Korriphila HSP 701

B

bac1023

New member
The Korriphila HSP 701 was the masterwork of the Czech designer, Edgar Budischowsky. As far as I know, the patent for the design was granted in 1979 and production started in 1983. They were totally hand built on a custom, one at a time basis in Heidelberg, Germany. It was basically manufactured with no regard to cost whatsoever. Budischowsky’s goal was to build the highest quality pistol in the world with reliability and accuracy to match. This was not a pistol built for anyone’s military and certainly not a production gun. They were only built in extremely limited numbers (less than 30 per year). It was recently rumored that Budischowsky was going to gear up for one final run, but, unfortunately, that never came to fruition. :confused:

All parts are cut from solid billet steel and are of unmatched form and quality (at least in my collection). The attention to detail and steel work is simply off the charts, of which I tried to capture in some of the photos. Besides all of that, what struck me the most was just how tight the gun is. Nothing moves. There is no slide to frame play at all. Racking the slide takes some effort. Once the slide is back, there is still no movement. You can shake the gun quickly and there is no rattle. It honestly feels like one piece of steel in my hand. I’m not sure I even own a custom 1911 that feels like this. When field stripping the gun, the two take down levers are not just spring loaded, but actually lock into the downward position with a distinct “click" and all the security of a bank vault. They are not released until the slide pushes down a rearward lever upon going back onto the frame. I was just floored by how secure and precise it felt. Internally, the gun is a marvel of craftsmanship with everything fit like a Swiss watch. Externally, what looks like checkering at first glance, are actually fine criss-crossed lines on the front strap, back strap, and trigger guard. The roll marking was clearly done by hand and is amongst the nicest I have in the collection. The bluing is semi glossy and beautiful to look at. Its that perfect middle ground between matte and high gloss blue. The small plate on the right side that resembles an extractor is actually a lever used to remove the firing pin assembly from the slide after removing the slide from the frame. There is no decocker. When chambering a round, the hammer follows the slide, eliminating the need for any additional lever on the pistol. This is obviously the work of a master gunsmith producing a gun without limitations. Its easy to see why Jeff Cooper spoke so fondly of the HSP when Budischowsky first started production. I’m totally in awe of the gun. Its a spectacular piece of almost otherworldly precision, refinement, and just total class. :cool:

Make no mistake, however. This is not just an ultra high end show piece. The design is serious. Its of a roller-delayed blowback, similar to an HK P9S. The barrel is fixed, the bore axis relatively low, and the ergonomics superb. The perfectly positioned DA trigger has a very short, smooth travel and reset. The SA trigger is light and precise with very little take up and absolutely zero creep. The slide top is flattened and finely serrated. The wood grips are tastefully hand checkered. As mentioned, initial break down is done via two levers on either side of the frame, not unlike that of a CZ 52. However, the slide does not lift off the frame in the same fashion. You need to pull it back and up and then forward over the fixed barrel. As you can imagine, this pistol is dense and heavy. Despite having a relatively short barrel and slide, it weighs in just under 40oz empty and is heavier than many of my full size, all steel 1911s.

As you can see, this is a very early pistol, dating from 1984 with serial number 0023. Condition is superb at 98-99%. Its a 31 year old firearm that looks brand new other than a couple grip screws. As many know, I love beautiful bluing coupled with walnut grips and this pistol has it in spades. The adjustable rear sight is shielded much like some old S&W autos. Another interesting feature is the small loaded chamber indicator on the rear of the slide above the hammer. One of the best things about this particular example is that there are no import markings. While most importation stamps don’t normally bother me, they probably would on something like this. The few that I’ve actually seen in online pictures in searches over the years are usually adorned with a large, ugly stamp on the right side of the slide.

I strongly feel that you would be hard pressed to find a nicer post WWII semi auto pistol anywhere in the world. If one does exist, I’ve never seen or heard it. In my eyes, this is the pinnacle of quality, design, fitting, and refinement, of which I've never seen an equal. While pictures don't begin to do the pistol justice, I think you can see how well the HSP is put together. If there was ever a pistol in which you could realize the high density, smoothness, and hardness of the steel without actually touching it, its the Korriphila. Its old world quality at its absolute best. :)

Being there is very little about these guns available online, I thought I'd give it 15 minutes of fame. ;)

Please enjoy the pictures...










