Korth Pistols

These two guns are making it an adventure with the information coming in.
Both guns are below the 33,300 serial range, with the numbers being 17 apart.
I showed the guns to a friend last night, we were both thinking they are too nice to take to the range.
I took the .357 cylinder off the 4" but had a tough time replacing it with the 9mm cylinder.
Its seems to be a problem or there is a trick to get it to fit, the tolerances are so close.
The triggers aren't as smooth as my old Model 19 target model.
I thought I was going to like the 3904, but the grips seem to be too plastic like.
I prefer the feel of Pachmyer and Hogue grips.
 
albayo said:
These two guns are making it an adventure with the information coming in.
Both guns are below the 33,300 serial range, with the numbers being 17 apart.
I showed the guns to a friend last night, we were both thinking they are too nice to take to the range.
I took the .357 cylinder off the 4" but had a tough time replacing it with the 9mm cylinder.
Its seems to be a problem or there is a trick to get it to fit, the tolerances are so close.
The triggers aren't as smooth as my old Model 19 target model.
I thought I was going to like the 3904, but the grips seem to be too plastic like.
I prefer the feel of Pachmyer and Hogue grips.
Click to expand...


Hey Al, you better go shoot those guns;) Wish I had 12-6. In any case sounds like you want to sell them, try exporting them to the states probably worth 4-5K each in USD maybe more.
 
albayo said:
These two guns are making it an adventure with the information coming in.
Both guns are below the 33,300 serial range, with the numbers being 17 apart.
I showed the guns to a friend last night, we were both thinking they are too nice to take to the range.
I took the .357 cylinder off the 4" but had a tough time replacing it with the 9mm cylinder.
Its seems to be a problem or there is a trick to get it to fit, the tolerances are so close.
The triggers aren't as smooth as my old Model 19 target model.
I thought I was going to like the 3904, but the grips seem to be too plastic like.
I prefer the feel of Pachmyer and Hogue grips.
Click to expand...

Don't force ANYTHING!
 
albayo said:
These two guns are making it an adventure with the information coming in.
Both guns are below the 33,300 serial range, with the numbers being 17 apart.
I showed the guns to a friend last night, we were both thinking they are too nice to take to the range.
I took the .357 cylinder off the 4" but had a tough time replacing it with the 9mm cylinder.
Its seems to be a problem or there is a trick to get it to fit, the tolerances are so close.
The triggers aren't as smooth as my old Model 19 target model.
Click to expand...

Interesting. Looks I was wrong about the 4" gun having the fully rounded barrel shroud, if they're both 33### series guns. Hard to tell from the photos.

The 9mm cylinders were individually fitted to the parent revolvers. Does it have a serial number (last three digits, usually) that matches one of the two guns? Definitely don't force anything.

As to the triggers, bear in mind that Korth triggers are (1) externally adjustable for pull weight (ranging from around 2 pounds up to approximately 5.5 pounds in DA) and (2) internally adjustable for pull characteristics. Korth triggers use a unique system of interchangeable roller bearings that allow the user to adjust pull characteristics from one with pronounced and repeatable stacking, like a Colt V-spring action, to one with no stacking at all, like a S&W action. Korths of this vintage shipped with a set of five roller bearings (one in the revolver and four others in a little plastic bottle) that the user could exchange to achieve their preferred trigger characteristics. Unfortunately, these bearings were often lost over time, and the majority of these old Korths now only include the single bearing in the gun and not the other four with which they shipped. The current Korth company ships their revolvers with three bearings. You could email Korth in Germany or Nighthawk Custom in the U.S. about buying a set of bearings for each gun and then adjust the triggers to your liking.
 
Wow, great looking revolvers. A left-handed Korth revolver is THE firearm I always wanted. Sadly, chances of me getting one are slimmer by the day...Please report back after your shooting session!
 
albayo said:
The barrel shroud has flat sides, but the 4" has a two prong spanner screw on the front of the shroud below the barrel.
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One of my 4” Korths must be pretty close to yours. I have s/n 3308x, 4” Korth Combat, proofed in 1981.

Edit: Whoops, I see now that you said the serial numbers were in the 33300 range rather than the 33000 range. No possible consecutive pair between us after all.
 
Those are absolutely beautiful revolvers, I'm full of envy, while appreciating and respecting what you have. You really need to spend some time at the range with them and enjoy them, they are really Top Shelf. Seriously great find for you. Congrats on acquiring a set of jewels like that.
 
They are actually below 33,200 I was going to take them to the range yesterday but my close friend couldn't make it.
I feel they should be enjoyed with others.

What method should they be cleaned, I was thinking of getting a sonic cleaner?
What do you suggest?
 
albayo said:
They are actually below 33,200 I was going to take them to the range yesterday but my close friend couldn't make it.
I feel they should be enjoyed with others.

What method should they be cleaned, I was thinking of getting a sonic cleaner?
What do you suggest?
Click to expand...

I don’t have any personal experience with ultrasonic cleaners, but I would be very hesitant to use one on a blued gun, based on what I’ve read. While most people do not report problems, I’ve read several complaints from S&W collectors over the years that use of an ultrasonic cleaner had marred blued finishes. You would also need to take the grips off every time, and you would want to use a perfectly fitting hollow-ground screwdriver to avoid damaging the screws. (Good to buy a set anyway, so that you can get some protective oil under the grips.)

