Windham Weaponry MPC

        Since Windham Weaponry is a brand new manufacturer that has risen from the ashes of what was the manufacturing facility of Bushmaster Firearms, it seems only logical to begin by telling this story that fortunately has a happy ending.
        In the beginning, Bushmaster Firearms International made their name as a well known maker of quality AR-15 type rifles owned by Richard Dyke. In 2006 he sold the company to Cerberus Capital Management, which in turn owned Freedom Group, which became Bushmaster's parent company that also owned other firearms manufacturer's including Remington and Marlin. Bushmaster production continued in Windham, Maine until March of 2011 when it was moved to Ilion, New York, to consolidate operations with other Freedom Group manufacturing. The facility in Windham was closed and the employees were laid off. Soon afterward Richard Dyke stepped back into the picture. He still owned the facility as he had been leasing it to Freedom Group since selling Bushmaster in 2006. He also had a 5 year non-compete agreement that was expiring soon. He must have felt as I do, that no one can make these rifles better than the folks in Windham, Maine so he decided to put another company together and put the workers back in business making these fine rifles. The new company was named Windham Weaponry and commenced manufacturing operations over the summer of 2011.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:

       So here we are just a few months later with the subject of this review the new Windham Weaponry, Model # R16M4A4T, an semi-automatic M-4 clone otherwise known as the MPC. Since Windham Weaponry has firm roots in Bushmaster I assumed that the new rifles would be basically exact copies with a new logo. I've always been a fan of the Bushmaster rifles and wouldn't have objected to this in any way, but I did find there are some improvements to this new Windham Weaponry rifle. The first thing I noticed is the finish. It is a deeper black than my Bushmaster. In fact it's really a nicer, blacker look that you'll notice when comparing to the older Bushmasters. After a closer and more thorough examination I noticed that the trigger
guard seemed to be different. The more recent Bushmasters used a polymer part and I was pretty sure this one was metal, (aluminum?). When shooting the rifle I also noticed that the trigger was nicer than the old Bushmasters, (more on that later). The fit and finish looks nice for an AR rifle with no stray tool marks or scratches. The hand guard and 6 position telescoping stock are nicely made parts and are fitted well to the rifle. All the controls and action are well made, as well as fit and function perfectly.

        After discovering these improvements and wanting to know more, I sent off an email to Mark Eliason, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Windham Weaponry. In his reply he said, "...The Windham Weaponry rifle is similar to the BFI rifles, but we used our own specifications on many key details. The advantage of having a wealth of experience in building rifles eliminates a fair amount of trial and error in manufacturing and allowed us to make a number of improvements. We tightened the tolerances on specifications such as fit and finish and went to aluminum trigger guards, I never liked those plastic ones. Yes, the trigger is improved by using an additional process to make as smooth as possible and the darker black finish looks better than what I’ve seen. Attention to detail is what will help set us apart from other AR suppliers out there and our customer service will set a new standard in how to back up a product line."

        Needless to say I have noticed those improvements as did many of the folks that I have seen and fired the MPC with me at the shooting ranges I have visited. The trigger improvement mentioned earlier was universally appreciated by the couple of dozen people I allowed to shoot it while visiting the ranges. It's a cleaner, very crisp, break that feels to me more like a nice bolt action than an AR.

Technical Specifications:

Model:                    R16M4A4T
Type:                        Semi-Auto M-4 / AR clone
Caliber:                      .223 Rem. / 5.56mm NATO
Capacity:                   30+1 Standard AR type magazine
Action:                    Gas Impingement Semi-Automatic
Receiver:                 Forged 7075 T6 Aircraft Aluminum
Receiver Finish:         Hardcoat Black Anodize Finish
Barrel:                     16" M4 Profile, Chrome Lined
Barrel Material:          4150 Chrome Moly Vanadium Steel
Rifling:                     1 Turn in 9" - Right Hand Twist
Stock:                      6-Position Telescoping Buttstock
Rear Sight:                 A4 Dual Aperture Adjustable
Front Sight:                Elevation Adjustable A2 type
Weight:                    6.9 lbs.
MSRP:                    $1,086.00

SHOOTING:

