The Heckler & Koch Mark 23 is a semi-automatic large-frame pistol chambered in .45 ACP. It was developed for the Offensive Handgun Weapon
System (OHWS) project in 1989 to standardize a pistol for the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) while fitting the needs of the SOCOM.
Profile[]
The development involved three stages: Phase I had the manufacturers provide 30 prototype pistols, sound suppressors, and LAMs. Colt was eliminated at this phase. Phase II involved physical testing and delivery of 30 additional pistols with suppressors. Phase III involved a production contract of 1,950 OHWS systems, now classified as the MK 23 Mod 0. H&K based their design on their then-in-development USP design (which would itself be introduced to the world during the development of the Mk 23, in 1993), and the pistols were delivered in 1996. The LAM and the suppressor were developed by Insight Technology and Knight's Armament Company respectively.
While the MK23 Mod 0 designation usually applies to the whole system, it is also commonly used to refer to the pistol component alone. The pistol was also sold to the civilian market, designated the Mark 23.
Usage in Hellsing[]
Seras first uses this weapon in Episode 1 when she was still a human. She prepares to kill a ghoul with this gun until Alucard arrives and eliminates the ghoul by plunging his hand on her chest. She shoots him in the shoulder and makes a massive hole in it and runs away. Later on, this pistol was used by multiple London Police Officers that were killed by Enrico Stivaletti.