WK-180C Gen1?

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WulfofSilver

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I recently bought a Kodiak defense wk-180c and everyone I've spoken to on Reddit has said it's a terrible firearm. I want to know if this is legitimate and if I actually have made a mistake purchasing this.

I want to hear from others their experience with the rifle and what I could do to make it work or just move on from it.
 

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If it's a later built one you are most likely in good shape, you can look at the serial number and figure out when it was made. Most of the complaining was in the early days. To their credit, Kodiak is pretty good at backing their stuff warranty wise.

Ones my friends and I have run great. just clean the piston rod regularly.
 
Charging handles shear and fly off, gas pistons break and jam up/wreck all kinds of things. Bolt carriers tear up the inside of the receiver and cause all kinds of premature wear.

Those are all common issues with the Gen 1 WKs. I've personally seen people have all of these issues (Competitors at 3-gun matches). The majority of them probably run fine, they just have way more failures per 100 than is usually considered acceptable.

Everyone I know that has had any experience with the Gen 1s wouldn't touch one with a 10ft pole.
 
The price of these on the used market is really low so as long as you didnt pay over 1k for it I think its a good gamble. I had one used once and it was very unreliable. Like couldnt do 5 rounds without a double feed or stove pipe. However if you find that your model is having issues WK will take a look at it and maybe fix something with it. Dont let the internet shame your purchase, go try it out and contact WK if you have issues.

However if you had held off and saved a bit more then there are some pretty good options either available now or within the next 6 months
 
CLEAN THE GAS PORT.

It is not the only issue, but many issues come down to having shot a couple hundred rounds and now the Rifle action doesn't cycle so well and you get FTEs.

Get spare parts at TNA and consider having them upgrade the bushing to brass for you.

Also, watch this video, it explains basic take down / maintenance.

 
Thanks for all the responses.

I only spent 1k on this, kinda how much I budgeted for one so I was excited to see it (tho I should have checked other stuff they had) I just felt really disheartened that the gun that looked cool and was in my budget is trash x.x but I appreciate all the comments given.

How does the warranty work? It was a used/second hand WK I bought, do they still have a warranty with it?
 
wrangler4867 said:
If it's a later built one you are most likely in good shape, you can look at the serial number and figure out when it was made. Most of the complaining was in the early days. To their credit, Kodiak is pretty good at backing their stuff warranty wise.

Ones my friends and I have run great. just clean the piston rod regularly.
Click to expand...
I did check the firearm, the bore is mint, the internals are well lubed and cared for and there's little exterior wear on the furniture.
 
WulfofSilver said:
Thanks for all the responses.

I only spent 1k on this, kinda how much I budgeted for one so I was excited to see it (tho I should have checked other stuff they had) I just felt really disheartened that the gun that looked cool and was in my budget is trash x.x but I appreciate all the comments given.

How does the warranty work? It was a used/second hand WK I bought, do they still have a warranty with it?
Click to expand...
They probably wont warranty it but they will provide you with whatever parts you would need to fix it

and its certainly not trash. A car that works is not trash because its not a mercedes
 
Not trash, and if you keep in mind limitations / needed maintenance it should function well.

Range, Plinking and even Coyote hunting should all be possible with the Kodiak.

Would you want to go into the trenches of Ukraine with it ? No, it isn't a firearm that would withstand rough conditions and high rate of fire.
 
Hoppka47 said:
They probably wont warranty it but they will provide you with whatever parts you would need to fix it

and its certainly not trash. A car that works is not trash because its not a mercedes
Click to expand...
So I've taken it apart further and decided to check it and found the piston rod and the cup should probably be replaced first. 1000006657.jpg1000006656.jpg
Probably going to buy it from True North or would Kodiak send me parts?
 
What are you showing other than a dirty piston and piston cup?
Kodiak will warranty broken parts on the WK, so contact them directly.

If you have an early model with pinned gas block and magnetic charging handle, I believe those ones are going to give the most reliable service.
I'd recommend updating the piston rod guide in the upper to the bronze bushing TNA sells, as the original plastic ones get chewed up too quickly.
 
I had the Gen 1 and Gen 2, ended up selling both and got the Raven. Gen 1 I didn’t really have any issues with. It had the upgraded steel upper so no excessive wear and no gas pistons breaking. Just keep the gas system clean and remember to tighten every nut and bolt you see, even on the gas block. They often come loose. My barrel nut was only on hand tight from factory. My Gen 2 however was complete trash. Never had anything but issues with it. Multiple gas piston rods broke, firing pin retaining pin broke, gas block screws always came loose, multiple FTE, FTF and excessive wear inside the upper receiver. Kodiak defense was good with their warranty as they always shipped new parts out right away free of charge. I am definitely glad I sold them and upgraded to the Raven though.
 
Kodiaks brass bushing is best as you don’t need to drill out the receiver like the TNA version. Unless TNA has changed theirs recently.
 
WulfofSilver said:
Thanks for all the responses.

I only spent 1k on this, kinda how much I budgeted for one so I was excited to see it (tho I should have checked other stuff they had) I just felt really disheartened that the gun that looked cool and was in my budget is trash x.x but I appreciate all the comments given.

How does the warranty work? It was a used/second hand WK I bought, do they still have a warranty with it?
Click to expand...
I have a Gen 1. Prob put around 1k rounds down the pipe. Havent had any issues...so far. Im on the fence, with wether I wanna sell it or not. I do like the rifle.
 
I have one of the very early models and yes I did have a few issues with it but kodiak fixed them.
The only thing they really could not fix is the issue i was having with the LAR metal pistol mags not feeding as the bolt would not catch the round
I didn't really care as i just use P mags in it anyway
Overall though its not a terrible rifle it's lightweight has good handling and shoots pretty good.
Be happy with it and go enjoy it. You do have to clean the piston rod and cup fairly regularly though
 
The more I read it, the more I feel this is the same situation as the Ross Rifle, an rifle designed for sport put in the wrong environment.

Something along those lines. If most of the fails happen during competition then it's not a gun designed for it.
 
If you have an early enough gen 1 to have a pinned gas block you have something pretty decent.
Replace the crappy nylon bushing with a Kodiak or TNA brass bushing that's infinitely more durable.
If that magnetic charging handle isn't already causing obvious premature wear in the upper you have no reason to downgrade to the threaded carrier.
Installing the TNA adjustable gas block does help reduce wear and tear and recoil. It's not all that user friendly to adjust, but it does make a noticeable difference once it's set.
 
Mine has the magnetic charging handle and the trick with it is to put some grease on the end of it before sticking it in the bolt
The suction created by the grease keeps it from pulling out and scarring the upper
 
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