AR15/M4 update Windham Weapons

[LouSiffer]

I have over 300 rounds through it at this point. The very first thought that popped into my mind at the very first trigger pull was " Damn!! This full like a good bolt action trigger. " After polishing the trigger parts and 300+ rounds later, the trigger only got better. It has such a small amount of creep in it, it is not even noticable. Which is excellent on a gun like this.

No jams, to surprises, just accurate shooting. I am using Federal 5.56 mike-mike. The scope I have mounted is advertised as the Ultimate AR15 scope. It is only a 3x9-42 scope with a holographic dot on top. Its like $160 on Amazon.

Is it " The Ultimate AR15 Scope" ? No. Is it a good scope when you consider the cost, it has a holograph, it has black as well as lighted red and green cross hairs, it holds " zero ", it has bullet drop adjustments built in for a 55 gram round and you are shooting at no more than 150 yards for $160-ish dollars. Yes!

I am so glad I didnt dump the extra money into a S&W, DPMS, Colt etc. Alot of people have their opinions on firearms. My requirements are this: Is it dependable? Is it accurate? Does it have flexibility? This Windham is all of the above and more.

A little more background on Windham: The original owner of Bushmaster sold his company to someone else. They let all of the skilled and knowledgeable employees go. They moved shop to another facility with shiny new employees. Their quality took a shit. Investors got together with the original owner and said " Hey, we want to make a great gun again, get all your skilled employees back and set up shop. We also want those employees to give us input on how to make it better. " So they did. They instituted new machines and improved the triggers. The blacking process is new and there is no AR blacker on the market. There are no tooling marks on the gun. It is as it should have always been.

Here are some pics:




-Lou

[MOSHWITZ]

Sup?

Great review Lou
After putting it through the paces, do you see any cons to this rifle? is there anything you would have liked better if it was changed?

When things get back on the upswing I'm thinking this is the one I'm getting.

Thanks
MOSHON
DAVE

[LouSiffer]

I do not see any cons. The upper and lower are built to Mil-specs. Compared to most if not all AR/M16/M4 variants I have shot, this has the best trigger out of the box. I like to shoot it factory fresh then I always polish the trigger parts and I use an anti-seize compound on the trigger mechanism. It is made by 3M and can be had at your local auto parts stores. It is a thin paste/thick liquid if you will. Thick enough to stay on the parts, but, not so thick it is gummy. Doing it my way seems to take about a pound or so off the trigger. It is not as important on a rifle, but, it is something I picked up on pistols....which make a big difference.

I had my mind set on a Colt, S&W or DPMS when I bought this. The guy I bought it from let me shoot his Windham. He shoots competition. After I shot it and compared it to the others, I decided to keep the extra grand in my pocket and felt I made out in the end.

Seriously, its not about saving the money as much as it is getting the bang for the buck. This gun shot as well/better than the others. It wasnt a $$ compromise. I left myself an allowance of $2500. This gun cost 1/3 as much. I absolutely do not hesitate to recommend it.-Lou

[xenophobe]

Glad you're happy though. I agree you don't need to buy a Tier1 AR to enjoy a trouble free rifle.

As for the optics... you get what you pay for. I'd never risk my life with airsoft optics but for a range plinker I think they're cost effective for the budget minded. Horrible colloquialism, my apologies. xP

Did you stone lap the trigger? If you used a dremel with polishing compound you may want to replace the trigger group... those parts are hardened and any polishing that creates heat isn't good for them and can result in quicker wear and may be more likely to fail in the long run.


BTW, don't believe all the BS about "Mil-Spec". None of the parts you would buy on the commercial market are truly mil-spec other than surplus. "Made to Mil-Spec" can even be used to refer to inferior parts that wouldn't pass inspections as long as they were spec'd in the build process. Only government rifles that are inspected by a government inspector can actually have the title "mil-spec". Mil-Spec really isn't about high quality, it's just a baseline throughout the manufacturing process that guarantees consistency with parts made a decade ago with ones made today.

[Devotee]

I wish i lived in the States.

[DonP]

Yes, I guess the JCF is the one-stop knowledge base

Where do you guys go shooting? I still haven't gotten to try my AK-47 I bought over a month ago. I'm still a complete to guns. If I was this new to guitars, I'd say "Tuning? What's that?"

[horns666]

Lou, lets hook up during the revolution, and fuck shit up.

Lou, can you hit a Yellow Marshmallow Peep at 100 yards?..Nooooooooo...why..take me instead !!!

[xenophobe]

Yes, I guess the JCF is the one-stop knowledge base

Where do you guys go shooting?

Google search "rifle range + *your zip code*".

[RacerX]

Google search "rifle range + *your zip code*".

...eh....while using a computer not at your house...

[LouSiffer]

[QUOTE=xenophobe;1494750]Glad you're happy though. I agree you don't need to buy a Tier1 AR to enjoy a trouble free rifle.

As for the optics... you get what you pay for. I'd never risk my life with airsoft optics but for a range plinker I think they're cost effective for the budget minded. Horrible colloquialism, my apologies. xP QUOTE] These arent airsoft optics. I have removed and re-installed the scope and it is at " zero". Not the best in the world, but, not bad either. At 100-150 yards, they are more than adequate. If I wanted quality optics at a further distance, I would go with a Nikkon scope. Those seem to have the best visual out of them all at this point. The ultra long shot at the very edge of this rifle's range is a pipe dream. You can count thousands of scenarios and only a hand full will be within this rifles range. It actually fills a gap for me. If I want to reach out and tag something from a vast distance, I will grab my sniper rifle ( Remington 7mm Ultra Mag ) with the " In your face scope ". This rifle is great for close quarters as well as long distance protection.

