Windham Weapons MPC AR 15 14.5"

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grinder08

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Windham Weaponry MPC AR15 14.5” barrel.

Sorry for the lack of photos but between photo bucket and this site I just can’t get my photos to stick.

So I just decided to get into the AR15 world. After endless research and hunting and just being to be able to find something in the right price range I picked up the above. I had looked at a number of other options including the similar model Bushmaster and the Ruger SR556. I am generally a pretty big fan of Rugers but didn’t like the balance or the SR556, much to nose heavy. The reviews for the Windham were quite a bit better than the Bushmaster so I went with the Windham.

I am new to AR 15s so this is intended as a general discussion not a detailed review.
When I got it home I did the obligatory strip and clean. Cleanly the gun had been test fired but no case present. Excellent instruction manual. Clear colour photos and clear description. Best manual I have ever seen, great job Windham. The fit and finish were good. Everything was tight and even, no strange gaps or miss-alignments. No signs of machining marks etc. Take down pins were tight but easy to remove. Stripping was very easy. No complaints. More bits than an SKS but no real issues.

I then fitted a Burris MTAC 1-4 scope package which includes a Fastfire III red dot mounted on top. Very simple, unbolt the carry handle and bolt on the optic. Finger tighten on the rearmost notch. Done.

Of to the range to sight in and test. Used 50 rounds Remington and 20 rounds American Eagle. Will test others later.
Use two different types of magazine including 10 round pistol mags. Everything from single round in the mag to fully loaded. Perfect function. Can’t comment on accuracy as I was using a 15 yard indoor range. Some thoughts; I will probably change to a more upright grip angle, the standard grip has too much slope for comfort. From what I have tried this is pretty much a standard issue with most M4 types. Similarly I found holding the heat shield was uncomfortable from a grip point of view. Holding the magazine shroud seemed to work the best. I will probably add a vertical grip to the front. These are minor issue and easily and cheaply corrected. Stock length of pull was good. I find the military spec ones too short. I am not wearing armour etc so need the longer LOP. Stock provided good cheek weld, a small amount of movement but not much. At this stage I don’t see any reason to upgrade.

I have heard how direct gas systems are dirty. Didn’t seem the case with the Windham but then as I said not much experience here. All my handguns are dirtier after 70 rounds than this was. Signs of use but not really dirty. I am glad I went with the direct system rather than piston. Lighter, better balance than comparably priced piston guns. Please don’t flame me on this comment. Yes the balance weight etc of the H and K piston gun is great but it is also much more expensive. Trying to keep it apples to apples here.

Overall very pleased so far. Next step is going to a full size range for longer range and ammo type testing. I want to see how far I can push the 1:9 twist barrel.
 
Good to see another taking up AR spending, welcome and please sign the AR reclassification petition.

As for the gun, great choice. Buy Ammo and shoot the dickens out of it to see where your equipment fails you to make appropriate changes.
 
My first (and so far only) AR15 is this same gun. Fit and finish excellent, accuracy very pleasing. Mine has a 1:7" twist though as it is a US law enforcement model. Are you sure yours is 1:9"?

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Sqr said:
Good to see another taking up AR spending, welcome and please sign the AR reclassification petition.

As for the gun, great choice. Buy Ammo and shoot the dickens out of it to see where your equipment fails you to make appropriate changes.
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Already signed the petition. Mutter, mutter, stupid gun laws. SVT unrestricted SKS unrestricted AR restricted SLR prohibited. Makes no sense. In my case I will reload and shoot the Dickens out of it.
 
.30/06 FTW said:
My first (and so far only) AR15 is this same gun. Fit and finish excellent, accuracy very pleasing. Mine has a 1:7" twist though as it is a US law enforcement model. Are you sure yours is 1:9"?

CVRS1x_UwAArG6p.jpg
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I haven't checked the barrel but the manual says 1:9. My biggest problem with rifle accuracy is me not the gun. Need more range time. Oh dear, how sad.
 
grinder08 said:
I haven't checked the barrel but the manual says 1:9. My biggest problem with rifle accuracy is me not the gun. Need more range time. Oh dear, how sad.
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I think they just throw a generic manual in there. Basically all the 16" barrels are 1:9 for the US civilian market, I'm not 100% but pretty sure 14.5" and shorter are 1:7 and their 20" A4 clone (which I want badly) is 1:7 as well.
 
So time for an update.

First, I replaced the standard pistol grip with a Magpul K-2. I tried the K but it was a bit small for my hands. The K-2 is much better than original. Overall a significant improvement. I still find the front hand position a bit awkward. In time I will probably replace the front guard with a free floating barrel system but I am not in any great rush. Stock seems fine to me.

I have now put about 250 rounds through. A mix of different commercial rounds and some light reloads, 22.3gr H335 behind 55gr bullets. With the exception of one after market magazine, which wont feed the first round, function has been flawless. Clearly a magazine problem as it is even difficult to get the first round out by hand.

I have not cleaned the rifle yet. I have been checking it pretty closely and residue buildup has been much slower than expected. It is clearly showing signs of use but nothing excessive. I will probably clean it soon as I rather enjoy cleaning gun s but it doesn't really need it. Absolutely no functional issues related to cleaning.

My accuracy is improving. I have not found the limit of the gun yet. The trigger is a good combat type. Good clean break with little or no take up. A bit heavy for target shooting but excellent for general use.

I have been impressed with the Burris Fastfire III red dot. Nice small dot very clear and easy to shoot by. Not so impressed with the MTAC. The good; The glass is very clear, height is very good providing a good cheek weld, easy to set up. Installed the mount on the last slot and it is spot on. The not so good; The reticle is a bit too coarse. The centre dot is larger than the Fastfire and the cross bars (can't really call them hairs) are too course and tend to cover the aiming point. As this is a kit that includes the red dot for close work a more precise reticle would be better. In addition while the focus of the reticle is adjustable I find it difficult to get it spot on. Having said that my eyesight sucks so this could just be me.

I have discovered that reloading the 223 is quite a bit more fussy than pistol rounds. I notice that the cases tend to wobble in the press, this is causing some alignment issues with the powder feed especially. Sometimes the lip of the case catches and powder dumps on the press. I find I have to manually guide the case to avoid this problem. I suspect that this is a setup issue but haven't figure out the solution yet.

Overall pretty happy and glads to be a member of the AR world.
 
grinder08 said:
I have discovered that reloading the 223 is quite a bit more fussy than pistol rounds. I notice that the cases tend to wobble in the press, this is causing some alignment issues with the powder feed especially. Sometimes the lip of the case catches and powder dumps on the press. I find I have to manually guide the case to avoid this problem. I suspect that this is a setup issue but haven't figure out the solution yet.
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Which press?
 
I'd guess he's using a Lee Pro 1000. They can be finicky, especially with rifle cases (they were originally designed for pistol rounds).

However, I could be wrong.
 
shredder said:
I'd guess he's using a Lee Pro 1000. They can be finicky, especially with rifle cases (they were originally designed for pistol rounds).

However, I could be wrong.
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Dillon 550. The plate does not seem to be holding the case tight enough. I will recheck its tightness but it certainly seemed tight when I put it in. I always install and tighten until the plate won't turn then back of a little. Has worked with all the different handgun cartridges I reload. They are Dillon Dies so everything should line up right but...

OK solved the loading problem. Me being a Dumb A--e. The conversion plate was not tight enough. Load on.
 
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