Korth Ratzeburg Sport 6" .357 Magnum

Pick this one up and the first thing you notice is the bluing. It runs deep and wet, the kind of mirror polish that only comes off a German bench where one man fits the whole gun. This is a Ratzeburg era Korth, built in the original Waffenfabrik Korth shop before the company moved and changed hands, and that period is the one collectors chase hardest. The barrel is rollmarked Made in W. Germany, Waffenfabrik Korth, Ratzeburg, which dates it squarely to that early run.

The layout is classic Sport. A 6 inch barrel wears a full ventilated rib, and the muzzle carries that distinctive Korth target crown. Up top sits a click-adjustable target rear sight paired with a Patridge front blade, giving you a long sight radius and the fine windage and elevation that bullseye shooters demand. Chambered in .357 Magnum, the cylinder shows the precision chamfering Korth was known for, and the flutes are cut clean.

What sets a Korth apart isn't visible until you work the action. The double-action stroke comes up smooth and even, with no stack at the break. Single action drops glass clean. Lockup is tight, timing is dead on, and the cylinder gap is held closer than any production revolver has a right to be. That's hand fitting, not tolerance stacking.

The grips are checkered walnut, a deep target shape that fills the hand and balances the long barrel nicely. The finish across the frame and rib shows the depth that made these guns legend.

It comes complete in its fitted Korth wood presentation case with red foam, the original manual, the spare front sight in its capsule, and the factory takedown tool. For a collector building around the Ratzeburg name, a cased Sport in this condition is the configuration to hold out for.