As far as mil-spec.....they give you a baseline to judge. As far as the polishing and heat on the trigger mechanism, its a semi-auto rifle. How much heat are you going to generate with single shot trigger pulls. Unless you are bump-firing, not much at all. I guarantee, you can do more for your trigger with a polish and lube job than you can just about anything else.....aside from a 2-stage trigger.

As stated previously, this is the guy that supplied the military with about 95%+ of its hardware.

In my personal opinion, when you get into guns like this and the 1911 .45....its like buying a pool stick. Once you get past a certain price point, you are only paying for decoration ( i.e. brand name ) and bragging rights. Next up is my Sig 1911. Should be here in a few weeks.

Keep in mind, I have shot the M16-A1, A2, SAW, BAR, M4A1, SKS, AK-47, Uzi, P-90, MP-5, and many, many others. I am not a first timer to the " Black Guns". If you bought a unit like the DPMS....congratulations!! You overspent. Seriously. You need to shoot one of these. The trigger is like that of a bolt action rifle.-Lou

[LouSiffer]

I can hit a marshmellow Peep at 100 with my baby batter. We need to get together and have Peep shooting contests. Maybe John can record the video and post it for us. I am thinking a a Wop and a Scot can show these guys a thing or two about Peep love!! -Lou

[xenophobe]

These arent airsoft optics. I have removed and re-installed the scope and it is at " zero". Not the best in the world, but, not bad either. At 100-150 yards, they are more than adequate. If I wanted quality optics at a further distance, I would go with a Nikkon scope. Those seem to have the best visual out of them all at this point. The ultra long shot at the very edge of this rifle's range is a pipe dream. You can count thousands of scenarios and only a hand full will be within this rifles range. It actually fills a gap for me. If I want to reach out and tag something from a vast distance, I will grab my sniper rifle ( Remington 7mm Ultra Mag ) with the " In your face scope ". This rifle is great for close quarters as well as long distance protection.

Sorry. I consider anything tactical made in Asia at that price range to be from the same factories that they make Airsoft optics... The deceptive business practices of many of the 3rd party companies who buys those, rebrands them and sell them here as rifle scopes doesn't actually mean they're rifle scopes. I know how that part of the industry works. There are some half decent optics coming out of those factories but when one assembly line is running airsoft specific pieces and the next assembly line over is making "rifle scopes" with many of the same components, you can call a duck a mac truck, it's still a duck.

As far as mil-spec.....they give you a baseline to judge.

Sorry, that makes no sense.

As far as the polishing and heat on the trigger mechanism, its a semi-auto rifle. How much heat are you going to generate with single shot trigger pulls. Unless you are bump-firing, not much at all. I guarantee, you can do more for your trigger with a polish and lube job than you can just about anything else.....aside from a 2-stage trigger.

Do I need to type in all caps to you?

HOW DID YOU POLISH THAT.

Geez. Friction from functioning the firearm isn't the issue. Heating the hardening on the sear surfaces of the hammer and trigger are the issue.

As stated previously, this is the guy that supplied the military with about 95%+ of its hardware.

lol. That's what they all say.

In my personal opinion, when you get into guns like this and the 1911 .45....its like buying a pool stick. Once you get past a certain price point, you are only paying for decoration ( i.e. brand name ) and bragging rights. Next up is my Sig 1911. Should be here in a few weeks.

Keep in mind, I have shot the M16-A1, A2, SAW, BAR, M4A1, SKS, AK-47, Uzi, P-90, MP-5, and many, many others. I am not a first timer to the " Black Guns". If you bought a unit like the DPMS....congratulations!! You overspent. Seriously. You need to shoot one of these. The trigger is like that of a bolt action rifle.-Lou

I don't see what you're rambling on about, I wasn't attacking you.

DPMS is low price junk, if you want my honest opinion.

I've been in the firearms industry for over a decade as a dealer, gunsmith as well as being army infantry....

[LouSiffer]

Soooo.... Have you shot the new Windhams? Yes, I use a Dremel on slow speed. I figure if I keep it cool enough it to NOT pop the frets out on a fretboard, it can not possibly hurt the heat hardened sear, hammer and trigger mechanism. If it does seem to cause an issue, I will let you know.

-Lou

Edited as some of this post was rude and uncalled for. Sorry.

[Razor]

Congrats on your Windham and I hope it gives you years of trouble free service.

Saw a Windham at my local Wally World for $974.00. In the same case beside it was a Colt SP6920 for $1,097.00. I've been AR shopping the past few months, and when the time comes for my money it will be a Colt.

Interesting thread on the 1911 Forum about Windham. Check the link if you're interested.

http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=343485&highlight=Windham

[xenophobe]

Soooo.... Have you shot the new Windhams?-Lou

No man, but you sound pretty excited and it sounds nice. I honestly hope it shoots well and you enjoy it...

Sorry for getting irritated.... but I guess I came across wrong. I'm not one of those kool-aide people... I complimented you on your rifle and thought I'd just share some experience.

If you use a wetstone to lap the sear surfaces, you don't need to really worry about premature wear because the hardened sections of the sear haven't been subjected to polishing heat. If you polished the sear surfaces with a dremel and paste you are much more likely have premature failure because this heats up the metal and you don't want to subject hardened surfaces with heat. That's all.

My other point was, don't believe the mil-spec bullshit that everyone will give you. It's mostly meaningless. It's mostly a sales pitch. All it does is provide a baseline of the lowest acceptable quality standards so the manufacturer with the cheapest bid will be comparable with everyone else and so that everything is manufactured the same way and will be compatible with anything built to the same spec.

Anyway, have fun shooting!