ysrracer Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 I was up in Las Vegas at the SCI convention (Safari Club International) yesterday, and Nighthawk had a display. Mostly high priced 1911s, but they had a few Korth Revolvers as well. The guy working the booth asked if I'd like to see one, and I jumped at the chance. Who wouldn't want to handle a five grand revo? Imagine my disappointment when I was wholly unimpressed. The sales rep went on and on about how smooth the trigger was. Yeah, all eight or nine pounds of it. Next up was the push button cylinder release. Like that wouldn't fall out half way thru a stage ? I'm comparing these $5000 Korths to my $1000 Kirbisized 627. You know the one with a 5.5lb trigger pull and the cylinder that stays in place? Anybody actually own or shoot one of these? What are your thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radny97 Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 (edited) I got yo handle several of them at the 2017 Shot show. I had a similar impression. Crappy trigger. I couldn’t see a single thing that was superior to a Smith & Wesson Edited January 23, 2022 by radny97 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CtYankee Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 I got to shoot one a couple of months back. The trigger was smooth, but not light. If I had the money to buy a Korth, I'd get a Manhurin; just as good and less expensive to boot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinister4 Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 My old custom shop Pythons make them look pretty sad for sure, and i'm not even getting into Korths trigger pull LMAO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ysrracer Posted January 23, 2022 Author Share Posted January 23, 2022 10 minutes ago, Sinister4 said: My old custom shop Pythons make them look pretty sad for sure, and i'm not even getting into Korths trigger pull LMAO I shot my buddy's early 80s stock Python. Meh, it wasn't as nice my S&W. When you thumb the hammer back on a Python it's smooth, but that's about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toolguy Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 I went to a LGS with my trigger pull gage. They had Korths and Manhurins. I ran 3 of each across the gage. None of them were as nice as my Smiths. For that kind of money, they can keep them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Distant Thunder Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 Just a bit too rich for my budget. Okay, so a lot too rich for my budget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeBurgess Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 Your not paying for it to be better your paying for it to be exclusive, you don't want to have the same gun as the poors do you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ysrracer Posted January 24, 2022 Author Share Posted January 24, 2022 4 minutes ago, MikeBurgess said: Your not paying for it to be better your paying for it to be exclusive, you don't want to have the same gun as the poors do you? I hate hobos, they stink on ice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHicks Posted January 26, 2022 Share Posted January 26, 2022 I realize that these other revolvers are much more expensive then buying a stock S&W and paying for top of the line gunsmith work. But has anyone handled a Korth that has had additional action/trigger work by a top gunsmith? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toolguy Posted January 26, 2022 Share Posted January 26, 2022 The point of buying a Korth in the first place is that you don't need anything else done to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ysrracer Posted January 26, 2022 Author Share Posted January 26, 2022 1 hour ago, Toolguy said: The point of buying a Korth in the first place is that you don't need anything else done to it. Agreed, as long as you want a 9 pound trigger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toolguy Posted January 26, 2022 Share Posted January 26, 2022 (edited) Yes, but it's a very smooth 9 pound trigger. Kind of like saying, but its a dry heat, when it's 105 degrees... Edited January 26, 2022 by Toolguy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHicks Posted January 26, 2022 Share Posted January 26, 2022 3 hours ago, Toolguy said: The point of buying a Korth in the first place is that you don't need anything else done to it. So someone would be happier paying 4 to 5 thousand dollars for a gun that (I agree) should not need additional work and shooting it stock. Assuming a few hundred more dollars of custom gunsmithing could turn the gun into something really stellar I'd spend the money. Now if they can't be improved that's a different story. A lot of shooters think you shouldn't need additional work on S&W performance center gun but they can be vastly improved with a little work. People talk about Pythons a lot. If they could be made better then a S&W with some gunsmithing competition shooters would have started snapping them up years ago but they haven't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toolguy Posted January 26, 2022 Share Posted January 26, 2022 That's why S&W is the predominant competition revo. They can be readily improved to a good level of performance. Also, you can get parts for them easily. Try getting Python or Korth parts sometime, or even finding anyone who can tune a Korth, for that matter. Any of them need some work to be competition ready. S&W is the easiest to get there, and has the best results when you do. They are the best platform to build on. Soon, a few hundred dollars will turn a Smith into something better than a Korth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHicks Posted January 26, 2022 Share Posted January 26, 2022 I know. I have a couple of S&W smithed by Apex for ICORE when their main work was revolvers. Just curious what a fully smithed, competition tuned Korth would be like. Would it be as good or better then S&W? