WK180c Gen2 Range Report
- Thread starter Bman12456
- Start date
I was an early buyer of the original WK and sold it because it was a pile of junk. Regular FTF/FTE, broken BCG, terrible trigger, etc.
Bought a gen 2 to see if improvements have been made and I'm happy to say so far everything seems to be running well. The overall fit and finish of the gen 2 is miles ahead of the gen 1, plus the aesthetic changes are great. For reference my serial number is in the mid 200's.
The rifle came well packaged with a spare parts kit. I disassembled, cleaned and lubed prior to shooting. I saw some reports of the gas block screws being loose but mine were tight and had thread locker applied from the factory. The A2 birdcage was easy to remove, unlike the nightmare that was my gen 1. The castle nut is still poorly staked but that's an easy fix. The trigger pull is smooth and repeatable at about 7.5lbs, a significant improvement over the gritty, heavier pull of the gen 1. The captive take down pins are a nice touchas well.
The overall ergonomics are much improved - better safety, new bolt release, compatibility with beaver tail grips, etc. There is a bit of a gap between the beaver tail and receiver with Magpul grips, but that's a minor issue to me. My rifle came with an MFT Minimalist stock, which was a pleasant surprise over the basic stock the rifle is pictured with online.
400 rounds through it so far with zero malfunctions using Barnaul 55gr HP. Gen 2/3 pmag's and Cproducts LAR-15 10 rounders run well with good lockup and free falling when released. I didn't notice any issues when applying pressure to these magazines while shooting. Cross mags are a pretty loose fit but fed ok for the 20 rounds I put through with them. I noticed some burrs beginning on the feed ramp/receiver area and stopped using the cross mags. This looks to be a known issue with cross mags and WK's where the rounds are fed too low. I probably won't be using cross mags in this rifle going forward, though I may try and modify one to see if I can get it to feed correctly.
I was mostly testing the reliability of the rifle and wasn't making an effort for groupings as I'm still waiting for an optic, though it seems decent enough considering the ammo and spare red dot I was using.
Overall I'm happy with the rifle so far and think it's a good value at the $1,379 price point and compared to other NR semi 223 options.
Will update once I have more rounds and an optic on it and try to test some other types of ammo.
Bought a gen 2 to see if improvements have been made and I'm happy to say so far everything seems to be running well. The overall fit and finish of the gen 2 is miles ahead of the gen 1, plus the aesthetic changes are great. For reference my serial number is in the mid 200's.
The rifle came well packaged with a spare parts kit. I disassembled, cleaned and lubed prior to shooting. I saw some reports of the gas block screws being loose but mine were tight and had thread locker applied from the factory. The A2 birdcage was easy to remove, unlike the nightmare that was my gen 1. The castle nut is still poorly staked but that's an easy fix. The trigger pull is smooth and repeatable at about 7.5lbs, a significant improvement over the gritty, heavier pull of the gen 1. The captive take down pins are a nice touchas well.
The overall ergonomics are much improved - better safety, new bolt release, compatibility with beaver tail grips, etc. There is a bit of a gap between the beaver tail and receiver with Magpul grips, but that's a minor issue to me. My rifle came with an MFT Minimalist stock, which was a pleasant surprise over the basic stock the rifle is pictured with online.
400 rounds through it so far with zero malfunctions using Barnaul 55gr HP. Gen 2/3 pmag's and Cproducts LAR-15 10 rounders run well with good lockup and free falling when released. I didn't notice any issues when applying pressure to these magazines while shooting. Cross mags are a pretty loose fit but fed ok for the 20 rounds I put through with them. I noticed some burrs beginning on the feed ramp/receiver area and stopped using the cross mags. This looks to be a known issue with cross mags and WK's where the rounds are fed too low. I probably won't be using cross mags in this rifle going forward, though I may try and modify one to see if I can get it to feed correctly.
I was mostly testing the reliability of the rifle and wasn't making an effort for groupings as I'm still waiting for an optic, though it seems decent enough considering the ammo and spare red dot I was using.
Overall I'm happy with the rifle so far and think it's a good value at the $1,379 price point and compared to other NR semi 223 options.
Will update once I have more rounds and an optic on it and try to test some other types of ammo.
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^
Thanks for the report!
I've read of others using duct tape around the part of the mag that inserts into the well to thicken it enough to be tight and not over insert. Cross Mags are made purposely thinner to drop free from tightest of magwells, but this can be problematic with looser magwells, like apparently is the case with some WK Gen2es. The duct tape is reversible, and certainly worth a try. Good luck!
Thanks for the report!
I've read of others using duct tape around the part of the mag that inserts into the well to thicken it enough to be tight and not over insert. Cross Mags are made purposely thinner to drop free from tightest of magwells, but this can be problematic with looser magwells, like apparently is the case with some WK Gen2es. The duct tape is reversible, and certainly worth a try. Good luck!
Welp. The rifle is now sitting around 1300 rounds and over the last 200-300 rounds has developed a feed issue wherein the round is catching on a lip between the receiver cuts and the barrel extension feed lips. The round is rammed into this lip and causes a stoppage.
This is due to poor fitting of the barrel and receiver. Upon emailing Kodiak, they informed me the ONLY cover issues that arise from using the magazine provided with the rifle or PMAGs purchased solely from Kodiak themselves.
They offered to correct the issue anyways but alluded to the fact that it is a magazine issue as opposed to a QC issue which I don't believe is accurate
This issue is only present thus far with my D&H Industries metal mags as I only have 1 pmag, but from everything I have seen and read they are quality mags.
I picked up a couple of gen 2 PMAGs today as that is what came with the rifle and I will test with those to see if the issue still presents itself.
This is due to poor fitting of the barrel and receiver. Upon emailing Kodiak, they informed me the ONLY cover issues that arise from using the magazine provided with the rifle or PMAGs purchased solely from Kodiak themselves.
They offered to correct the issue anyways but alluded to the fact that it is a magazine issue as opposed to a QC issue which I don't believe is accurate
This issue is only present thus far with my D&H Industries metal mags as I only have 1 pmag, but from everything I have seen and read they are quality mags.
I picked up a couple of gen 2 PMAGs today as that is what came with the rifle and I will test with those to see if the issue still presents itself.
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Anyone else have an issue with the gas regulator backing out? I believe it's a banjo bolt so locktite isn't an option.
Rifle runs great for about 200 rounds before this has to be tightened. It backs out 2 full turns after 100 rounds and won't cycle after 200 until re-tightened.
Rifle runs great for about 200 rounds before this has to be tightened. It backs out 2 full turns after 100 rounds and won't cycle after 200 until re-tightened.
I have the opposite problem. Mine was torqued by godzilla and does not come off. Probably carbon locked now too
Whoever they have putting together their rifles has zero understanding of torque. They certainly don't use a torque wrench for anything.
Half the screws fall out, the other half are so tight they strip if you try and remove them.
