Korth Ratzeburg Combat Stainless .357 Magnum 4 Inch

Pick up a Korth and the first thing you notice is the cylinder gap. There almost isn't one. That tolerance is the whole reason these German revolvers carry the reputation they do, and this Ratzeburg Combat earns every bit of it. Built in the Ratzeburg works, the era collectors point to when they talk about Korth at its peak, it wears satin stainless and a 4 inch barrel that puts it squarely in fighting and field territory.

The barrel reads .357 MAGNUM along the side, with the Korth signature script cut into the right side of the frame. That script tells you something. These were not stamped out on a line. The frame, cylinder, and barrel were machined and hand fitted by one maker, and the lockup shows it. Cock the hammer and the action runs smooth and dead solid, with the kind of trigger that ruins you for ordinary revolvers.

The finish is an even satin stainless across the frame, barrel shroud, and fluted cylinder. The crane and ejector rod show the close fit you expect here. Up top sits a fully adjustable target rear sight paired with a serrated ramp front, so the gun is set up to shoot tight groups as easily as it carries.

Grips are checkered walnut in the orthopedic Korth pattern, shaped to fill the hand with a thumb shelf and palm swell. They show honest handling marks and a few light dings across the wood, the kind of wear that comes from being used rather than abused. The frame carries the Korth Germany GmbH Ratzeburg address and the Made in Germany stamp.

It comes in a fitted wooden presentation case lined in black. For a collector chasing the Ratzeburg name in stainless with a working 4 inch barrel, this is the configuration that gets bought and held.