Windham Weaponry CDI: Setting the Bar High

Never having owned orever shot an AR-platformlifle, I finally succumbed tothe allure and decided toreview a modern sportingrifle. The rifle chosen wasbuilt by one of the newestmanufacturers in a highlycomoetitive mAlket. By arl Wargaorn 6Winihom Weaponry. loccted

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in Windham, Maine. Even though this youngcompany just celebrated it's secondanniversary, there is over two decades ofexperience that go into the manufacture of theserifles. You cirn read their inspiring story at:www.windhamweaponry.com/content-meet our_team.asp .

When leviewing and evaluating any fitearm,knowing how it's built is important. Anyonereading this review familiar with AR-platformrifles will probably find it boring. Othersconsidering the purchase of an AR-platlbrmrifle for the first time should find thisinlormatire and will gel insight for comprlingother AR-platform rifles.

How It's Built. The Receiver is forged flom 7075-T6

aircraft aluminum and given a black anodized,hard coat finish. The receiver has two pafts,commonly referred to as the 'upper' and'louer' receirers. The upper receiver is un

M4A4 type flat top meaning it has a standardPicatinny rail for attaching accessories. Thebarel assemb!y and bolt assembly areincorporflted inlo lhe upper. The lower receirercontains the trigger assembly. tligger guard(aluminum. not pllsticl. islel). muSJZinerelease and bolt release.Thl. stock and handglipare attached to the lower.

The basic receiver design is no different fromany of the other manufacturers, but that is whatmakes it special. While researching for thisreview, one person referred to the AR platfbrmas an 'erector set'rifle. You have the flexibilityto change out parts like the receiver. stock,hrndgrip. tripger assembly. sights. mtgtzines.hand guards, bolt, bolt carrier, and so on.

For quick access to the internal mechanisms,push out the takedown pin by the safety and theupper and lower pivot open. To sepalate theupper and lower, remove both the takedown andpivot pins. The quality of rcceiver halves fittingtogether is one of the filst things the local FFLdealer inspected when the rifle arrived. Hepointed out that the machining of the upper andlower mating surfaces and the tight tolerancesof the takedowr and pivot pins gave the CDI

upper and lowel a very good fit to each other.

. The Barrel is a typical l6" carbine lengthwith an M4 profile having a I in 9" RH twist.windham Weaponry barrels are made fiom4150 chrome moly vanadium ll595E steel(mil-spec). This steel has an increased caLboncontent to add strength and durability. The boreis chrome lincd to prcvent corrosion thate\lend\ barrel li[e und mlke. cleaning elsier.The feed ramp at the back ofthe chamber is M4mil-spec meaning that it is cut wider and lowerto improve canridge feeding under adverseconditions from the magazine into the chambet.

. The Bolt is made from Carpenter 158 steeland 8620 grade steel is used for bolt canier,both of which meet mil-spec standards. Boththe bolt and bolt carrier are phosphate coatedand chrome-lined. The bolt carrier has an M l6contour that is stronger and heavier than acommercial grade bolt to ensure longer andmore reliable operation.

. The Trigger is a typical single action rliggerfound in AR-platform rifles. The trigger pull isabout 8 pounds with a slight take-up. When $etri.cgel is rcleased after being fired, there is a'click'as it resets, com,non for this type ofrifle.while this tr igger would be suitable forplinking o[ some types ofcompetitive shooting,having a better trigger would definitely helptalget shooting results.

. The Aclion is a semi-uutomrric. gcsimpingement system. Gas pressure createdwhen a cartridge is fired is used to push the boltlssembly backward lo eject the spenl cxsing.This is accomplished through a gas port in theban'el, a gas block on the outside of the bat.reland a metal tube running from the gas block tolhe bolt clrrier. A gos impingemenl 'ystern is

not the srme as u blowback or glls pistondesigned semi auto.

. The Safety on left side of rcceiver is easilycontrolled with your thumbi rotate clockwisefor''file' and counterclockwise for'safe'.Markings on both sides of the receiver indicatethe safe/fire status.

. The Receiver Extension for attaching thestock is a commercial grade that has a slightly

lVindham lYeaponr1 CDI

larger diameter than mil-spec. The CDI comeswith an adjustable stock. If you want a fixedlength stock or another style of adjustablestock, it's an easy switch.

