Description
Every so often a pistol comes along that reads more like a handcrafted watch than a mass-produced tool. The Korriphila HSP 701, designed by Edgar Budischowsky, is exactly that kind of object, obsessive in its detail and unapologetic in its ambition. Budischowsky didn’t set out to make another run-of-the-mill handgun. He wanted the world’s finest service pistol, and he was willing to let cost take a back seat to that goal.
Patented in 1979 and entering production in 1984 in Heidelberg, Germany, the HSP 701 was built one at a time, to order. These were not pour-off-the-line pistols; they were commissioned works. Fewer than 30 examples were made in a typical year, each hand-fit and finished to the owner’s specs. That scarcity isn’t marketing copy, it’s a practical reality of the time and care poured into every step.
Mechanically, the HSP 701 is about quiet efficiency: rock-solid reliability, tight tolerances, and accuracy you can feel. But the build quality is only half the story. There’s a distinct presence in the hand, balanced, substantial, and surprisingly refined. The ergonomics and fit speak to a craftsman who tested, revised, and refused to compromise.
For collectors, owning a Korriphila HSP 701 is like owning a signed print from a master: it’s proof of a maker’s intent and an artifact of a particular moment in German handgun design. These pistols are rare, bespoke, and alive with story, the kind of piece that anchors a serious collection.