I have a number of Korths that I don’t shoot, since I bought them strictly as collectibles, and two that I do shoot. The unfired guns get a full coating of Renaissance Wax (what the Smithsonian uses to preserve all of its historic firearms) and periodic reapplications. For the two shooters, I just do a basic light cleaning with Breakfree CLP, and they continue to look almost new. The removable cylinder makes cleaning especially easy. There’s nothing corrosive in modern primers and powders and their residues, so overzealous cleaning is far more of a threat to a gun’s condition than the opposite.

Do be sure to wipe down the front of the cylinder between every use. Clearances in Korths are quite tight, barrel-cylinder gap included; too much fouling on the cylinder face will eventually begin to bind up the action, and before the point that this would happen on most other wheelguns. Older Korths are sporting revolvers more than combat revolvers (the “Combat” model name notwithstanding).
 
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Would love to see a or some of yours too, MR73. By the sounds of it, you might have a Manurhin as well?
 
MR73 thank you for your information on the sonic cleaners.
Now where can I find Renaissance Wax?
I didn't know about it as a preservation method.
I am going to shoot one of them and then park them in my collection, as I have lots of other magnums to shoot.
Again Thank you all for your interest and input.
 
Ren wax can be found on Amazon. It is very good for protecting firearms that aren't being shot, I've used it on a number of Pythons that I still have. If you are shooting them, I wouldn't wax. As previously mentioned I also would not put a blued gun in my Ultrasonic cleaner! I sometimes toss a stainless gun in there for a deep cleaning though, with heated varsol. For your Korths, if you are shooting them, some CLP or Hoppes #9 and wipe with oil.
 
albayo said:
MR73 thank you for your information on the sonic cleaners.
Now where can I find Renaissance Wax?
I didn't know about it as a preservation method.
I am going to shoot one of them and then park them in my collection, as I have lots of other magnums to shoot.
Again Thank you all for your interest and input.
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You're most welcome! I'm glad I could help. As Twisted Canuck said, you can find Ren Wax on Amazon. There are some helpful videos on Youtube on prep and application, and a Google search about Ren Wax and firearms will also turn up some helpful posts from U.S.-based gun forums.

Congrats again!
 
gdawg said:
Would love to see a or some of yours too, MR73. By the sounds of it, you might have a Manurhin as well?
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I am unfortunately pretty lazy when it comes to photographing my guns, but I do have either some assorted pictures of my own or some sellers' pictures for most of my Korths. I'm missing photos for two other blued ones.

I have a half-dozen of the older Mulhouse-era MR73s, but I only have photos of a couple of them handy. I uploaded some others to Photobucket years ago, but I guess I didn't properly label them on my computer at the time, because I can't locate them now.

I hope albayo won't mind me adding a few pics to the thread.


Korth Combat (3", first-year model)

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Korth Combat (3.2")

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Korth Combat (4")

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Korth Combat (6")

6-Combat.jpg



Korth Combat (6", stainless)

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Korth Sport (4", stainless)

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Korth Sport (6", stainless)

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Manurhin MR73 Sport (6") & MR73 Police/Défense (3")

BA7-F8-DA8-2180-4-E18-B1-D0-F9-CCB516-A20-D.jpg
 
Great collection. Those 3"/3.2" variants are particularly neat imo, but they are all beauties of course. Learned something new - I did not realize Korth made the Classic in stainless.
 
gdawg said:
Great collection. Those 3"/3.2" variants are particularly neat imo, but they are all beauties of course. Learned something new - I did not realize Korth made the Classic in stainless.
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Thanks! I go back and forth on the 3"/3.2" and the 4" variants as to which ones look the best to me. The 6" Combats are the rarest of the group.

The original Korth company in Ratzeburg started production of stainless revolvers in 1985, after Willi Korth had departed, and occasional production continued until the original company closed down in 2008. I don't believe the new Korth company in Lollar, Germany ever made any of their revolvers in stainless, even when they were doing their "Classic" versions in the early going. I could be mistaken about that. All of my Korths are from the 1970s and 1980s, and I'm much less familiar with the Lollar guns.

I'm much more of a blued gun guy myself and have never been a big fan of stainless steel in firearms (with a few exceptions). I like the look of these, but the blued/carbon steel Korths are easily favorites. Mainly bought the stainless ones for the rarity and collectibility. They're still pretty sharp to my eye, as far as stainless handguns go.

Painkillers said:
Look at that!? Brings a tear to my eye, it's beautiful.:sok2
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Thanks! It's one of the few "naked" full-underlug Korths, produced before Korth started etching their logo on the left side of the frame.
 
MR73 said:
The original Korth company in Ratzeburg started production of stainless revolvers in 1985, after Willi Korth had departed, and occasional production continued until the original company closed down in 2008. I don't believe the new Korth company in Lollar, Germany ever made any of their revolvers in stainless, even when they were doing their "Classic" versions in the early going. I could be mistaken about that. All of my Korths are from the 1970s and 1980s, and I'm much less familiar with the Lollar guns.

I'm much more of a blued gun guy myself and have never been a big fan of stainless steel in firearms (with a few exceptions). I like the look of these, but the blued/carbon steel Korths are easily favorites. Mainly bought the stainless ones for the rarity and collectibility. They're still pretty sharp to my eye, as far as stainless handguns go.
Click to expand...

That is interesting background. I do like the look of those stainless guns but yes the bluing on the others looks impeccable. The Manurhins look pretty sweet as well.
 
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