An early-production Korth Semi-Automatic chambered in 9mm Parabellum, finished in the deep charcoal Black Plasma treatment. West German manufacture from the Ratzeburg workshop, complete with factory box, manual, and magazine.
Korth built its name on revolvers, so a semi-automatic from the Ratzeburg workshop already sits outside the usual conversation. This one comes from the very first run of that pistol, and it carries the Black Plasma finish that gives the steel its deep liquid charcoal tone. Hold it under light and the surface shifts, darker than traditional bluing and richer than plain black oxide.
The slide markings tell the story plainly. One side reads 9mm PARA beneath the Korth logo. The other carries Made in W. Germany, Waffenfabrik Korth, Ratzeburg, which dates this pistol to the period before German reunification. Few of these early semis left the shop, and finding one still wearing the Black Plasma treatment in this condition is not a common event.
The machining is the kind Korth collectors look for. Slide serrations are cut clean and even, the frame-to-slide fit is tight, and the small controls all show that same tactile care. The safety, the takedown lever, the magazine release behind the trigger guard. Each one moves with intent rather than slack. The fixed front sight pairs with an adjustable rear, set into the top of the slide.
The grips are a single-piece wraparound panel in dark hardwood, fastened by a screw on each side. The organic grain plays against the monochrome steel and warms up the whole profile. In hand the shape feels sculpted, filling the palm the way a target grip should.
Chambered in 9mm Parabellum, the platform was built around precision shooting. Barrel lockup, alignment, and trigger geometry all reflect Korth's bench-rest heritage carried into a self-loading design.
The pistol comes in its original Korth presentation box with red foam fitting, an eight-round magazine, and the factory technical manual. For a collector chasing the corners of the Korth catalog, an early Black Plasma semi is one of the harder pieces to put your hands on.
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