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Old July 9, 2017, 10:13 AM   #1
UncleEd
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Join Date: April 13, 2013
Location: N. Georgia
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Korth DA trigger

A month ago I had the opportunity to try the DA trigger on one
of Nighthawk's imported Korth revolvers.

It seemed, and this was but a brief test, that it was more like
tripping a switch--apply pressure and the trigger goes all the
way fast to fire.

I prefer, perhaps after years of DA S&Ws, the longer feel of the
typical DA revolver, more of a controlled let off. But perhaps
my experience was atypical or just not enough to give the trigger
a fair report.

Anyone else out there have some experience with the Korths and
what are your impressions?
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Old July 9, 2017, 10:24 AM   #2
Jim Watson
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I have not worked with a Korth, but I have a DAO automatic that feels that way.
Not my favorite action type.
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Old July 9, 2017, 11:37 AM   #3
BigJimP
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I don't own one....and I have only fired a couple of them probably a year or more ago...( they were the original Korth revolvers in .357 Mag one was a 4" and one was a 6" I think, and as I recall the guns were 10 or 15 yrs old at the time --- not the Nighthawk branded Korths )...

and I thought the Korth trigger was fine in double action...it is different than my S&W N frame model 27's...but I didn't think it was significantly different - and they were smooth in double action../ but so are my model 27's....so I think I would adapt quickly to them, if I wanted one.

I know some of the original Korth models had some adjustability in the trigger...but I don't know if it was all models or just limited.

I had a model 27-2 4" at the range that day...the shooter that owned the Korths was talking to me and was very generous to let me put a few rounds thru them / and he put a few rounds thru my 27-2 4" Nickel as well. We shared the opinion that the S&W model 27's had better triggers, for what we liked, than the Colt Python's where the triggers stack...but I was impressed with the Korths overall - including the triggers. They were beautiful guns...and it was a pleasure to fire them but it was only a dozen rounds or so.

FWIW...I may pick up an original Korth someday ...but I have no interest in the Nighthawk branded Korths.../ for me, its not that I don't like the newer S&W model 627's ( N frame, 8 shot, perf ceneter models -- I have one in a 5" and one in a 2 5/8" ..) ...but I like the older model 27's better....
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Old March 12, 2020, 01:45 PM   #4
HiDive
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I currently have a Korth Mongoose and a S&W 629 V-Comp, but have owned a 627 V-Comp as well as a couple of Colt Pythons. The Korth has a shorter and smoother stroke in DA than any of the others and it is adjustable. I like it the way it was out of the box, so I have not tried to adjust it. In SA the Korth is cleaner and crisper than any of the others.


Last edited by HiDive; March 12, 2020 at 07:14 PM.
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Old March 13, 2020, 12:25 AM   #5
AustinTX
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Quote:
Originally Posted by UncleEd View Post
Anyone else out there have some experience with the Korths and what are your impressions?
I've assembled a medium-size horde of the original Ratzeburg Korth revolvers at this point, but I don't own any of the new Lollar Korths. The latter are very fine guns, but I'm really only interested in owning the Ratzeburg models. I've been able to examine and briefly work the action of the newer Korth National Standard (imported by Nighthawk as the Mongoose) belonging to a friend, however, and I should be able to shoot it soon. The action felt much the same as on the original Korths.

To me, the feel of the Korth DA trigger is the best there is, rivaled only (for me) by that of the Manurhin MR73. (Disclaimer: Haven't yet fired a Janz, but the Janz action is basically that of a Korth.) The travel is definitely shorter than what shooters of American wheelguns will be accustomed to, but it's incredibly smooth, owing to the interchangeable roller wheels on the trigger that engage with the double-action sear. It's actually also a bit of a misnomer to refer to the Korth DA trigger in the singular, given the range of adjustment that's possible. The Ratzeburg models shipped with five interchangeable rollers providing for various levels of precise stacking in the DA trigger pull; the smallest roller provides for the heaviest stacking with a clear staging point, and the largest provides for no stacking at all. (At some point in the 1980s, after Willi Korth had given up ownership of the company, Korth began shipping the guns with three rollers instead of five.) The trigger pull weight is also adjustable via an external adjustment screw.

The Lollar guns preserve both the interchangeable rollers (I believe they ship with three, like the later Ratzeburg guns, not the original five) and the ability to adjust pull weight externally. Maybe you'd just never warm up to a DA pull as short as that of a Korth after shooting revolvers with longer pulls for so long, but it's possible that there's a combination of trigger roller and trigger pull weight that would produce overall trigger characteristics more to your liking.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BigJimP View Post
I know some of the original Korth models had some adjustability in the trigger...but I don't know if it was all models or just limited.
Only the first series of the Korth Sport (the 21xxx series, produced in 1965) lacked either of the two manners of adjustment described above. The trigger pull weight became externally adjustable with the 22xxx series (1967), and the action featuring the interchangeable trigger rollers was introduced with the 24xxx series (1969). All Korth revolvers produced from that point forward featured both the roller action and the external trigger weight adjustment screw.
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Old March 13, 2020, 12:27 AM   #6
JohnKSa
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I've only had the opportunity to handle a couple of Korths, both on the same occasion. The double action trigger was very light and smooth. Almost unreal. Easily the nicest DA trigger I've ever felt.
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