Yes I'm definitely loving that EWK barrel on my Dan Wesson.Originally Posted by SSGOldfart
A 4inch barrel assembly is my all around favorite barrel length to wear on your hip. It's not too long to sit in the truck, or drive the tractor when holstered, and it doesn't seem to get in the way while working around the ranch.
I purchased my first 4inch barrel assembly used, from an online auction sight that I won't mention. I bought the used 4inch assembly as a barrel and shroud combo. Back when I first purchased my Dan Wesson, it did not come with a 4inch barrel assembly, or in a pistol pack. My revolver came with a 2.5inch barrel installed along with the original multi-tool. A spare 6inch barrel and shroud also came with the gun. The spare barrel and shroud were supplied in a Monson marked cardboard box.
The used 4inch stainless steel barrel that I purchased online was extremely pitted both inside and outside of the barrel, yet the barrel shroud itself was pristine. The pitted barrel was also grossly leaded. It was easily the worst leading I have ever seen in a bore.
It took me ages to get all of the lead out of that used barrel. I felt like I could have cast a whole other bullet from it. Sadly, underneath all the leading was nothing but deep pitting that wasn't clearly visible through the ironed in barrel leading. I probably should have expected that, due to the pitting on the outside of the barrel, but it still came as a bit of a surprise to me.
I chucked the barrel up and turned the outside diameter some to clean up and polish off the worst of the outer pitting... But the more important bore and rifling and were still extremely pitted. It wasn't something likely to be improved by fire lapping either, without leaving me with a smooth bore .363 or something along those lines.
I suspect the previous owner soaked just the stainless barrel tube in a caustic vinegar and peroxide solution in a feeble attempt to remove the awful leading. He probably assumed that since the barrel was stainless, it would be fine. Maybe he left it in that overnight, or did something else stupid. Had probably never heard of a Lewis lead remover, or using copper Chore boy pad strands to remove bad barrel leading.
Anyways, despite the terrible pitting, that used 4inch tube shot better than you would have expected. (with jacketed stuff ) Still, it performed no where near as good as my other 2.5inch, 6inch, or 8inch barrels did. That one barrel tube always kind of bothered me as the 4inch was my favorite length to have on the gun.
So, I signed up to be notified as soon as EWK arms had another stainless 357 Magnum 4inch barrel tube in stock. It wasn't long till a new EWK barrel became available, and soon arrived on my doorstep.
Just by looking at the new EWK barrel tooling and finish reaming work compared with my older Dan Wesson barrels, you can easily tell the difference in quality.
The EWK barrel actually has a nice noticeable muzzle crown, and a much smoother forcing cone. The barrel threads and rifling were pristine. Both barrel ends are true, and they don't look like they were cut using hack saw or a belt sander. I was already a fan of the EWK 4 point barrel nuts which are easier to get your hands on, (and barrel tool) than the older 2 point Dan Wesson original nuts.
It's obvious that someone who actually cares and takes pride in their work put a lot of time into finishing the EWK barrels. I have a few older Monson DW barrels that look like they were cut with woodworking tools in comparison.
You can see the difference just from the muzzle while looking at both an older Dan Wesson barrel and the new EWK barrel.
As the target shows, I am extremely pleased with the accuracy of my Dan Wesson revolver with the EWK barrel installed. I'll need to come up with some new excuses, when I don't shoot as well as the gun is now capable of performing.
- Bullwolf
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