WK180C Owners Thread

Hi guys, can anyone tell me if they ever returned an entire rifle for a refund ?

I've taken the rifle out three times, less than 1000 rounds fired, and I'm already on my second catastrophic failure.

On the second outing the cocking handle sheared off, and today the piston rod itself broke in two, plus the rifle is really tight because of a deformation on the upper (I think it got dropped on the floor) so I would really to return it to Kodiak.
 
I spent a few hours at the range today with the WK180-C... my first time out with it since acquiring it.

It had no problems with all the ammo I ran through it, including a variety of 5.56, .223, with 55, 62, and 72 grain bullets from Hornady, American Eagle, PMC, and Barnaul (steel case). I used my 10 round MFT LAR mag with GS Designs extension and the bolt held open on the last round as expected. No failures so far (knock on wood).

I was shooting from a bench rest and got 2MOA accuracy with most rounds, although the PMC was a bit more spaced out.

It has a few brass marks on it as I didn't bother with a brass deflector, and that's cool... it's already starting to look used.

I've got an EXPS2-2 and G33 magnifier on the rifle and I love that optic. It's perfect for a range toy that is limited to 100 yards. There's a wealth packed into that reticule and it's so easy to acquire your target. The magnifier is essential at 100yds but I like using it even at 50 yards.

Upgrade previously mentioned are in the works in the coming days. I wanted to shoot it totally stock first to make sure any issues were ironed out before I start modding stuff.

That's all for now. I'll post some pics when I get a chance.
 
Ninja_En_Short said:
Hi guys, can anyone tell me if they ever returned an entire rifle for a refund ?

I've taken the rifle out three times, less than 1000 rounds fired, and I'm already on my second catastrophic failure.

On the second outing the cocking handle sheared off, and today the piston rod itself broke in two, plus the rifle is really tight because of a deformation on the upper (I think it got dropped on the floor) so I would really to return it to Kodiak.
Click to expand...

Ok, so I think "Catastrophic" might be a bit of an exacerbation. I'd normally leave that for an out of battery detonation or something that puts you the user at risk.

Here's how you can fix it if you have not done so already

- Email Kodiak Defence and clearly outline the problems, include clear high quality pictures
- Phone Kodiak Defence and outline the specific problems, talk Owen the customer rep through the email if you have sent one

Kodiak are awesome with their support, if you ask for a couple extra spare parts they often will send them to you.

If the rifle needs to go to them then they will fix it up for you. Regarding the cocking handle the old bolt chews up the insides a bit but doesn't break. It might be worth asking if you can have one of the older bolts.

They're a good company and do try.
 
Virtual.Chris said:
I spent a few hours at the range today with the WK180-C... my first time out with it since acquiring it.

It had no problems with all the ammo I ran through it, including a variety of 5.56, .223, with 55, 62, and 72 grain bullets from Hornady, American Eagle, PMC, and Barnaul (steel case). I used my 10 round MFT LAR mag with GS Designs extension and the bolt held open on the last round as expected. No failures so far (knock on wood).

I was shooting from a bench rest and got 2MOA accuracy with most rounds, although the PMC was a bit more spaced out.

It has a few brass marks on it as I didn't bother with a brass deflector, and that's cool... it's already starting to look used.

I've got an EXPS2-2 and G33 magnifier on the rifle and I love that optic. It's perfect for a range toy that is limited to 100 yards. There's a wealth packed into that reticule and it's so easy to acquire your target. The magnifier is essential at 100yds but I like using it even at 50 yards.

Upgrade previously mentioned are in the works in the coming days. I wanted to shoot it totally stock first to make sure any issues were ironed out before I start modding stuff.

That's all for now. I'll post some pics when I get a chance.
Click to expand...

Hey VC, I'm really glad you're enjoying your rifle after all the preparations!!!!
 
Was shooting buddy's WK this weekend, it has 1500 rounds thru it, he had to upgrade the ejector spring last year.

Were the early rifles better? Have heard so many horror stories, but his has been solid.
 
