Finely embellished handguns are a thing of the past, right? Nobody goes in for engraving and other fancy-pants finishes anymore, right? Wrong. Uh, sort of. The Korth Dreadnought is an example of an old idea reborn for the 2020s, although it is a far cry from the work that F.W. Martin used to do at Smith & Wesson. Wild-looking wheelguns @ TFB:POTD: Art You Can Fire - The €4,800 Chiappa Rhino Elite HOT GAT or FUDD CRAP? Colt Python "Vampire Hunter" Edition Wheelgun Wednesday: A Colt 1851 For El Presidente HOT GAT or FUDD CRAP? Customized Classic or Hopelessly Tragic? Riveting looksThe handgun you see here is not an all-new Korth revolver—at least, it appears to be built on their Combat/Mongoose platform. Nighthawk Custom has tweaked these before, with custom variations available, and it appears they’ve run that play again with this model. Nighthawk Custom is the company selling the Dreadnought, and they don’t actually say what revolver they’ve customized; they simply tell us the inspiration behind it. Believe it or not, they claim it’s modeled after the original dreadnought-pattern battleships of 100 years ago. From the description on the Nighthawk Custom website:Inspired by the legendary Dreadnought battleships of the 20th century, the Korth Dreadnought brings the unmistakable character of naval engineering to a precision-built revolver. Every detail is designed to evoke the strength, presence, and industrial beauty of the great warships that defined an era.Across the surface of the revolver, precisely integrated rivet details pay homage to the massive steel hulls and armored construction of the original Dreadnoughts. For the first time on a Korth revolver, the Dreadnought features a smoked nitride finish, giving the revolver a distinctive dark appearance while complementing its rugged, mechanical aesthetic.Errr … naval engineering? A smoked nitride finish with more bumps than a dill pickle is naval engineering? If they wanted to go with a skin-deep naval engineering tribute, why not finish it in dazzle camo instead? Instead we get “dark metalwork and industrial-inspired detailing.” Or at least that’s what their marketeers call it. One wonders if there are Rosie the Riveter overtones in the finish. This looks exactly like a handgun a villain from The Matrix series might use. The Merovingian, perhaps—or one of his henchmen, at least. Leaving aside aesthetic criticism, which is always easy from the cheap seats, we should note that the revolver’s mechanical bits seem like they should be solid, like anything else from Korth. The hammer-forged precision barrel is 5.25 inches long. That’s a departure from the usual Korth pattern, where their .357 Magnums (this revolver is chambered in that caliber) will typically sport a 4-inch or 6-inch barrel. The front sight (with a 14k gold bead embedded, to help you pick up the light more easily) is not supposed to move, but the rear sight is adjustable. As you’d expect, the revolver comes with a six-shot cylinder (although some Mongoose models have eight-shot cylinders, Nighthawk Custom kept to the lower-capacity version with this model). The revolver functions in both single-action and double-action, and it is supposed to be easy to reload thanks to a cylinder that swings open widely, giving your fat fingers room to stuff cartridges in there. It has Korth’s new-pattern cylinder release, too.A traditional walnut grip with a smooth finish completes the package here, with a classic look and metal hardware. Asking price for this battleship-inspired revolver? Nighthawk Custom lists it at $9,574, and says it’s out of stock. Poke around the recesses of the Internet and you’ll find other places that say they do have it in stock, for less than MSRP. But be careful; hang around stores asking for a revolver like this, and you may be asked to join a Village People tribute band. Other workNighthawk Custom doesn’t always turn out gaudy weaponry like this. We’ve covered their other stuff in the past at TFB, with weapons like this fairly normal-looking 1911, or this one—which admittedly has cartel boss vibes, but is still fairly tasteful compared to the Dreadnought. Ten years ago, they were cranking out downright functional stuff—which, if you poke around their website, you can still get. They’re a lot less money, too, so you can not only get a revolver with questionable looks, but you save cash while you’re at it.But if you’re into the supervillain look? If you want that vibe, but you’re not a fan of The Matrix, there’s always this revolver from Nighthawk Custom a few months back. That one’s $84,000, though. Better start saving those nickels and dimes.Korth Dreadnought Specifications:Barrel Length: 5.25”Weight: 40.8 ozOverall Length: 10.2”Width: 1.55”Height: 5.65”Caliber: .357 MagnumBarrel Material: 416RAll photos: Nighthawk CustomIf this post has you ready to hit the range, head over to gunranges.com - a free directory to help you find shooting ranges near you, wherever you are in the United States.