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toolguy Posted January 26, 2022 Share Posted January 26, 2022 I don't think anyone knows. Maybe somebody somewhere in Europe might have the answer. In the meantime, I took my trigger pull gage to an LGS and put 3 different Korths and 3 different Manhurins on it and my Smiths with the RevUp Action hammers were just as smooth and a lot lighter, going down to 3 pounds before the hammer dropped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishbreath Posted January 26, 2022 Share Posted January 26, 2022 5 minutes ago, Toolguy said: LGS and put 3 different Korths and 3 different Manhurins I wish my local stores had that kind of selection! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toolguy Posted January 26, 2022 Share Posted January 26, 2022 This is the first time in years I've seen either of those anywhere in KC. They were probably in a private collection of someone who passed on, and the collection bought by the gun store. I know the store owner, so I rushed over there to test them before they evaporated. They were all priced between $3000 and $9500 each. Most or all have sold by now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ysrracer Posted January 27, 2022 Author Share Posted January 27, 2022 I shoot a Krieghoff shotgun (pictured below). It cost about 15 times what my Browning 525 cost. I get that nice things cost money. A baseline Krieghoff is about 5 times a Browning. They only difference between mine and a baseline is mine's spruced up. Is there a difference between a Krieghoff and a Browning? Yes A k-gun (that's what the cool kids call them) is a far superior to a Browning. After 15,000 rounds a Browning needs a rebuild. After 15,000 rounds a k-gun is just getting broken in. My grandkids and their grandkids will be shooting it. I can feel the difference. When I handled the Korth, I couldn't. Has anybody ever seen a Korth at an ICORE match? . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikey357 Posted January 27, 2022 Share Posted January 27, 2022 13 hours ago, ysrracer said: I shoot a Krieghoff shotgun (pictured below). It cost about 15 times what my Browning 525 cost. I get that nice things cost money. A baseline Krieghoff is about 5 times a Browning. They only difference between mine and a baseline is mine's spruced up. Is there a difference between a Krieghoff and a Browning? Yes A k-gun (that's what the cool kids call them) is a far superior to a Browning. After 15,000 rounds a Browning needs a rebuild. After 15,000 rounds a k-gun is just getting broken in. My grandkids and their grandkids will be shooting it. I can feel the difference. When I handled the Korth, I couldn't. Has anybody ever seen a Korth at an ICORE match? . While I certainly understand the "Pride of Ownership" thing, I'm not sure I'd agree that a K-80 is "Far Superior" to a Citori--It's certainly a better looking, somewhat more reliable Gun & is more refined, but let's not forget that the greatest Skeet Shooter who ever lived set a LOT of his records with a Remington 3200 & a Winchester 1400, neither of which is anywhere near the level of any of the K-guns, so how much of the "Gilded Lily" does one really need to perform at the highest level? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ysrracer Posted January 27, 2022 Author Share Posted January 27, 2022 47 minutes ago, mikey357 said: While I certainly understand the "Pride of Ownership" thing, I'm not sure I'd agree that a K-80 is "Far Superior" to a Citori- I respectfully disagree. I have a few of both. It doesn't make you shoot any better, and I've seen guys win tournaments with Remington 1100s, but the craftsmanship and longevity of a Krieghoff compared to a Browning isn't even close. Brownings are great guns, but they simply don't compare. In sporting clays we have a saying, "it's the archer, not the arrow". Meaning it's the shooter, not his equipment. I used to take pictures for a magazine. And every once in a while I'd take a nice one. When someone said, that's a nice picture, what kind of camera did you use, I'd think , did they ask Picasso what kind of paint he used, because his paintings are nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikey357 Posted January 27, 2022 Share Posted January 27, 2022 "Far Superior" in what way? Prettier? Sure. .Costs more?--Sure...Lets the Shooter break more Targets? Not necessarily... As far as Longevity & Reliability go, it's not necessarily as clear-cut as some might think--Krieghoff in Ottsville wants you to have your Gun serviced every year, while plenty of Citoris go 40k or 50k rounds without any malfunctions before they need to be re-built... As I said, while I certainly understand "Pride of Ownership"--I once owned a high-end Custom 1911 that was written up in American Handgunner--Anybody who thinks a Krieghoff--Or a Korth, for that matter--Is more than just a little bit more refined than a Browning or a Smith & Wesson is fooling themselves--That last 4 or 5 percent of refinement between the Citoris and the K-Guns costs double, triple or more what a good, solid, RELIABLE yeoman-grade Gun costs, and since we all agree it's "The Indian & not the Arrow", I choose to spend more on my Arrows than on my Bow(s)--YMMV, of course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ysrracer Posted January 27, 2022 Author Share Posted January 27, 2022 8 minutes ago, mikey357 said: "Far Superior" in what way? Prettier? Sure. .Costs more?--Sure...Lets the Shooter break more Targets? Not necessarily... Again, in fit, finish, craftsmanship, and durability. It's simply a better made shotgun. If you're in So Cal you're welcome to shoot mine. My Krieghoff closes like a bank vault, my Brownings don't. It doesn't give you one more target broken, that's not how it works. If I used Tiger Woods' golf clubs, would I play any better? No way. Ever shot a North American Arms single action? I get why they cost what they do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revoman Posted January 27, 2022 Share Posted January 27, 2022 Remington 870 Wingmaster put a lot of birds down and boy did they taste good. These were from turkey’s to quail and everything in between even a few deer. Take this over a Krieghoff or Browning any day of the week. Worked well in sporting clays also and is still working without any rebuild and I have owned it since 1975 as I bought it as a high school graduation present to myself . ✌ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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