Korth Ratzeburg Combat 4" Stainless .357 Magnum with 9mm Cylinder

The barrel rollmark tells you where this one was born. WAFFENFABRIK KORTH, RATZEBURG / LBG, MADE IN W. GERMANY. That marking puts this Combat squarely in the Ratzeburg years, the era when Korth revolvers were built one at a time by hand and fitted to tolerances most makers never attempt. Pick it up and you understand why people talk about these the way they do.

It's machined from solid stainless, carrying a soft satin finish rather than a bright polish. Look at the cylinder. Deep flutes, cut clean, with that distinctive Korth profile around the chambers. The barrel wears a full underlug and a ventilated top rib, and the 4 inch length keeps the proportions tight without giving up the heft the Combat is known for. The double action stroke is the part you cannot photograph. Korth's lockup and timing put it in a class by itself, and the trigger reflects the hand fitting that defined this workshop.

The detail that turns a fine revolver into a set is the matching 9mm auxiliary cylinder. Swap it in and the gun feeds 9mm Parabellum off the same frame. Both cylinders share the fluted styling and satin stainless finish, so the pairing looks deliberate, not assembled after the fact. That's the appeal of an interchangeable-cylinder Korth. One platform, the same feel in the hand, two calibers ready to go.

The grips are figured walnut with a checkered panel insert, warm against the cool stainless. The adjustable rear sight and ramped front give you a proper sighting setup for either chambering. Condition is excellent throughout, with crisp markings and bright bores.

For a collector chasing German precision, a Ratzeburg-era Korth with its factory second cylinder is the kind of piece you buy once and keep. Few revolvers reward close study the way this one does.