Korth Semi Auto Blue Plasma 9x21 IMI

Light hits this Korth and it changes its mind. Tip the slide one way and it reads deep violet, tip it the other and you get electric blue washing into bronze along the dust cover. That iridescent treatment is what Korth calls Blue Plasma, a heat-driven oxide bluing taken well past the usual point, and on a pistol built to this standard it turns a serious shooter into something you keep behind glass.

The gun underneath the color is Korth's own semi-auto, built in Ratzeburg and marked Korth Germany GmbH along the dust cover. It's chambered in 9x21 IMI, the European competition round that mirrors 9mm Luger ballistics while staying legal in markets that restrict military calibers. The fixed barrel sits low in the frame, and the front muzzle bushing is left bright stainless, a clean contrast against the plasma blue. Up top you get a target-style adjustable rear sight paired with a post front, the kind of arrangement Korth fits when accuracy is the point.

The grips are checkered walnut with the Korth signature logo carved into each panel, warm reddish wood that plays against the cool metal. The slide serrations are cut deep and the controls run in matching finish. Look closely at the slide flats and you'll find the Korth script and the 9x21 IMI roll mark, both crisp.

And that's the thing about Korth. The company built its name on revolvers that cost more than most cars, then carried that same hand-fitting into a small run of semi-autos. Few were made. Fewer still left the shop wearing a plasma finish like this one.

It comes in a burled-wood presentation case lined in navy blue, with the gold Korth logo set into the lid and a takedown tool fitted to the tray. For a collector who wants a Korth that nobody else at the table will have, this is the one to chase.