Last edited:
randyhub said:
Was shooting buddy's WK this weekend, it has 1500 rounds thru it, he had to upgrade the ejector spring last year.

Were the early rifles better? Have heard so many horror stories, but his has been rolid solid.
Click to expand...

Everything I’ve read indicates the early rifles had issues, which is understandable. You don’t hear too many reports of issues now... and there are a LOT more out there now as they are one of the only modern sporting rifle choices available.
 
This weekend I cleaned the WK... started with a bore snake with some Ballistol through the barrel twice, then several patche’s to get any residue. Cleaned the BCG (but didn’t take it apart). I’ll be honest, I’m going to be one of those guys that rarely cleans a gun unless it’s going to be stored without use for months. And this being a piston gun, it probably just needs some Ballistol on a regular basis and a wipe down anyway. But it was good to take it apart and get familiar with the internals.

I then ran another 80 rounds through it... a variety of store bought boxed ammo on the way to the range as I’m still waiting on my bulk buy ammo to arrive. I had one failure to eject. I’m not sure what happened but a new round was in the chamber and the nose end of spent casing was jammed between it and the bolt. Strange. Anyway it was easy to clear and never had another issue. Shot a mix of .223 including some steel case and a box of 5.56. If there’s a difference in pressure between .223 and 5.56, I can’t feel it.

Today, I tore the rifle back down to do some upgrades... Geissele G2S trigger, Kodiak bolt hold/release lever, a couple range warrior accessories parts, and a TNA fake can muzzle break. All of that was straight forward and easy although the fist time I put the new trigger in, it wasn’t seated properly or something as I couldn’t slide the safety into place... the tail end of the trigger was blocking it. I took the trigger out and put it back in and this time it seated properly I guess as the safety slid into place easily. I used RWA replacement trigger pins but they look identical to the stock ones so not sure that wasn’t a waste of money. What wasn’t clear to me is the trigger pins have notches in the middle and on one end. I couldn’t figure out what end the notch should go on when inserting them back into the gun. Any advice?

Dry firing the new Geissele trigger was instantly noticeable as a significant improvement. Less weight, crisper, no grit. Looking forward to trying it at the range, but I think this is going to be money well spent.

I also replaced the front take down pin with a RWA version that uses a screw retention rather than the E clip on the stock pin.

The bolt hold release looks cool, but if you have the charging handle on the left, like I do, it’s not the most ergonomically placed lever. Although I guess it’s better than reaching up into the mag well. It’s out of reach of my firing hand thumb. But If you pull the charging handle with your index finger on your support hand, you can contort your thumb underneath to push up on the lever once you’ve pulled the bolt back to the rear. I suspect I’ll just release the bolt as I have been doing by pulling and releasing it.

The TNA break with fake can makes it look,like the gun has a 14” barrel with a suppressor but I’m still strongly considering getting a shorter barrel. I want more of a maneuverable short range rifle than a DMR.

Based on other’s stories I was fearful the muzzle device was going to require insane torque to dislodge but it came off with little effort which was great.

I’ll try to get some photos of it once weather clears up. Bottom line is I’m really enjoying this rifle and the fact that it’s so easy to work on and is compatible with many AR-15 components means it’s got lots of upgrade potential.
 
Last edited:
I ordered one last weekend and it showed up on Friday. Disassembled and inspected and everything seemed well made...finish was good with no obvious burrs or machine marks. Fit was solid. Obviously, I had to make some changes with ambi mag release, longer hand guard and new stock. As a lefty, I keep the bolt handle on the right side. Ordered the Kodiak external bolt release and waiting for that to arrive before I install my TriggerTech AR trigger. Have also added a Lantac Dragon muzzle brake since the picture.
2470B36C-341C-4111-9219-39F5E2814373.jpg

I had read horror stories about everything being over-torqued and/or loctited but didn’t experience any of that. Everything came off easy and was fitted well. New stuff went on easy as well.

