larvatus prodeo

This is a Korriphila HSP701 number 826, fitted with a 5" barrel in 9mm Para, a single action firing system, and target sights. It is a fine target gun, let down only by its less than stellar single stage trigger, falling somewhere between a nice M1911 and a tuned GP35. Its mechanical accuracy is as good as it gets, and the firing cycle is very easy to control. This is a big, manly man gun, in the tradition of the Lahti L35 and the S&W N-frames, as accurate as, and probably stronger than, either one of them.



Edgar Budischowsky signs his guns. His German patent No. DE2822914 for a roller locked delayed blowback self-loading action reduces the layout of the CETME/HK descendant of the StG 45(M) prototype, a Ludwig Vorgrimler design for Mauserwerke, to four parts, namely a locking block (Schliessblock) that receives the locking roller (Verriegelungsrolle), plus the slide (Schlitten), and the locking wedge (Verriegelungskeil) receiving its initial momentum from recoil. The year code IH stands for 1987. This pistol was test fired on 26 February of that year, which happened to fall on my 29th birthday. It is a keeper.



The latch at the top rear of the slide racking serrations releases the bolt head for disassembly and cleaning. The hammer throw is very short. The loaded chamber indicator above the hammer allows for tactile verification of the chambering status. The rear grip strap is hand-checkered.



The robust milled trigger linkage is routed on the sides of the grip frame, a relic of the deleted trigger-cocking arrangement. The sear can be cleaned and lubricated through the circular port in the frame. The intricately machined bolt head contains a Walther PP-style loaded chamber indicator. The magazine is crimped to accommodate 9mm Para cartridges in a .45 ACP-sized magwell.



The safety lock is seen in the firing position. The roller can be seen at the rear of the bolt, and the passive firing pin lock, at the rear of the slide. The mainspring is retained by a screw behind the magwell. The stock screw holes are fully bushed.



The breech is of the push-feed, snap-over design, flanked by the extractor, the loaded chamber indicator, the locking wedge, and the ejector. The muzzle end of the barrel contains the sole caliber designation on this specimen. The pistol can be converted to .45 ACP or 10x25mm Norma by replacing the barrel, the bolt head, and the magazine.



A nicely angled and polished feed ramp and a low barrel axis contribute to making the HSP 701 very reliable. Note the longitudinally dovetailed front Patridge sight secured by a screw and the massively constructed click-adjustable rear sight with radiused corners.