Enhancements

While manv shooters will stafi with a basicrifle ancl tlren upgrade with afterrnarketellhancements, the CDI comes flom the factol'yalready equipped with six premiunr aftermiuketenhancements. Who better than themanufacturer to know what accessoties wotkbest with their own firearm?

. Magpul MoE@ Carbine Stock -This is a 6-position adjustablestock that mounts on acommercial speccarbine receiver'extension tube. Thesling loop willaccommodate slings Llpto l-114" wide. Thereplaceable rubberbutt-pad is over l/2"thick. The maximum

Mapul MOE@

Arbine Stoch

length of pull adjustment is 3.8". A premiumchrome-silicon Iock spring provides positivelocking ot lhe rto(L in the desired positiurt.(MSRP $60)

9a

. . Magpul MOE@ Handgrip - The handgriplsaone-plece,rreinforced polymerconstruction with astomge compaltmentinside the handle easilyaccessed from thebottom of the handle.The handgrip has acomfortable ergonomicshape that feels goodand is complimentedwith an aggressive texturing for a secure gripeven in less than desilable weather conditions.(MSRP $21)

. Magpul AFG@ Angled Foregrip - Beingangled, this fbregrip fills the void betweenholding the handguald and holding a lbregrip

Magltul MOE@Handgrip

0nio llalley 0utdoors FALL 20.I3 4t

Mapul AFG@AngledForegrip

mounted perpendicularto the handguard. Theangle allows for anatural andcomfortable hold sincethe wrist does not haveto be rotated. This willcut down on fatigueresulting in bettercontrol of the rifle. IfyoLr don't like the finger shelf, the AngledForegrip comes a replaceable piece to make the

-rrip surface smooth. (MSRP $35). Diamondheadr! Handgulrd The CDI is

equipped with theDiamondhead VRS Lll

10.25" Free FloatingHand.guard made from

zeroed. These sights are covered by theDiamondhead@ exclusive Lifetime Warlanty.(MSRP $238)

sLrppolt the rifle. The results tbr l0 3-shotgroups were as follows:

All anrmunition produced very good results.The big surprise was Black HillsRemanufactured. It shot really well in the CDI.Col-Bon Urban Response was a very closesecottd. Federal Frr\ion \.txs thc mosl con:,i\tenl.Hornady results were nearly identical with twodiffclent loads. While the Barnes andWinchester nray not have been as accnrate asthe others. they still averaged less than 2 moaaccuracy. Individuals assistiD-q with the mngetesting coDrmentcd that the Wolf Polytbrmanceaccuracy was equal to or better thaD what theyhad experienced in other rifles.

The best accuracy tesult iol all of theammunition tested wirs wlren the CDI was t'iredat a slow delibente pace. As the barel got hotfronr repetitive or firster paced shooting, thegroups tended to open up.

As with any testing for accuracy. thevariables that carl and will affect results aremany. A caftidge that peforms well in onefirearm does not mean it will have the sameresult in othel l'irearms. The general point ol-impilct can vary in the same rifle fiom diffelentcartridges.

It's obvioLrs that the Windhanr WeaponryCDI shot vely respectable wilh ull ummunitiontested.

Reliability At the Range

Reliability testing consisted ofusing a varietyof lnagazines loaded with Black HillsRemaruf.rctuled, Winchester Taryet and WolfPolyformance. The CDI was fast fired in stringso[ l0 to .r0 r'ounds. stlines ol l0 with mirgazilechanges, double taps, paced firing and mndomspeeds. More than a thousand rounds were firedover two days. There was not a single jam,failure to extlact or failule to load attributed tothe CDI.

Since magazines are a key factol in thefunctionality of any AR-platform rifle. testingof how well the CDI handled magazines fromvarious manufrctulers was par't of theevaluation. Forty-six different magazines fron]

. Smith Enterprise Voftcx FIash SuppressorThi. open cndcrl flash

handguard extends thePicatinny rail on theflattop receiver to over16" ol continuouslcngth. lt is a freefloating design with a proprietary cltmpingsystem for a rigid, secLne attachment. Since thishandguard does not contact the bauel. therille s accr.rracy is not affected. The designprotects the gas tube and allows fbr aiflow tokeep barrel coolel tb[ morc consistent accuracy.The quud uonligurution nllour lbr ilc(e\soricsto be attached on both sides and the bottom. TheDiamondheadrrr Handguard is covered by theDiamondhead@ exclusive Lifctime Warantv.(MSRP $r59)

