Honest Reviews of the WK180C Gen 2?

Travis Bickle

Travis Bickle

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God help me on this one, I'm debating rolling the dice on a WK180 Gen 2.
To keep it short, I had a gen 1 way back on first release/sale and it was a piece of ####.
Constant FTF, FTE, sent back for warranty which did not remedey it. Kodiak blamed my mags.....my mags which worked in my other 3 rifles that also used STANAG mags....lolol Ended up selling it a loss with full disclosure in frustration and haven't looked back in a long time.
So anyways now that the dust has settled and we all know they actually were pieces of #### (at least QC was so bad that it was a dice toss at best) how is everyone finding the Gen 2 in comparison?
I like the rifle. The design. The balance. It was great when it actually worked. Which was almost never and then it actually broke hahaha
Whats the general good bad and ugly on the Gen 2 all?!
 
Save your money. My Gen 2 piston rod snapped at ~250 rounds. The safety selector lever also fell off while I was firing on Crown Land, so that was never found again. Castle nut also came loose, but that’s a much smaller issue than the other 2.

I gave up on ever getting a response from Kodiak after reaching out about 5 times.

I did notice that it was a lot less smooth feeding out of STANAG mags. It really preferred PMAGs and Cross Mags.
 
taeg1 said:
Save your money. My Gen 2 piston rod snapped at ~250 rounds. The safety selector lever also fell off while I was firing on Crown Land, so that was never found again. Castle nut also came loose, but that’s a much smaller issue than the other 2.

I gave up on ever getting a response from Kodiak after reaching out about 5 times.

I did notice that it was a lot less smooth feeding out of STANAG mags. It really preferred PMAGs and Cross Mags.
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Ugh.....really eh?
I was really hoping they had ironed the kinks out of this thing by now.
Back in the market for a semi auto 5.56 NR rifle again.
What are the other current available hot options?
I've been out of the loop for a while due to work and life lol
I saw the R18 by Sterling and have heard good things.
 
Travis Bickle said:
Ugh.....really eh?
I was really hoping they had ironed the kinks out of this thing by now.
Back in the market for a semi auto 5.56 NR rifle again.
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I don't have a WK180C Gen 2. I have a Gen 1.5, and based on owning that, you'd have to get me plastered (I don't drink) to even have me considering getting a Gen2. Only reason my piston rod did not snap was because I discovered in time that the gas block screws were loose. Loose castle nut - check. Threaded charging handle issues - check. So the Gen 2 has a last round bolt hold open amongst other mild improvements. From a number (4) of friends who have he Gen 2, there seems to be various issues with them, ranging from mild to moderate. I don't think the QC has done a 180 here (no pun intended) and all of the sudden has become rock solid reliable.

If you are looking at a semi auto 5.56, there is not a whole lot that can beat the proven reliability and rock solid build quality of the IWI Tavor X95. The bullpup design can grow on people, but for a superb value proposition, hard to go wrong with that.
 
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thegazelle said:
I don't have a WK180C Gen 2. I have a Gen 1.5, and based on owning that, you'd have to get me plastered (I don't drink) to even have me considering getting a Gen2. Only reason my piston rod did not snap was because I discovered in time that the gas block screws were loose. Loose castle nut - check. Threaded charging handle issues - check. So the Gen 2 has a last round bolt hold open amongst other mild improvements. From a number (4) of friends who have he Gen 2, there seems to be various issues with them, ranging from mild to moderate. I don't think the QC has done a 180 here (no pun intended) and all of the sudden has become rock solid reliable.

If you are looking at a semi auto 5.56, there is not a whole lot that can beat the proven reliability and rock solid build quality of the IWI Tavor X95. The bullpup design can grow on people, but for a superb value proposition, hard to go wrong with that.
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Lol Pun fully appreciated!
I forgot about the threaded charging handle stripping out on my old Gen1! It chewed the inside of the receiver rails up like someone took an axe to it hahaha....memories...
The R18 seems okay. Price is up there if you can even find one though right?
I'm not opposed to a bullpup to be honest. I was eyeballing a more recent gen Type97. I had a first gen of that platform as well. A lot of issues with feeding dependant on the mags but I also hear the newer ones are solid and the ergonomics have improved a lot.
Do you have any experience with the newer post Gen1 type 97s?
Tavors are solid. Ive shot them quite a bit. Price point is a factor on those!
 