Had also heard from others it was finicky and not very accurate and saw mixed reviews online. So far so good. Zeroed it at 50 and then tested it at 100 and got a couple of decent groups with my “coyote” load.
26D0D11F-020E-414E-B1C7-4513F17F4AE4.jpg
3D70913B-E9D1-4946-84D8-1FD1960D9E63.jpg

So, satisfied with accuracy wanted to test reliability...Moved back to 25 yards and just did a few mag dumps and double taps. Can’t wait to get my trigger tech installed as the stock trigger is awful. Got hung up with trigger freeze a few times, Tried a few bill drills and kept getting hung up on the trigger. Despite the difficulties with the trigger, I ran through 100 rounds of bulk federal ammo in a few minutes without a malfunction. In total I shot just under 200 rounds and there were no issues or malfunctions. Mag changes were not as smooth as with my AR though...so have to work on that.

Cleaning it was simple...got it apart and was surprised how little gunk was in the action and trigger pocket. Sprayed it with g96, wiped it down, lube and re-assemble. Overall, I’m pleasantly surprised so far...it doesn’t replace my AR’s by a long shot but given the options, so far, so good.

I have a club-level 2 gun match next weekend which I will be using it for so that will be the next test.
 

Attachments

  • 2470B36C-341C-4111-9219-39F5E2814373.jpg
    2470B36C-341C-4111-9219-39F5E2814373.jpg
    76.4 KB · Views: 436
  • 26D0D11F-020E-414E-B1C7-4513F17F4AE4.jpg
    26D0D11F-020E-414E-B1C7-4513F17F4AE4.jpg
    62.7 KB · Views: 430
  • 3D70913B-E9D1-4946-84D8-1FD1960D9E63.jpg
    3D70913B-E9D1-4946-84D8-1FD1960D9E63.jpg
    67.3 KB · Views: 439
Last edited:
Hand guard is the 15” version of this...https://truenortharms.com/ar15_default_store_view/super-m-lok-handguard-easy-install.html

Was able to use the stock barrel nut so didn’t have to deal with any hassle...it just slides on. It was tight but fit.

Thanks for the tips...Im a lefty so I’d never use the paddle release...it’s more about the mechanics of insering the magazine I need to work on - the angle feels different from what I’m used to. However, I was looking for a new grip and I don’t want to start stripping AR’s as I live in perpetual optimism (lol) so that one looks good.
 
Innavedaw said:
I had read horror stories about everything being over-torqued and/or loctited but didn’t experience any of that. Everything came off easy and was fitted well. New stuff went on easy as well.
Click to expand...

That's also what I had read, but my muzzle device came off easily. Good to hear about the hand guard. When you change the hand guard do you also have to take the barrel nut off, or that just stays in place?

Thanks for sharing. Love the looks of your rifle. I'm having trouble making out what's going on with the front of your scope mount... what is that?

I need a sling! :)
 
Virtual.Chris said:
That's also what I had read, but my muzzle device came off easily. Good to hear about the hand guard. When you change the hand guard do you also have to take the barrel nut off, or that just stays in place?
Click to expand...

The TNA handguard works with the stock WK barrel nut so it was as easy as sliding the old one off and sliding the new one on.

Virtual.Chris said:
Thanks for sharing. Love the looks of your rifle. I'm having trouble making out what's going on with the front of your scope mount... what is that?

I need a sling! :)
Click to expand...

I’m a lefty so that’s why you can’t make it out...I have a Vortex Venom RDS on a 45 degree offset mount on the left side of the rifle.

Every rifle needs a sling...
 
Has anyone removed the stock barrel nut for a different handguard? I want to swap to an Odin Ragna 17.5" and that barrel nut is on really on there! Looks like it needs a narrow 1 3/16 wrench, a bit smaller than the usual 1 1/4.
 
theycallmeike said:
Has anyone removed the stock barrel nut for a different handguard? I want to swap to an Odin Ragna 17.5" and that barrel nut is on really on there! Looks like it needs a narrow 1 3/16 wrench, a bit smaller than the usual 1 1/4.
Click to expand...

Answered my own question... yup 1 3/16 wrench from Princess Auto was the fix ... still took a lot more force than a usual AR15 nut to free
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom