From Poland with love. Service pistol of the Polish army FB Radom VIS 100
Radom VIS 100 M1 pistol with a Bushnell RXC-200 Compact collimator sight installed.
Translation of the article "From Poland with Love" published in the German magazine Caliber Nr.5-2025.
Author: Marijan Loch
Translation: Slug_BDMP
One of the cornerstones of the Polish military industry is rightfully considered to be the state enterprise founded in 1922 in Radom, which was privatized a few years later under the name "Fabrika Broni". In the 1930s, it was the only manufacturer of Mauser rifles and carbines in Poland. After World War II, the enterprise was revived and produced small arms weapon Soviet models. After the political transformations of the 1980s and 1990s, as a result of the difficult economic situation in the country and the associated lack of orders, the plant was declared bankrupt. Revived on July 14, 2000, within the framework of the state holding company Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ SA includes about 30 defense industry enterprises), the Fabrika Broni Lucznik plant once again became the largest small arms manufacturer in Poland and supplies the army with Grot assault rifles and VIS 100 pistols.
FB Radom VIS 100 M1 in detail
The VIS 100 M1 pistol at the disposal of the editorial staff of "Caliber" is a civilian version of the individual weapon of the Polish army - the VIS 100 pistol, previously known as the PR-15 Ragun. The PR-15 replaced the FB P-64 and P-83 in 9x18 caliber, as well as the WIST-1997 in 94x9 caliber, which was adopted in 19. The latter proved to be not very reliable during the Iraqi and Afghan campaigns, and it needed a replacement.
Initially, they planned to modernize the MAG-98 pistol in service with the police and border guards for this purpose. But then this idea was abandoned and in 2009 they began to develop a new model. The work was completed in 2017. At that time, the pistol passed military tests. This was followed by its adoption into service under the designation PR-15 and an order for the production of the first batch for the army. In 2019, the army ordered another 19900 pistols, which now received the new designation VIS 100.
The main difference between the civilian and military versions is the presence of a landing place for installing a collimator sight. The appearance of this pistol is somewhat out of the general line of modern service pistols and reminds of the "Wondernine" era. In any case, its similarity to the third-generation Smith & Wesson pistols is immediately striking. In particular, the shape of the trigger guard is very reminiscent of that of the 5900 series.
All controls - the slide stop and safety release levers, and even the magazine release button - are ambidextrous.
The trigger mechanism is also very conservative - hammer, single and double action. The trigger pull of the "test" pistol was 2480 grams with the hammer cocked and 5095 grams in the self-cocking mode. The trigger stroke is uniformly smooth throughout the entire free stroke. The trigger after the warning is dry, without a dip after the shot.
The pistol frame is made of aluminum alloy and has steel guides for the bolt. Under the barrel there is a guide of the STANAG 4694 standard for attaching "body kit".
The package includes grip pads in two sizes. Due to their ergonomic shape, they provide a comfortable grip on the weapon when shooting. The milled grooves on the frame serve the same purpose.
The slide is made of steel. On its back there is a mounting place for a collimator sight. Moreover, unlike other Optic Ready pistols, the VIS 100 M1 does not require various adapters. Instead, there is one adapter plate with several threaded and pin (3 and 3,9 mm in diameter) holes, providing installation of various models of sights, such as Burris, Docter, Vortex, Shield. In general, the mounting place is covered with a plate cover.
Mounting place for a collimator sight
The mechanical sights of the VIS 100 M1 are represented by a front sight and a rear sight with fiber-optic reflective inserts. The rear sight inserts are green, and the front sight inserts are red. The rear sight is adjustable horizontally.
The delivery set includes two magazines with a capacity of 15 or 17 rounds.
The pistols are available in a black finish, like this model, or a range of ceramic finishes.
Partial disassembly of the pistol
Technical characteristics of VIS 100 M1
Manufacturer: FB «Lucznik» Radom
Caliber: 9x19
Magazine capacity: 15/17
Frame: aluminum with STANAG 4694 standard guide
Shutter: steel
Barrel length: 110 mm.
Locking: tilting of the breech of the barrel in a vertical plane beyond the window for ejecting the cartridges in the bolt.
Sights: front sight with red fiber optic insert; rear sight with green fiber optic inserts, adjustable horizontally; there is a mounting place for installing a small collimator sight.
USM: single and double action trigger;
trigger pull force with the hammer cocked - 2480 g;
trigger pull force when firing in self-cocking mode - 5095 g.
Safety: striker lock and safety trigger release device.
Weight: 695 g (without magazine).
Dimensions: 197x32x142 mm.
We shoot
The editorial test of the VIS 100 M1 was performed using a Bushnell RXC-200 Compact collimator sight. The sight was adjusted using a laser cold sighting cartridge.
The shooting was carried out with four types of cartridges with a bullet weight from 115 to 140 grains. Shooting was carried out at a distance of 15 meters with support on a sandbag. The average dispersion was about 40 mm. The best results were shown by GECO 115 grain cartridges with expanding bullets. The dispersion was 30 mm. In second place were S&B 140 grains with a result of 39 mm. The list was closed by S&B 124 FMJ and STV Scorpio 124 FMJ with results of 45 and 47 mm respectively.
The Doc- and Bill-Drill exercises were used to evaluate the ergonomics. Despite the light weight of the weapon and the smooth upper part of the grip, the pistol proved to be comfortable to hold. It ensures fast target acquisition and high-speed shooting. There was not a single delay during the test, which included 300 shots.
Test Results
Delivery set of the VIS 100 M1 pistol
Final World
The VIS 100 M1 pistol is an interesting example of a weapon that reflects the current state of the Polish arms industry. It combines conservative and innovative technical solutions. The price in Germany is 1119 euros. On the one hand, this is normal for a pistol with a metal frame and SA/DA trigger. On the other hand, the market is dominated by polymer pistols with a striker-fired trigger. Therefore, the commercial prospects of the VIS 100 M1 can be called ambiguous.
Information