         As soon as I took the MPC out of the box I stripped it down and cleaned it thoroughly before shooting. It looked pretty clean but I think this a good practice with any new gun as well as go over the owner's manual. After it was cleaned we started shooting it, A LOT! We put over 1200 rounds through it in just a few days. It fed, fired and ejected everything we put through it from economy steel cased ammo to premium loads. I even mixed up one thirty round magazine with 6 different loads, cheap stuff, good stuff, both .223 Remington and 5.56 MM NATO, and fired all thirty rounds as fast as I could pull the trigger. I figured that if I was going to have trouble this would cause it, but everything worked flawlessly. All of the shooting was done with the battle sights and it wasn't hard to keep all the rounds on a paper plate target at 100 yards after tweaking the sights just a tad. I visited two shooting ranges over those few days and always allowed everyone I met to try this rifle. Everyone agreed that shooting the new Windham Weaponry MPC rifle is just plain fun! So much fun, in fact, that the biggest problem you'll have is paying for all the ammo you want to shoot.

        While the MPC is fun to shoot, it is also quite versatile. First, it would be a really nice rifle to use in the three gun competitions that are springing up at clubs all over the place lately. I'll admit that I've never competed in that game yet, but I have fired the course a few times. This accurate and reliable rifle would be perfect for just such shooting games. In fact, I may just have to conquer my stage fright and try the MPC in a real competition soon. Of course informal target shooting is always a blast too.

        Second, the MPC is a perfect home defense weapon. The telescoping butt stock and short 16 inch barrel make it handy for inside the home defensive situations. With a thirty round magazine full of Hornady TAP ammunition you would be very well armed to defend your home and family. In fact, I can't think of anything I would prefer to that combination, although I might also like to have my trusty M1911 with me as well.

        Third, this rifle is an adequate hunting arm. This is a statement I intend to prove in time. The A3 flat top design with the removable carry handle sight lends itself well to the use of a scope, and there are Maine legal 5 shot magazines available. I'm a coyote hunter and using this rifle on coyotes is a no brainer. Having 5 quick and accurate shots available may help when more than one coyote comes to the call. That said, the .223 Remington round isn't the first to come to mind when discussing deer rifles but there are factory .223 Remington loads available that are designed for deer sized game. I'm deer hunting and coyote hunting with this rifle this year and will follow up with an article after the season with all the details about that. Hopefully the deer and/or coyotes will co-operate. In any case stay tuned and expect more about that.

STRIP 'ER DOWN AND CLEAN 'ER UP:

This Windham Weaponry MPC field strips exactly like every other AR-15 type rifle you've ever seen and in fact just like the M-16 you carried if you served in the U. S. Armed Forces. (Thank you very much!) As you can see from the pictures the bolt carrier group gets dirty after 1200+ rounds so you can see how important it is to clean your rifles periodically. You will notice that while I did strip the bolt carrier group I did not remove the ejector this time. You can get away with that for a while but you'll need to strip it to clean it eventually. Just keep an eye on it and don't let it get really fouled up. I use a toothbrush, pipe cleaners, patches, rags, wire brush and chamber
brush and a fair amount of Hoppe's Number 9 to clean things up nicely. I finish up with
Break Free or Rem Oil while I reassemble. When I'm done I always have a rifle that is clean and well lubed. Cleaning the gun is not a chore so much as it's an opportunity to handle and appreciate a fine weapon. So take your time, do a good job and enjoy the experience.

CONCLUSION:

       There are plenty of possibilities for the MPC. In fact this rifle would be good choice if for some reason you could only have ONE. I own a whole bunch of firearms and I'm not even considering getting rid of ANY of them, BUT if I had to make a choice of selecting ONE rifle, (like maybe in a bug out type situation), this is the one rifle I would quickly decide to take with me. The 5.56mm NATO round and .223 Remington are cheap and available. In fact they are arguably the cheapest centerfire rifle rounds available. Having several magazines and a stockpile of ammo for this rifle is an affordable option. As noted earlier you be well armed to defend your home and family as well as putting food on the table if the situation forced you to live off the land.

        The folks at Windham Weaponry have hit a home run with the MPC. Their recent improvements over the Bushmasters are both noticeable appreciated. It's good to know that the the talented and dedicated gun makers in Windham, Maine are still building high quality, very affordable AR type rifles. For more information on their full product line visit their website at www.windhamweaponry.com, and/or ask about them at your local gun store. Stay tuned for more as I've heard they will be expanding their product line. Maybe you'll see another review here, along with a follow up on my hunting experiences with this rifle.

        As always, shoot safely and shoot often and remember to take the kids so they can enjoy the shooting sports!
                                                                                                                                                                                                    Grampa