Korth Sport 30th Anniversary Revolver - 1 of 30

Korth built thirty of these to mark thirty years, and this is the one that wears number one. That alone puts it at the front of the line for anyone who chases Ratzeburg guns. But it's the gold bear inlay on the left side of the frame that stops you. Set against a field of deep-cut oak leaf engraving, the rearing grizzly is laid in bright gold, bold without tipping into gaudy. It anchors the whole presentation and gives the piece a character most commemoratives never reach.

This is the classic Korth Sport in .357 Magnum, built in Ratzeburg during the era when the factory frame markings still read Made in W Germany. The lockwork is everything you expect from the name. Cylinder lockup is dead tight, the double-action stroke runs glass smooth, and the single-action break is crisp and short. The cylinder swings on the hand-fitted crane that Korth collectors know by feel, and the gold-flashed trigger and hammer carry the same care found across the rest of the gun.

The finish is where it earns its keep. A deep high-polish blue forms the base, dark and mirror-like, and serves as the canvas for the engraving. Oak leaf vine motifs run in gold along the barrel rib and around each cylinder flute, sharp and evenly spaced. The frame carries fine scrollwork that frames the laurel-wreathed Korth medallion marking 30 and 1984. The grips are figured walnut burl, full of swirling grain and orange-red color that plays off the gold.

It comes in its original black Korth presentation box, the one printed Die Stahlgewordene Präzision across the lid. For a Korth collector, the combination of the number one position, the gold bear, and the original packaging is about as complete as these get. This is a presentation revolver that was never meant to ride in a holster, and it shows.