Nazi marked FN P-35 HELP

[Kev55]

OK can anybody tell me what I have? It is a 4 digit ser. # FN P-35 HiPower. With German eagle stamps and a holster with the same stamps and a date of 1944 and an extra magazine in the holster. The finish is rough, By that I mean the machining marks not the bluing which is excellent. The only problem is it has Franzite grips. Anybody have any ideas????

 

[Mike Irwin]

Yeah, it matches the Polish Radom Vis 35 that I have.

Made under occupation by the Nazis for the Nazi war effort. Fairly common, and not just Radoms or High Powers. You'll find a lot of handguns from occupied countries that the Nazis kept in production to supplement German factories.

I've no clue what Franzite is, thought.

 

[James K]

Hi, guys,

First off, Franzite was a very popular brand of after-market grips in the 1940's -1960's. "Franzite" was a trademark for the material (plastic) as well as the Chicago company, which was named after the owner, whose last name was Franz. They made simulated pearl, ivory, onyx, walnut, and maybe others. The light grips (pearl and ivory) had a bad habit of turning yellow or absorbing color from adjacent objects, like a box lining.

They were pretty fair grips for a reasonable price, though obviously not original on the HP.

Be cautious of wartime HP's. The Belgians "forgot" to do the proper heat treatment when they could get away with it. I have seen several wartime HP's with barrel lugs so soft they battered and stopped the gun after less than two magazines. Some slides are also soft, as are slide stops. I would retire that HP to collection status and buy another gun for shooting.

(For some reason, some folks don't believe this, and I have been called a liar or worse for saying bad things about the glorious HP. I fail to see how sabotaged wartime production reflects on pre- or post-war guns, but some people think any criticism of their favorite gun is cause for a fight.)

Jim

 

[dinosaur]

Nazi proofed Hi Powers made late in the war have bakelite (franzite?) grips instead of wood. The Blue Book says they`re worth a little more. I have one.