Korth Classic Mueller Murgenthal Model 3 Inch

Korth doesn't build many revolvers a year, and almost none of them look like this. The Mueller Murgenthal Model is a limited edition the Lollar-era factory put together as an homage to the House of Mueller Murgenthal, the German silversmiths and engravers whose work lands in the cabinets of serious collectors worldwide. A signed certificate of authenticity from Korth Waffenfabrik comes with it, along with the maker's tag noting it was handmade by a single gunsmith and approved before it left Germany.

Start with the finish, because it's the first thing you see. The frame, barrel shroud, and cylinder wear a plasma-style blue that shifts from deep cobalt into purple and bronze as the light moves across it. Against that blue, the gold-plated controls do the heavy lifting. The hammer, trigger, ejector rod, cylinder release, and the cylinder pins all carry the gold treatment, and the muzzle wears a sculpted gold crown with a pointed protrusion that reads more like jewelry than hardware.

The grips are the centerpiece. They're ivory-tone panels set with raised, hand-engraved gold scrollwork in a classical European pattern, the kind of relief work that catches a fingertip as much as an eye. The scroll flows up into the frame at the top and pools again at the heel.

Underneath the dress, this is still a Korth Classic. It's chambered in .357 Magnum, runs a 3 inch barrel, and carries the locked-up double action that built the company's name. The Korth Germany barrel marking and the medallion on the frame confirm the maker.

The revolver ships in its Korth presentation case with both manuals, the cleaning rod, and the branded gear shown. For a collector who wants a piece that works as well in the hand as it does behind glass, this one belongs at the front of the conversation.