When my department announced the ability to purchase AR style carbines at the fraction of the price quoted by the major manufacturers, I was a little bit skeptical. I had only heard of “Windham Weaponry” in passing and knew even less about their line of carbines, but I withheld judgment until I had the opportunity to actually handle one. In the meantime, I did a little research on the Windham Weaponry MPC.
Windham Weaponry history
Windham Weaponry was formed in 2011 by former Bushmaster owner Richard Dyke after the new owners decided to move operations to New York – a move which left almost 80 former employees unemployed. Mr. Dyke was in a perfect position to open a new company; he still owned the property where the original Bushmasters had been built and knew the professionals who had done so. The high expectations he had for the company were evident by the new motto “The Quality Goes In, Before the Rifle Goes Out.”
In June of this year I finally had the chance to put my Windham MPC, or “Most Popular Carbine” to the test – and I have to say I was not disappointed.
Windham Weaponry MPC gets put to the test
Military veterans and Bushmaster enthusiasts will find the MPC comfortably familiar with a standard M4A4 style upper receiver, M4 double heat shield hand guards and 16” M4 profile barrel which is both chrome lined and equipped with an A2 flash suppressor. A two position manual safety lever, M4 pistol grip and A2 style A4 dual aperture (rear) and adjustable height square post (front) sights added to the standardized appearance.
But appearance alone does not make for a quality firearm. Windham holds true to their motto by utilizing quality materials throughout construction including forged 7075 T6 aircraft aluminum for the receiver, a carpenter 158 steel bolt, and 4150 chrome moly vanadium 11595E steel barrel.
Out of the box performance was more than I had expected. All rounds cycled without incident, even when the supplied 30 rd magazines were loaded to capacity. Factory zero was within ½ inch high of center at 50 yards, and while slight adjustment may be desired for long distance use, I found it unnecessary for standard qualification. The 6 point adjustable stock was both comfortable and easy to lock in place, although at the fully collapsed position it did result in minor difficulty in retrieving spare magazine from a butt stock mounted pouch when mounted.
At 6.3 pounds empty and with an overall length of 36.125” when the stock was fully extended, I found the MPC easily manipulated and able to be carried all day without fatigue.
The only items I did not care for were the supplied hard plastic case and the web sling. The case is foam lined and includes the ability to be locked for air travel, but was less durable than I would prefer. The sling was a standard web style and did not allow for tactical carry. I replaced the case with an Uncle Mikes padded nylon model which includes pouches for extra magazines and a large zippered storage area. The sling was upgraded to a Blackhawk Rapid Adjust 2 Point model, allowing for quicker transitions without the need to install an aftermarket adapter.
All in all I found the MPC to be aptly named and good value with an MSRP of $1040.00.
