I was reading on another thread on here about Korth revolvers being pricey and so I started researching them. I found about 4 or 5 listed on Gunbroker and these were used ones from 1964 and one was bringing around 2500 bucks.......So I would guess the new ones would easily be in the ballpark of 3-5K right? Are these guns really any better than a S&W?

No, I'd rather have 5 or 6 fantastic used S&Ws.

/c

Is a Rolls Royce better than a Ford? Is a Rolex better than Hamilton?
btw, Korth is now out of business.

A very good friend of mine wears a Rolex.......even though I make ~2.5times his pay, I wear a Timex Ironman. Every time we go out for a beer, I'll ask him what time it is. When he gives me the time, I'll say, hmmm, same time on my watch

I had a friend like you say the same thing to me for the same reasons.

Every time I noticed his cheap watch was replaced with a new one because the old one broke, I'd ask him if he had a new watch - again.

You get what you pay for. In the beginning there is price, in the end there is cost.

Korth is a fine revolver, but unless you can appreciate it for its craftsmanship, it's just another revolver.

I'll comment only because this is an internal struggle of mine. I always wanted a Rolex, but cannot justify the cost.

My mind tells me a G-shock makes much more sense than a submariner. Face it you can buy a new one every 2 years for less than just the maintenance cost of a Rolex.

Knowing this doesn't make me want a Rolex any less.

Enjoy your watch.

As far as Korth revolvers go. If given the chance to shoot or even fondle one I would decline. For now I can tell myself it is no better than the s&w and Ruger revolvers I own. I don't need to be lusting after high dollar guns.

Serious now- following that logic how much does a fella need to make more than you, 20x as much to be ok with you or is it another issue all together? Sometimes its not just a tool but a work of art made with much care by talented artists who also need to make a living.

I was just reading another post about a guy..."Every time we go out for a beer, he will ask him what time it is, and I think hmmm, he makes 2.5x my pay, should get a real watch and wont have to ask"

You DO NOT buy a Rolex just to see the time! For that job you could save your money and buy an Apple Watch!
You buy a Rolex partly as an investment. Partly to own one of the finest craftsmanship that you can buy, it's a legacy you are buying into! You people doesn't get it!
Same thing with a Korth or a Manurhin. Those revolvers where made esp. for the 'upper class'.
Sure, they get the 'job done', but just look at the finish! Look at the detail that went into these beautiful pieces! They may or may not be better in accuracy, who am I to question those parameters? Esp. if you look at the revolvers. When it comes to watches all I know is that my Apple Watch is dead on time.
Weather my Smith & Wesson or my Korth is shooting the better, I can't say. I'm not that good at shooting them. But I do appreciate the build quality of both my Korth and my Rolex (that I'm almost afraid to wear, there are bad guys out there)!

If you think that Rolex is the pinnacle of horological engineering, you are kidding yourself or haven't looked at pieces from Patek or even high grade Walthams(American). The basic 3135 they use now is a fine movement with good engineering and great finish, but at the end of the day it's just a good, sturdy movement. Rolex has largely, IMO, marketed themselves above what they are.

BTW, I wear a ref. 16013 every single day. The 3035 movement in it hovers between 0s/day and +2s/day. BTW, I'll also add that I rarely have anyone ask about it or comment on it...about the only time it happens is when I'm at a watch show and get "What are you asking for your DateJust?" BTW, mine was a graduation gift from my parents, and isn't going anywhere.

A guy I know was flashing around his new watch... I said "Where did you get that fake Rolex?". He said.."Can you tell it's fake looking at it?". I said.."No, I can tell it's fake looking at you."

Sounds like a George Thorogood line!

yes, and yes...auburn and duesenberg are also out of business..but who wants to own that ****, right?? i mean by your analogy...why buy one of those when you can buy a perfectly good hyundai for a few thousand dollars.

Here's a price list, but it may not be current:

http://www.korthusa.com/docs/us_prices.pdf

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"I also cook."

They are great guns by reputation, but in my opinion are aimed (pun intended) at a different market than S & W. There are probably measurable ways in which a Rolls-Royce/Ferrari/etc. are better than the car you drive, but most people can't or won't pay for the difference.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

If you look at a car and all you see is four wheels and a windshield then you will think the Korth is just an expensive revolver. If you go for hard corp precision engineering then you might appreciate one. I wouldn't say they are the best, just different with a lot of QA.