Stay away from them, if anything get an MCR.

I have the current MCR and it's been amazing with a trigger tech diamond in it, RDB's are fun aswell I currently have a RDB survival nice compact unit with flip up irons.

x95 as mentioned are great I had mine all done up but got rid of it as I preferred the tar21 version.

I also have an unfired BCL siberian which feels great in the hands been pondering on selling it but after 5 attempts of getting into the EE and being denied I've given up hope of doing that here lol.
 
thegazelle said:
I don't have a WK180C Gen 2. I have a Gen 1.5, and based on owning that, you'd have to get me plastered (I don't drink) to even have me considering getting a Gen2. Only reason my piston rod did not snap was because I discovered in time that the gas block screws were loose. Loose castle nut - check. Threaded charging handle issues - check. So the Gen 2 has a last round bolt hold open amongst other mild improvements. From a number (4) of friends who have he Gen 2, there seems to be various issues with them, ranging from mild to moderate. I don't think the QC has done a 180 here (no pun intended) and all of the sudden has become rock solid reliable.

If you are looking at a semi auto 5.56, there is not a whole lot that can beat the proven reliability and rock solid build quality of the IWI Tavor X95. The bullpup design can grow on people, but for a superb value proposition, hard to go wrong with that.
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I got the short end of the stick. I was checking that my gas block stayed tight with witness marks and the rod still snapped on me.
 
taeg1 said:
I got the short end of the stick. I was checking that my gas block stayed tight with witness marks and the rod still snapped on me.
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What gen was it? Gen 1 (magnetic CH), 1.5 (threaded CH) or the newer Gen2?

While I can say that KD has been decent response wise to inquiries (I stripped my handguard screws in torquing them tight and KD sent me new ones right away), what I don't like is them admitting a known problem (weak threaded CH on the gen 1.5) but will not pre-emptively send me a newer HT threaded CH. They said, well, once yours either snaps or shears off, they will send me a replacement. I even offered to send my original threaded CH handle in to swap it with a newer one and they said no. You would think if they had a new/improved product that addresses a specific point of weakness on a singular older (and cheaper) part, they would just ship the upgraded CH to the customer. Costs them really nothing and the customer then will be less likely to be out a working firearm at an inopportune time.
 
I tried most of the 180 clones, the last of which being the WK Gen2. None of them are worth it IMO. They all felt like they were mediocre quality and fragile. I ended up going with a basic Raven Platinum Blem, none of the bells and whistles aside from the Gen2 CH which I bought after the fact. It is a much more refined rifle, reminiscent of an upper-mid tier AR. Ordering one bone stock with no add-ons puts it at $1845 before tax etc. The WK Gen2 is $1300-$1500 depending on where you buy and the sales available. To me, its a no brainer to spend the extra and get a decent rifle. All that being said, I am in the market for an X95. Not because I don't like the Raven but because I have a sickness and need more guns.

TLDR: Get a Raven or a X95
 
pirate604 said:
...To me, its a no brainer to spend the extra and get a decent rifle. All that being said, I am in the market for an X95. Not because I don't like the Raven but because I have a sickness and need more guns.

TLDR: Get a Raven or a X95
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pirate, I like your style. The X95 is an excellent unit, for sure, but I miss my AR. For me, the 180 clones all have terrible handling due to their nose-heavy balance.

Can you recommend a link to any longer-term, higher-mileage reports on the Raven? The ones I've read tend to sound like fanboys or shills. I won't spend that kind of money if I'm just going to be beta testing for the manufacturer.
 
alpining said:
pirate, I like your style. The X95 is an excellent unit, for sure, but I miss my AR. For me, the 180 clones all have terrible handling due to their nose-heavy balance.

