WK180 Trouble...Advice needed!

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WbyNut

New member
I received my rifle on Tuesday and took her out to the range for break in yesterday. After completing the break in procedure without much of an issue, I started having issues with light primer strikes on about the 3rd round in a 5 shot mag, which I initially chalked up to faulty ammo. Then my mags started falling out just enough to no not catch the next round. I have 2 of that came with the rifle and 2 10 round xcr mags. The one 5 round mag pulls out of the well without even hitting the mag release I noticed, while the others are tight until I start shooting. The vibration seems to cause them to drop out of locked position as well.

After getting home I re cleaned and inspected the firearm. I haven't pulled the bolt apart, but I did relube the upper. I also switched the charge handle back to the left side as I swapped it over to the right before my first outing. The reason I swapped it back to the left was to see if it would stop marking up the receiver on shell ejection. Anyway, back to the range today with high hopes...that were crushed lol. On my first 3 shots, I had FTE's.
Try again and click but no bang. Now the firing pin isn't even leaving a mark on the primer. Tried 3 or 4 more times and nothing...

I'm at a loss...took the bolt out when I got home and checked the pin. I don't know if it should protrude out of the bolt with the back pushed in, but mine doesn't. I am new to the AR platform and am hoping for some help. I really want to like this gun after 7 months of anticipation, but it's starting out as a love hate relationship lol. I'll include a few pics below...

Ps--the mags were slapped in tight each time...

Ammo used...


Marking on receiver from ejection I assume...


Bolt/firing pin pushed in at back...


initial light primer strikes...when it was still striking.


Picture of bolt...because why not.
 
Probably another ammo issue......

Hey Kodiak stop sending these out until the problems are corrected

I don't mind watitng a few more months for a problem free rifle

And I'm sure others can agree

Cause if I gotta send mine back (waste of time) I'm not looking for warranty work or things to be fixed that should of worked in the first place.....it will be for a full cash refund!
 
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On your picture of the bolt pushed all the way in and the firing pin pushed in from the back - the bolt has not completely rotated to the in battery position so the firing pin will not protrude from the bolt face.

The extractor should be at 9 o'clock when looking at the face of the bolt.

Here it is closed and then closed with the pin pushed from the back (sorry for the crap focus on my phone):




You need to find out why the bolt is not rotating fully closed.
 
Light strikes: I had light strikes when my gun wasn't WELL lubed during the first couple hundred rounds ("break-in"). Lube all the surfaces in the upper that will contact the carrier, the cam way on the left, the locking lugs, the recoil spring guide rails. And then basically douse the bolt/carrier in lubricant. If you're not lubed well during the first couple hundred, you won't go into battery, and your hammer strike will just slam the bolt into battery rather than impinge on the primer. However, if you can't make your firing pin protrude using your hand when the bolt is seated all the way back in the carrier, your pin is broken or malformed.

Mags dropping: Push in the mag release as far as it can go in using some sort of dowel. The actual mag catch will protrude enough that you will be able to rotate it. Thread it clockwise one extra turn if you can and test mag function.

FTEs: Sounds like the crappy ejector spring issue myself and some others have experienced. See if you can use a punch to push out your ejector spring using hand pressure alone (no vice or hammer). If it can be removed, the firing pin spring isn't strong enough. When you fire, the ejector just snaps off the rim and leaves the case in the chamber.

And put on your glasses guys. Any firing pin will look like it's fuc*** if you take a pic on an angle:

VHyMJOL.jpg


With your bolt fully retracted in the carrier, push the carrier against a flat surface, if it can't do this, it's screwed:

pvSd21l.jpg


If you have a firing pin or extractor defect, I'm certain John will send you one ASAP. He sent me an extractor when I posted my issue without question. These guys stand behind their stuff.
 
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JaredP said:
And put on your glasses guys. Any firing pin will look like it's fuc*** if you take a pic on an angle:

With your bolt fully retracted in the carrier, push the carrier against a flat surface, if it can't do this, it's screwed:
Click to expand...

And as I mentioned above, if the bolt will not fully retract (as is shown in his picture) then something is probably broken or bent inside the bolt or the carrier.

At the point his bolt is sitting he should not even be able to see the firing pin even if it is pushed in......
 
Ironheart said:
^^^^^Thanks for the pics and explanation

But we should be NOT dealing with crap like this
Click to expand...

I've (somehow) bent a firing pin on a $2000 pistol and broken one on a $4000 one..... just saying

It does appear right from the get go these things need to be run wet.

Personally I'm not bothered that I had to send my upper back, it's just over 100 rifles into production. Early adopters in most things get to be guinea pigs, at least that has been my experience. The quality looks to be there, just some bugs to be worked out perhaps.
 
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hawk-i said:
Can you imagine the whining if it was a NEA. ...LOL
Click to expand...

LOL, well I have a BCL lower that I bought for cheap just to register a second AR and it is a piece of crap. Just looking at the finish, no QC of holes with metal still left in them, holes that are not exactly in the right spot. Little stuff like that :)
Should have spent the extra 30 bucks and got an Aero.
 
Paul_T said:
I've (somehow) bent a firing pin on a $2000 pistol and broken one on a $4000 one..... just saying

It does appear right from the get go these things need to be run wet.

Personally I'm not bothered that I had to send my upper back, it's just over 100 rifles into production. Early adopters in most things get to be guinea pigs, at least that has been my experience. The quality looks to be there, just some bugs to be worked out perhaps.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the insight .....I appreciate your posts and what you write on CGN

Just kinda set back a little with what I'm reading about the rifle lately and want a quality rifle with no issies....thats all
 
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Ironheart said:
^^^^^Thanks for the pics and explanation

But we should be NOT dealing with crap like this
Click to expand...

You’re not really doing anything but reading about it and #####ing! There is no perfection or 100 percent reliability in humans or the products we produce and demanding so is infantile!
 
Both the WK and NEA rifles are assembled using the same outsourced, bargain bin components. Stuff like firing pins, extractors, springs, triggers, grips, stocks are all produced at huge capacities and would never be economical to make domestically. If this gun were to have been made using all Canadian made, modern QC parts, it would have been 3 times the price.

The difference between NEA and WK is that Kodiak actually has a damn clue what they're doing with their milling machines. The parts they make (uppers and lowers) are flawless. NEA, not so much
 
Ironheart said:
Thanks for the insight .....I appreciate what you write and the quality and detailed information you post on this site always!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the positive comment.....if it turns out they all have issues then it will start to get tiring, but at the moment I'm putting it down to getting them out the door perhaps too quickly and a few will have issues because of it.
Kodiak has been awesome to deal with, answering emails well after hours, providing pre-paid shipping label etc.

I doubt NEA/BCL owners would say the same. The vendor of the 102 is the one seemingly having to hold that cluster-f&ck together.
 
Ok...I had a buddy over to help me take the pin out of the bolt. (I have limited hand function due to paralysis) I must say that pin holding the firing pin in will definitely never fall out on it's own...wow it's in there! Anyway, I got her apart and the interior of the bolt was right full of tiny primer pieces....that can't be normal? Cleaned it out and put it back together and the firing pin now protrudes again when pressed. So hopefully I have that sorted out....I'll let you know. Do you think it's a fault of the ammunition? The mag issue I'm at a loss but will try again now that I may have solved the no fire problem. Here are pics of the disassembled bolt and pieces of primer that made it back into the bolt with the pin....



 
Well that seems to be the problem. It is not normal for those pieces to be in there. What does your original bunch of fired brass/primers look like? Can you see blown primers or primers with pieces missing?
I had a bunch of pierced/blown primers shooting 69 gr S&B but there were no bits in the BCG afterwards.

FWIW the firing pin retaining pin is much more robust on this 180 that an AR. I had to smack it back in pretty good with a brass hammer once I disassembled/reassembled the BCG.
 
For the record, I fault no one over the issue. This isn't my 1st time getting in on a new production firearm. Hiccups along the way are expected and Wolverine Supplies has earned my confidence over the years with top notch customer service and always coming through to make things right. Should I need to return it for some TLC, so be it!
 
I checked a few brass along the way and never really noticed anything...let me go grab some and get back to ya.
 
To WbyNut and Paul_T:

You need a new bolt head and firing pin. Your firing pin hole in the bolt face is waaay too big. Contact Kodiac for the parts with pictures of the bolt face. And don't fire your rifle until you get the new parts as that problem can be unsafe. They must have had a run of defective bolt heads.
 
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