. Diamondheadr'\r Sight Systerr This sight

system consists of the Diamondhead front andrear sights. The Diamondhead front sightattaches to the Picatinny rail and features aproprietary diamond-shaped housing. The frontsight post is adjustable fbr elevation andinterchangeable with any standard A2 post. TheDiamondhead rcar sight is also a proprietarydiamoncl-shaped aperture with reference postsand trorizontal bars. This shape gives l"st targetacquisition and allows the eye to naturallycenter the target in the aperturc. The rcalapefiure easily changes between a small orlarge aperture openingand is windage adjustablein .5 MOA increments.Since they both attach tothe Picatinny rail. they rein the same sight plane.Both the Diamondheadare made with mil-specstainlcss steel and blackanodized 6061 T6aluminum. Both sightsflips up when needed.fold down with the pushol'a bLrtton, lock securelyin place, and remain

suppressor definitelylooks dill€rent with itsfour-pronged. l5-degree right hand helixtwist. The Vortex ismade from casehardened 8620 barstock and amanufactur'ing process

Smitb EntefinseVortPx flash.\unt))Pi

that .rdheres to verytight tolerances. The thread pitch on the Vortexis r. hcekccl on both cold and hot burlcls ro insurea proper and secure lit at all times. The Vortexis nirchined so that it seats on the shoulder andm]uzzle at precisely the same point duringrolirlion. The\e tight tolcrunees llnd lhe uniqlredesign increase the structural rigidity andensule the supprcssor will not come loose.Smith Enterprises makes the Vortex FlashSuppressor for the CDI since WindhamWeaponry's ba[els meets the strict tolerancesrcquired for propel fit and tunction. (MSRPsi65)

The Windham Weaponry CDI comes flomthe fuctoD uith o lorrn lined. hlrd phsric guncase. a black web sling and an AmbidextroLtsTelestock Endplate that makes it possible toattach a variety of slings, including single pointmount types. A Tapco chamber flag doubles asa tool for [emoving the takedown/pivot pins andil tool [or ldjustine r-r indage/elevJlion onscopes. These included accessories are a $40,Xi50 savings over having to purchase tlremseprrltell. The CDI conre\ wilh one mugllzinemanufactured tbl Windham Weaponry to theirspecifications.

Accuracy At the Range

Range testing the CDI was done wirh twoobjectives, check for accuracy and check forre liab ility.

In conversations with people familial withAR-plrtfomr rifles. it sounded Iike 1.5 to 2.5rnoa accura() with premium ammunition istypical with a l6" standard barrel, not heavy ortarget grade. The CDI far exceeded myexpectations and everyone assisting with thisreview. This Iifle shot as good as or better thansome of the hunting rifles I have reviewed overthe years.

To check accuracy, the CDI was equippedwith a Leupold Mark AR MOD-I TacticalScope using a Mark 2 lntegral MountingSystem. A Caldwell Lead Sled DFf was used to

anodizedaluminum.

6061This

Diamontlhaad"'Handguard

ll diffelentmanufactulers(Ammunition StorageComponents, C ProductsDetense. Cammenga,D&H, E Laider.NHMTG. Magpu).ProMag, Tapco,Thernrold ard 30-year-old Army issuemagazines) were tested inthe CDt. The magazineswere polymer. aluminumor steel constl uction. andhad capacities ranging

Ii!tf,il

Diam on dbead "' S ight 51 ste m

Manutacturel

Barnes

Black Hills

Cor-Bon

Fcderal

Hornady

Hornady

Winchester

Wolf

Ca ridge

VOR-TX

Remanufactured

Urban Response

Fusion

Match

Varmint Express

TaHet

Bullet Min

TSX-FB I I

Soft Point 0.5

JHP 0.6

Fusion 1.5

BTHP I.IV-Max 0.9

FMJ I .3

FMJ 2.4

Average

1.9

0.9

1.0

I61.3

1.3

1.9

3.0Polyfomrance (steel) 55

Wt--J-)

55

55

62

75

55

55

Max

2.4

1.2

t.5

1.1

t.1

1.6

2.3

3.3