time, money and dedication: join a shooting club, get trained, pass exams, get sportsman license from the National Shooting Sports Association, attend some official competition events, pass medical and psychological evaluation, buy and install a certified gun safe and apply for a permit while having clean criminal record. It is 'shall issue' for a couple of years already! Then you need to attend competitions regularly (4-8 events a year; but it can be done on one day if enough different tournaments are held on that date and place) to "prove" you still need your guns and to keep the permit. Yeah, it's a long way by Texan standards, but hey! If you really want it, you can have it. Not sure how much an original VIS would cost today, though. By the way, pre-1885 black powder guns (including modern replicas) are completely unlicensed here! But you can't buy black powder without some kind of licensing or registration (actually, no business can sell it to you unless you show some registration). But a licensed person who just bought BP at a shop can sell some to a buddy (a bit shady if done regularly as it can be construed as conducting business without a license) or give out for free - or in exchange for a couple of beers ;-) Yeah, the law is stupid. You can get a handgun, a shotgun or a rifle (semi-auto only) "for sports purposes" with some hassle described above - and you can carry loaded and concealed! - but if you apply for a gun "for self defense" you get a no. There's another type of license, "for collection purposes" which has even less restrictions, but you can't carry loaded, only separate from ammunition so you can get to a licensed shooting range and have some fun. Long bows are fine, crossbows - licensed. You can have any blade, sword or the like - but brass knuckles and nunchakus are banned. It's actually on the book! However I know of no conviction for possession of a nunchaku and karate practitioners are swinging their gear in their dojos freely. And so on, and so on... truly stupid.

[@shatalg]

They should put this (guns and twin-serial number story) in the Wolfenstein game, where the protagonist is Polish. Like a gift from another fighter or something.

[@dane-xxx-8713]

Heared about the VIS 2 days ago from a polish co worker of mine,since I shoot guns @ a gunclub, we started talking and named the VIS 35....never heared of it 2 days ago, now I am doing my re search, and I must say, I am realy....realy Impressed by it!!! I think I want to collect it in the future...yep

[@lewk937]

My dad has one with the German markings on it. Been awhile since I’ve seen it but when we disassembled it years ago, all the serial numbers matched which was pretty neat. Fantastic gun to shoot, too. Real nice weight to it.