If you've got the money and you want one, it is. If you don't, or you are sane, it isn't.

NO!

There maybe more expensive or fancier revolvers on the market, but in my opinion there is NOTHING that will beat the functionality of a S&W in good condition. A (VINTAGE 1960's - 1990's)) 6" model 19 or similar will shoot more accurately than we are able to - right out of the box.
They usually come with excellent fit and finish, and are built to last a long long time. Unless the Korth is going to clean itself or reload its own ammo, I can not see what the allure would be. My .02 cents.......

regards,
chief38

Of Korth it is!

Good one- very punny!

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LEO since 1981.

mod34,

Pardon me for asking but, what's your Ironman going to be worth in 25 years?

/c

(...and still not buying a Korth)

I'm thinking the Korth is simply Europe's best version of a revolver. Has one ever won any major revolver competition? I don't think so. You can probably buy a couple of custom barreled K-frame Smith's that will shoot circles around a Korth in a PPC match for the price of one Korth. There are simply some things in life that were the result of divine inspiration and intervention:

The Constitution of the USA
The 1911 pistol
The Smith and Wesson revolver

Everything as long as it continues to keep accurate time..... and wouldn't have needed a $300-500 "restoration" to do so.

The ones on GunBroker aren't in the same league as the later Korth Combat revolvers. If I could even begin to afford a .357 Korth Combat I would buy one for sure, why not? I have seen a picture of a cutaway of a Korth revolver and it looks like a Swiss watch inside the action, typical German obsessive overengineering, using 10 parts to do the job S&W does with 2. Mind boggling, I HOPE the Korths are all the quality they advertise and never break or wear out, because I wouldn't even want to begin trying to work on one

With my budget, the only German revolver I can afford is a Windicator by Weihrauch I looked at one and I have seen blank guns made to a higher standard.

If I had $30-50K to blow on a revolver I would get myself a bunch of Registered Magnums, 27's,28's, 29's,10's, maybe a Python, a couple dozen more GP-100's and still have a few K left over!

IMO those 5-shot fixed sight Korth .38's are not worth $2500+ and never will be, they were reportedly made when Korth was making a "budget" model for some German police forces and likely don't have the same level of hand fitting or QC. They were likely the only German revolver makers in the 60's (besides Wiehrauch) and from the info I was given made a run of service revolvers that were good quality, but not made "1 at a time" like the later ones. I would bet these Korths are no tougher than a Ruger Service Six.

Korths are a pure luxury item for people with enough money to not have to think about "expense vs. utility" and just want a $40,000 revolver so they can bring it out once a year to their private gun club and show it off.

They may be made to last forever, but ironically most of the Korths out there probably don't get fired all that much. The "working man" will get just as much utility from a Model 27,28 or a Ruger GP-100.

A good friend of mine who makes 2.5 times as much as I do owns a nice S&W. When we go to the range the holes from my High-Point look about the same as the holes from his $700 Smith. :-)

Jeff

Korth revolvers are great quality.
Fit and finish is quite exceptional.
If you read the history of Willy Korth and the Korth Revolver (or pistol by the way) you will gather info on the extreme quality asked and achieved by him.
However, used in combat or for accuracy, you can probably get the same results with a good tuned S&W or other competition gun.
Korth is still in business !
Probably most used for bullseye shooting, another prime interest should be for collection.
Is it worth the price, maybe not, but a hell of an exceptional piece of craftsmanship it is.

...and I agree they are beautiful and well-made.
That being said, they are more show off items and safe queens than actual use revolvers.
IMHO there are two American made rivals to it that cost far less and are meant to be used/carried. One is the old S&W M27 and the other the Colt Python. Both equal in quality, accuracy, and caliber.

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The Last Standing Knight

Everything I've read or heard about Korths say that they are not really all that accurate. Much like a Rolex is just not as accurate a timepiece as a Timex or Seiko.

I'll keep my Python , and Wenger watch.

I was trying not to add this into the talk but how many dolled up 2K, 3K, and higher 1911's are out there??? You can spend as much as you want on what you want. And it isn't like we don't do the same thing here in the USA... I'm still trying to get over the fact that Colt 1991A1's are selling for right at 1K here in North Florida... They are nice but seriously??? A grand for a box stock Colt??? So short and sweet, if there is a market for it the void will be filled.

You can listen to the "clicks" of the lockwork. It's a great gun...

