Quote:
Originally Posted by iPac
I love when you opine about the Korths, as I can tell your a serious enthusiast who studies and becomes proficient in the areas of hobby that interest you most. Like a true enthusiast should. Thus, making your comments and advice credible and actually hold weight.
I have no doubt the new Korths are a finely made firearm, but $3500 is getting up there for what it is. I would take that money and find nice a Ratze Korth from the '60s or '70s. Those Korths, and certain Reg.Mags, would be the two guns I put on par with my Pythons. Earlier Pythons, not the junk made during peak production of the late '70s into the '80s strike years. I would love to have an old 3" Ratze Korth, if they made 3".
Do the Ratze Korths have the same type of "cylinder" mainspring that the new ones have? I never had the chance to look inside an old Korth, but my "engineerical" mind would love to see how they tick though.
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The lockwork of the Korth revolvers evolved over about seven years to the longer encapsuled mainspring and roller bearing for D/A stacking. The guns made in between 1962 and 1969 are of great quality with an excellent finish but lack the bearing. All polishing is done by hand and no wheel is used, leading to sharper edges than a wheel can give, something noticeable when I compare my Korths to my Python.
If you get a Korth from the sleepy little town of Ratzeburg, get one made in between 1969 and 1982. After 1982, the sale of the company and change in production staff did to Korth what the Union of Autoworkers did to the Python.
I had shot two Korth revolvers as a young man that I had borrowed from affluent friends in my shooting club and was sorely impressed with their overall quality! It took me a couple of decades to buy my first used Korth and my fascination with them grew, which was also fueled by good luck and me finding the guns for very favourable prices and importing them myself.
Attached below is a look inside and a comparison to the Python. I also had compiled a short overview to the evolution of the Korth here:
The Evolution of the Korth Sport Revolver