Korth PRS 4-Inch Two-Tone .45 ACP

Most 1911s come off a line. This one came off a bench, with two gunsmith signatures on the tag to prove it. Korth, the German house better known for revolvers that cost as much as a used car, takes the John Browning blueprint and rebuilds it to their own standard. The PRS is the result, and this 4-inch in .45 Auto shows exactly what that means in the metal.

Start with the finish. The slide wears a satin stainless coat while the frame sits in matte black, and the line where they meet is dead clean. The frame carries the full Waffenfabrik Korth Germany rollmark down the dust cover, with an integral light rail machined into the front. Look at the slide and you find Korth's signature dimpled cocking serrations front and rear, a golf-ball pattern that gives the hand something to bite without the sharp edges of traditional cuts. The muzzle end is crowned and flat, the recoil system runs through a full-length guide rod, and the trigger is a skeletonized three-hole unit in bright silver.

The grips are smooth walnut with a warm reddish tone, set against an aggressively pebbled front strap and mainspring housing. A beavertail grip safety, extended thumb safety, and Commander-style hammer round out the controls. The CIP N proof on the slide marks its German nitro test.

What ships with it is the part collectors notice. The Korth presentation case holds two spare magazines, the Ballistol GunCer ceramic oil, a microfiber cloth, the lanyard, the manual, and the green handmade tag listing the gunsmith and approval initials by hand. That tag is the provenance. It ties this pistol to the two people at Korth who built and signed off on it. For a 1911 buyer who already has the American names covered, this is the one from Ratzeburg that nobody at the range will recognize on sight.