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German rarities: Luger, HK P7 and Korriphila

Three German pistols collectors pay up for: the Luger, the squeeze-cocking HK P7 and the hand-built Korriphila HSP 701. The history in brief, and what to check before you buy.

Updated 2026-09-29

The Luger

Georg Luger developed his pistol from the Borchardt C-93. Switzerland adopted it first, as the Ordonnanzpistole 1900; the German Navy adopted its Model 1904 in 1904; and the German Army’s order for the P08 was signed on 22 August 1908. Makers include DWM, Erfurt, Simson, Mauser, Krieghoff, Vickers and the Swiss arsenal at Bern. Mauser took over production in 1930 and made Lugers again from 1969 to 1986.

With this many makers, contracts and dates, a Luger’s value rests on its markings and on whether its parts are original to it. Lugers were numbered part by part, which makes that possible to check.

The HK P7

Heckler & Koch announced the PSP (Polizei-Selbstlade-Pistole) in 1976. It was adopted by West German police in 1978 and entered series production in 1979. Its squeeze-cocker in the front strap cocks the pistol as you grip it.

The P7M8 of 1983 moved the magazine release to the trigger guard and added a heat shield. The P7M13 holds 13 rounds, and the .40 S&W P7M10 reached the US market in 1991. Production ended in 2008.

The Korriphila HSP 701

Designed by Edgar Budischowsky and patented in 1979, the HSP 701 went into production in 1984, hand-built in Heidelberg. It is a fixed-barrel, roller-delayed pistol, mostly in .45 ACP. Only a few hundred were made; published totals vary.

In August 2025 Korth announced a limited revival of the design, so a collector now needs to know whether a Korriphila is an original 1980s gun or a new one.

Before you buy: checklist

Luger: small parts carry the last two digits of the serial number; check that they match, and whether the magazine is numbered to the gun.
Luger: the chamber date or code must fit the toggle code (for example “K” for 1934 and “G” for 1935; S/42, 42 and byf are Mauser codes).
Refinish signs on any of these: softened edges, blurred markings, bluing where there should be none.
HK P7: test the squeeze-cocker, and have the gas system and slide inspected by someone who knows the P7 before you pay.
HK P7: tell a PSP (heel magazine release, no heat shield) from a P7M8 before you agree a price.
Korriphila: establish whether it is an original 1980s gun or a Korth-era revival.
Guns imported into the US carry importer markings; check them against the seller’s account of the gun’s history.

Buying one on GunMister

GunMister is a classified-advertising site: sellers set their own prices and you deal with them directly. Ask the seller for close-up photographs of the markings and serial numbers before you agree a price, and complete the transfer as the law requires, through a licensed dealer where one is needed. See what is listed now in the German Rarities collection.