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Wow!

Do you own one of these? If so, have you ever shot it? And of course, how does it shoot?

The .45 ACP is, of course one of my favorite cartridges but I wonder why they didn't make the gun in 9mm since they are a European company. Is there a story there?
 
Thanks

Yes, that's my gun. It was offered in many calibers, including 9mm. However, it was built for 45ACP. All the very early models I've seen pictures of were 45ACP.

Barrel lengths of 4" and 5" were offered. This is the former. I believe the 4" 45ACP was the first configuration of the 701.
 
Thanks for sharing data on the "Unobtanium" pistol, Budischowski was a great inventor but his pistols were complicated, expensive and for the .25 very fragile. If you shoot the beans out of the pistol as you say B intended then i commend you, if it is a " don't touch" item then why have one? It sure looks like it would shoot however.
 
Thanks for sharing data on the "Unobtanium" pistol, Budischowski was a great inventor but his pistols were complicated, expensive and for the .25 very fragile. If you shoot the beans out of the pistol as you say B intended then i commend you, if it is a " don't touch" item then why have one? It sure looks like it would shoot however.
Click to expand...

I'm a collector, but I shoot my guns as well. As for the HSP 701, its complicated and expensive, but big, tough, heavy, and durable.

They are serious shooting machines. :cool:
 
We need a test alongside an HK P9 and Delta AR, stat!
Click to expand...

I suppose I could try that at some point, though the Delta is completely different from a design standpoint. The P9S and Korriphila have a bit more in common.

The Delta's design is that of a CZ 52, although much, much more refined.
 
Bac, With your response i could not conclude that you have actually fired the pistol. I would be interested iin your shooting observations comparing it to a pistol such as a Sig or Glock which routinely go for tens of thousands of rounds without failure, Not to be a butt head but a pistol as nice looking and well made as you and the photos depict should also be capable of firing smoothly and accurately. Even my collector pieces get fired, although not as much as my standard carry or range firearms."
 
I just picked the gun up last week. I'll get it to the range soon. I have many collectors items like this. I shoot most of them. Unless I deem them unsafe to fire, I shoot them.

The Korriphila is known as a great performer, not just a pretty face.

As for Glocks and Sigs, I've got a ton of them. The only gun from either manufacturer that comes close in build quality and parts quality is the old Swiss Sig P210, which uses main parts manufactured in the same fashion. Whether that adds up to superior durability, I have no idea. I'm not really concerned about it either way.

To be honest, I didn't buy the gun as a shooter. I'll shoot it, but it's a collector's gun. I've got hundreds of shooters, including many high end target guns. I don't feel the need to test every pistol's durability.
 
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Thank you for sharing, and the history lesson; I'm always interested in learning about rare guns like these.

Now excuse me while I go find a towel to wipe the drool from my face.
 
I like it that a dedicated collector shoots these things (and other rare guns)


How well, these, and other fine or rare arms would make an interesting series as well.

Bac have you considered doing a pictorial write up on the experience of shooting some of these guns along with he accompanying dynamics and attributes particular to each gun? Maybe a review of some of the high end european boutique guns like the korth, korriphila, and maybe some of the commercial versions of the 210, Luger, or whatever else is in that category?
 
Does anyone have the NERVE to shoot these beautiful weapons enough to prove that they are, in fact, highly reliable over time? Does the manufacturer of the current guns do Ransom Rest tests when the guns come off the gunsmith's table?

Everything I've read suggests that these guns are, in essence, made for collectors, and almost by definition, collectible weapons are unlikely to ever be shot THAT much.

Performance testing one of these guns, it seems, would be almost self-defeating -- a bit like hitting yourself in the head with a hammer because it feels good when you stop.

bc1023: I salute the parts of your collection you've shared with us.
 
Thanks Walt.

