Korth PRS 5 Inch Two-Tone 9mm

Korth builds revolvers that command five-figure prices, so when the company turned its attention to the 1911 platform, it didn't build an ordinary one. This PRS in 9mm wears a 5-inch barrel, and that combination is the part worth slowing down for. Korth's catalog leans toward 4-inch and longer Government builds, and a 9mm cut at this length sits in a window most collectors never come across.

The slide is where the Korth identity announces itself. That dimpled golf-ball machining runs along both sides in panels, breaking up the flats with a texture you won't mistake for anyone else's work. Up top, the slide wears a satin stainless finish, and it rides over a darker frame for a clean two-tone contrast. The barrel is marked 9mm Luger with the CIP proof, and the frame carries the Waffenfabrik Korth Germany roll mark down the dust cover, which extends into an integral accent rail.

Look closer and the details pile up. The trigger is a three-hole skeletonized unit, the hammer is a matching skeleton design, and the mainspring housing wears the same checkered dimple pattern found on the front strap. An extended beavertail grip safety and a flat, serrated mainspring housing round out the controls. The grip panels are smooth walnut with a warm grain that plays against the cool steel below. Adjustable target sights sit fore and aft, with a black serrated rear and a post front.

This one comes as Korth delivered it, with the factory manual, a spare magazine, and the Korth bullet keychain. The bore is bright with strong rifling. For a collector who already keeps Korth glass in the safe, a 5-inch 9mm PRS is the kind of configuration you wait for rather than stumble onto.