Korth Ratzeburg Combat 4″ .357 Magnum Revolver

West German handwork doesn't get much more serious than a Ratzeburg Korth, and this Combat 4 inch in .357 Magnum carries the barrel roll mark that collectors look for first. Read it straight off the left side: Made in W Germany, Waffenfabrik W. Korth, Ratzeburg/LBG. That stamp places the gun squarely in the era when Willi Korth's shop in Ratzeburg built revolvers one at a time, hand-fitting nearly every part before it left the building.

The finish is the first thing that grabs you. A deep, almost liquid blue runs across the barrel flats, the cylinder, and the frame, the kind of polish that only comes from intensive bench work before the bluing tanks. Light pools in the cylinder flutes and runs clean down the full-length underlug. The Korth medallion sits inset in the side plate, and the action shows the smooth lockup and tight timing the brand built its name on.

The 4 inch barrel is the practical sweet spot for this frame. Long enough to balance in the hand, short enough to carry a real Combat profile. It wears a serrated ramp front and an adjustable rear, with the distinctive Korth cylinder release sitting up by the hammer rather than on the side. The cylinder swings out clean and the chambers are bright.

Fitted to the frame is a set of checkered walnut target grips with a palm swell, the warm wood reading nicely against all that dark steel. There's some honest handling character in the wood, but the checkering is crisp where it counts.

The revolver comes in its fitted wooden presentation case with green and black foam, a set of keys, and a small accessory vial. For a collector chasing German revolver craft at its peak, a Ratzeburg gun in this finish is the one to hold out for.