They didn't start as collectors. The Korriphila was a custom gun in the days before custom guns were popular. It was built as a defensive weapon.

Have any of them been shot a ton? I have no idea. Nowadays, they're far too valuable to go performing some sort of longevity test on. Besides that, spare parts are no longer being made. Personally, the last thing on my mind is whether or not it will survive an endurance test.

I do know that the parts were not injected or cast. They weren't even forged into shape. Everything was billet steel.
 
Walt, I've read that european shooters often shoot just as much, if not more than American shooters. But, because of gun laws that may limit the number of guns one may own, or at least require license and justification for additional guns, that the emphasis is on purchasing one or two very high quality guns. This is why the Sig Sauer X5 and high end CZ's are very popular in Europe, as well as guns that have multiple caliber capabilities.

This focus is also supported by some european nations who have requirements that handgun owners Must be members of a club, and active in a handgun discipline, thus necessitating that their handgun choices are competitive and robust. The result is that you have to be a dedicated enthusiast to obtain and maintain handgun ownership. And since use is exclusively for competition, the choices follow high standards, and indeed can hold up and shoot quite well.

I've had this discussion with expatriates of Germany, Austria and some of the Nordic countries and they all noted similarities in their domestic requirements to varying degrees.


However, empiricalevidence is always welcome....:cool: I would love to see the results of a few seasons of IPDA or bullseye with one of these and a Les Baer.
 
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"Does anyone have the NERVE to shoot these beautiful weapons enough to prove that they are, in fact, highly reliable over time?"
I've shot my Mateba on a number of occasions to prove sufficiently its reliability. Given proper care, why wouldn't they remain as reliable over time?

If anything, frequent practice will reduce that reliability. The thing about exacting tolerances, is that they open up quicker than looser ones (its a decaying phenomenon) in the presence of grit/stuff that accelerates wear, like gun powder or dirt. That means that, for better or worse, a finely made gun will change from its factory condition faster than a more pedestrian model. Case in point, your Cabot 1911s that don't even function properly until shot in for a thousand rounds or opened up by smiths to accomplish the same result. It's a Heisenberg conundrum; you change the outcome of your experiment by measuring it enough.

None of these tightly-tolerance guns are particularly durable for all the reasons mentioned, not to mention good 'ol grit ingress. But in good conditions, given proper care, they can't not perform identically each and every time.

"the emphasis is on purchasing one or two very high quality guns"
Yup, since in many places that's all you're allowed. Europe also has a long standing fascination with extreme quality, since there has been a good deal of wealth and capability there for a very long time. The multi-barrel drillings, vierlings, and funflings are a good example. Time pieces the obvious other example.

America, on the other hand, has historically been more fascinated with an increased access/availability to cheaper knockoffs of high end merchandise (before we got cheap stuff made in China, we made it cheaper here than anyone else on Earth ;)). Even to this day, honestly, with our love for 'neutered' semi-auto battle rifles and surplus guns that, absent their history, are generally quite threadbare and clapped out compared to shiny new commercial stuff commanding twice the price. Not a universal truth, of course, but I think, especially today but also for much of our history, there is just a very large section of the market that has never experienced high quality nor has a good understanding of what it entails. Mass production has been our bag for practically our entire history here, rather than artisan craftsmanship.

Building an STGW57, an AR70, and an M76 (8mm AK, supposedly of the nicest quality fielded) was very instructive for me. Simply examining the wreckage of my ZB37 kit, which had to have been built largely with manual or screw-driven mills and shapers, was even more informative. You could tell those heavy machine guns were built with every bit of pride as the B2 Bomber, by top manufacturers confident in their technological superiority, technical ability, and national importance.

How hideously expensive they must have been to make. Easily hundreds of operations on the receiver alone, to say nothing of the near-mirror polish and bluing given lovingly to every last surface of every last part except the chromed bolt/carrier group. Zero-clearance dados and dovetails everywhere. Quite literally unrepeatable today, as no one would go to the trouble to pay anyone to do it; its the same as it being a lost technology or forgotten art form.

TCB
 
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