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Old October 9, 2018, 11:15 AM   #1
bac1023
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More West German excellence...

Having posted a thread on the Korth Autopistol, I felt I should post a thread on another incredibly fine West German semi auto from the same era.

The Korriphila HSP 701 was developed and patented by Edgar Budischowsky in Germany in the late 1970’s. Budischowsky was a Czech gun designer who lived and worked in Heidelberg, Germany. The HSP was introduced in 1984 and was built on a fully custom basis to order. For its construction, the primary focus was build quality. Busischowsky’s goal was not only to build the finest pistol in all the land, but also to give it the reliability and accuracy to match. Costs were barely a concern at all. The gun was never produced for any service, so it didn’t suffer from a limited budget or design requirements. It was there so folks with a taste for the fine and the means to have it could indulge in the best of the best. Back in 1984, the handgun world was much different and, in many ways, the Korriphila was one of the first of its kind. Base price in 1984 was about $2000, so it was not for the faint of heart.

Production numbers are a bit sketchy. From what I understand, these pistols were built at a rate of 20-30 per year. However, they were not built continuously. The HSP was introduced sometime in 1984. The pistols produced in 1984 and 1985 had a “0” serial number block, one of mine being 023. In 1986, Budischowsky produced guns under the 700 serial block. In 1987 it was the 800 serial block, such as my Target model. There was also a 900 serial block from the early 1990’s. Why the designer used these blocks of numbers instead of one continuous string, I have no idea. I’m sure it had something to do with minor changes that were made along the way or just a way to organize the production years. From what I gather, only about 200 were produced in total, so that's right about the same as the total Korth Autopistol production.

The first iteration of the pistol was that of a 4” DA/SA 45ACP defense pistol. That was the original configuration of the HSP. However, it was also offered with a 5” barrel and the buyer’s choice of eight different calibers. Despite these choices, I’d venture to say that probably two thirds of all Korriphila pistols built were chambered in 45ACP, with just about all the rest chambered in 9mm Luger. The gun was intended for self defense and almost all of them were of DA/SA configuration, regardless of the barrel length. However, Budsischowsky did build a few Target/Competition models with SAO trigger systems. Again, this was an option for a price to the buyer. The single stack magazines hold seven rounds of 45ACP or nine rounds of 9mm. The pistol itself always appeared to me that it was aimed primarily at the American market, hence the caliber it was designed for. Even some of the test targets are measured in yards instead of meters, which is quite rare for a German handgun.

The design itself is that of a roller delayed blowback, similar to that of an HK P9S, but of Budischowsky’s own interpretation. It works exceedingly well and does a fantastic job dampening recoil. Delayed blowback pistols come in all shapes and sizes, some work great, others may as well have not been delayed at all. Budischowsky’s system is one of the best and most effective I’ve ever seen. The barrel is fixed to the frame and field striping is initiated by pulling down on the two levers on each side of the trigger guard. Once the slide and frame are separated, the bolt and firing pin assembly can be removed for cleaning by pressing in the small lever on the right side of the slide near the serrations. The HSP 701 features a firing pin safety on all pistols and a decocker on the DA/SA variety.

Construction, refinement, attention to detail, and overall quality of the HSP is simply as good as it gets. All parts are cut from high quality carbon steel blocks. The part fitting is almost beyond belief, and the metal work rivals any of the custom 1911 builders of today. Shaking the gun yields no rattle. It actually makes no noise at all. While I own many guns that do the same thing, the Korriphila literally feels like one solid piece of steel in my hands. The level of forming and machining of the parts is just way off the charts and I made a feeble attempt to illustrate that with my pictures. The cross hatching on the front, backstrap, and trigger guard is beautifully done and matches the checkering on the fine walnut grips. The top of the slide is very nicely serrated as well. Seriously, there is nothing better that I’ve owned or handled from a quality and craftsmanship standpoint. The roll marking is perfect. Even the magazines are amazingly well built and better than many complete guns I own. I guess the only semi auto pistols that I put on this level are the older forged Swiss Sig P210-5 or –6 target pistols from the 1960’s and 1970’s and the Korth Autopistol in my previous thread. Of course, the prices of those are about as outrageous as this gun.

At any rate, I thought this would appeal to the same folks who liked my Korths. While construction quality and refinement of the two are similar, I do do prefer the Korriphila's design overall.

Anybody here own or have experience with one of these? If so, what are your thoughts?

Thanks for reading and enjoy the pics...


Here is my 1984 4" DA/SA Defense Model in 45ACP












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Old October 9, 2018, 11:16 AM   #2
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Some macro pics












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Old October 9, 2018, 11:17 AM   #3
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Here is my 1987 5" SAO Target Model in 9mm













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Old October 9, 2018, 11:18 AM   #4
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Some macro pics of this one












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Old October 9, 2018, 11:19 AM   #5
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Pair...


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Old October 9, 2018, 06:08 PM   #6
Jdin8455
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Beautiful firearms, thank you for the detailed read, I was familiar with Korth, I had never heard of this gun maker.
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Old October 10, 2018, 05:30 PM   #7
Sevens
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If I had a half dozen of the .45 you show, I would trade 5 of them to get that one, 5-inch, single action target 9mm!
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Old October 10, 2018, 06:38 PM   #8
Dfariswheel
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Jeff Cooper had one built with the controls on the right side, so he could operate the slide stop and magazine catch with his right hand trigger finger, like left-handers operate the Colt 1911.
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Old October 10, 2018, 07:19 PM   #9
bac1023
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Yeah Jeff Cooper loved the HSP.

He was a big proponent of it.
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Old October 11, 2018, 05:37 PM   #10
Rinspeed
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Thanks Brian for taking the time to post some pics of such awesome pistols. Having the chance to handle a couple of them your pics certainly do them justice.
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Old October 11, 2018, 05:52 PM   #11
Jim Watson
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Did Cooper actually get that Koririphila or just say that was the configuration he would order when and if? I recall his gunzine article on it but not the outcome.
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Old October 11, 2018, 08:20 PM   #12
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Fabulous firearm. The machine work is Primo. Thank you for sharing.
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Old October 11, 2018, 08:35 PM   #13
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Beautiful gun wow
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