Click on the picture to look the video











Swissman

Rumor has it that they are re-badged Taurus', so are they worth the money? Of korths! and I'm not signing this one guys.

Does Korth make anything in an I-frame?
TACC1

hello guys,

I have opportunity to use korth for a some time, and I can tell you its like drive bentley, or clicking with zippo, or making pictures with my old kodak, something that you must feel to tell about that.
my uncle have French gun Manurhin mr73 and i used it a lot, it is no worse than S&W

I was able to handle a Korth (with white gloves on) at a small gun shop in Switzerland. The blueing was almost translucent the polishing was so well done. It was a very nice looking revolver and the cylinder lock up was amazing. I never had a chance to shoot one but if it performed as well as it looked it would be an excellent pistol.

As to the precision of the Korth revolvers: In respected German Gun magazines and books the precision of a Korth 357 is measured at 25 meter (27 yards) in 5 shot as better than 23 mm (0,9 inch) and other Ransom Rest tests at 25 meter 6 shot at 15 mm ( 0,59 inch) and 12 mm ( 0,47 inch ). That is pretty good by any standards.

Many of us keep 1/2/3 thousand dollar S&W's or Colt SAA's in padded cases and in fireproof safes and when we do take them out , handle them with cotton gloves. Heaven forbid even thinking about shooting them lest we devalue them!


How do ya treat a gun like a Korth?

For my money, a Korth isn't worth the cost.

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195th Session FBINA

I agree. But, to the people who buy them it's like the price difference between a Chevy and a Rolls. What difference?

Oops, I almost forgot to mention, I have a precision made German revolver. It's a R.G. Spendy? Well yes. But it works so smoothly* I think it's worth the $10 I paid!


*The one time I dared to carefully function check it.

Wow...we went for Korth to High Point in two pages...if we get to page 4 I'll compare them both to my zip gun...

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

Two pages??? You should fix that...

User CP
Edit Options
Scroll down
Number of Posts to Show Per Page - set it to 40.

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"I also cook."

But I posted it on the second page...how was I to know it would kick me over to page 3?

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

I had never seen one until I went to the cabelas in Richfield WI, they had one in the Gun Libray there it was nice looking and expensive. But I bought 1953 2 inch M&P with original box instead.

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Stan

You are correct. Any decent quartz watch will keep time as well or BETTER than any Rolex. Wearing a Rolex if done right is sending a message to everyone who notices it.

I had an Rolex explorer II I bought it in 1976, paid $600.00 for it. Lost it tubing in 1998 or 1999, received my insurance settlement and realized my ego no longer need a Rolex, so I bought a nice Seiko and used the rest to pay for a long weekend at the beach.

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Always Stay Strong!

Maybe my Daisy Red Ryder.......

Anyone ever have a "carpet gun"? Was good for taking out little kids eyes. Those who grew up in the outer boroughs knew about these things.


http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/...ry/carpet_gun/

First off, I dont even want a korth, and my watch is a casio. I own a couple of pythons I dont shoot, couple of colt saa`s too. I guess we all like a thing or two that we like the best of. Stetsons, penelton shirts etc.
I am too fat for it now, but I have a beautifull alphonso tooled two toned belt and holster rig for my 2 1/2" nickle python that got next to never really used. Some of us want ivory to show but really use goodyears, dont we? Kind of like some guys have a red corvette and usualy drive 5 under cause they just know a jealous cop is gonna write them!

I realy love the design of the Korth revolver. It is beautifull made.
The grip fits the hand if it is made for it. The action is like silck.
Every part has got extra attention.
I realy like to own one.
But. Do not ever reasembly the cilinderassembly. That is that difficult that only the factory is familliar with it.
The revolver is to tight. Great fit but overdone. The smallest bit of filt is jamming the revolver. Yes. I like the Kort as a piece of art with a big A. But when my life depence on it i grab my 681.

Wow! That brings back memories. I grew up on the South Shore of Nassau County and we made those things with slices cut from inner tubes. Getting hit with that "rubber band" hurt enough you didn't need any shrapnel.

For those that value ultimate fit, finish and quality control, along with pride of owning the very best, a Korth is probably worth whatever one might pay for it. What value can you place on just taking a Korth out of the safe, and admiring its fit and finish?

Unfortunately, most of us have to derive the same pleasures from our everyday S&Ws, Rugers and Tauri. :-(

Those were the days

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Sure you did

...or G****.