Can you recommend a link to any longer-term, higher-mileage reports on the Raven? The ones I've read tend to sound like fanboys or shills. I won't spend that kind of money if I'm just going to be beta testing for the manufacturer.
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I wish I could point you to some high milage objective reviews but I cannot. I was VERY hesitant about forking out the cash based on past experiences with Lockhart and their overall poor reputation of yesteryear. But in the end, after reading Bartok's take on the rifle I decided to pull the trigger. It is the closest thing to an AR in Canada by a LONG margin. If that is the sort of thing that blows your hair back then jump in. It is a very well manufactured firearm and it is certianly worth the cost of entry.
 
alpining said:
pirate, I like your style. The X95 is an excellent unit, for sure, but I miss my AR. For me, the 180 clones all have terrible handling due to their nose-heavy balance.

Can you recommend a link to any longer-term, higher-mileage reports on the Raven? The ones I've read tend to sound like fanboys or shills. I won't spend that kind of money if I'm just going to be beta testing for the manufacturer.
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Just pay the piper and get a Bren 2.
 
pirate604 said:
I wish I could point you to some high milage objective reviews but I cannot. I was VERY hesitant about forking out the cash based on past experiences with Lockhart and their overall poor reputation of yesteryear. But in the end, after reading Bartok's take on the rifle I decided to pull the trigger. ....
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Yeah Lockhart had a long record of sketchy business practice before the Raven. I do think people can change, but the best predictor of future behaviour is and has always been past behaviour. It's hard to believe someone can turn a 180 on a dime. AND it's hard to believe that someone who apparently had zero firearms design experience can create something solid on their first (or second) attempt. The Raven looks promising so far and I genuinely hope I'm proven wrong, but I'm still a skeptic. Until we start to see a fair number of objective long-term high-mileage reports, my concern is that the manufacturer (and warranty support) could just disappear once longer-term issues start cropping up. That's my wet blanket for today.

I like Bartok, and his review of the Raven is probably the best I've read. But sometimes I think he comes across as a Lockhart fanboy. He and I have argued about this elsewhere. I'm pretty sure he doesn't take it personally, because it's not. FWIW it's hard to not come across as a fanboy when you genuinely believe in something you're reviewing.
 
I have a gen 1 and gen 2 WK180, probably a couple thousand rounds collectively. I must be an outlier because they have both been fine, nothing has broken(yet?) I did have to locktite everything on the gen 2. I really enjoy shooting them with upgraded triggers and furniture. IMHO they fine for relatively cheap semis and they serve me well as grab and go varmint rifles at the farm. I guess if I was really worried about requiring firefight reliability I would grab my Tavor or Bren 2 but honestly short of a war they way too expensive to break out for the woodchucks and yotes.
 
apu said:
I have a gen 1 and gen 2 WK180, probably a couple thousand rounds collectively. I must be an outlier because they have both been fine, nothing has broken(yet?) I did have to locktite everything on the gen 2. I really enjoy shooting them with upgraded triggers and furniture. IMHO they fine for relatively cheap semis and they serve me well as grab and go varmint rifles at the farm. I guess if I was really worried about requiring firefight reliability I would grab my Tavor or Bren 2 but honestly short of a war they way too expensive to break out for the woodchucks and yotes.
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If we ever get to the point where we need to rely on any of these rifles as fighting rifles, then the ARs are coming out of hibernation.
 
Travis Bickle said:
What was the outcome of the Spectre MSR?
Anyone have one and some insight? Looks like a direct WK180C clone
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I bought a Gen 1.5 WS-MCR with CH on one side only, and it has been great so far. The steel plates that the bolt carrier rides on is much more skookum than the WK180 alumimum rails. My friend also picked one up at the same time as me in x39 and he's gone through 2000+ rounds to date and the piston rod hasn't snapped (Yet)

For the money, I'd just get an MCR. It's cheap blastin. Pretty dang reliable in my use. I have one for sale on the EE currently.
 
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