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Windham Weaponry SRC-308 Pt. II

After testing the SRC-308 in stock configuration, I wanted to continue evaluating it’s reliability by using it at more local matches and the 2014 MGM Ironman 3 Gun Match. The Ironman 3 Gun Match in particular would be a good assessment because of the high round count and fine “moon dust” sand on the range that gets into everything.

(Note – you can find Part I right here.)

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To make the SRC-308 ready for a major match though I needed to make some changes:

Match Trigger: I replaced the stock USGI style trigger with a CMC 3.5 pound single stage trigger. Having a predictable lighter pull makes shooting accurately and faster easier. The SRC-308 is compatible with any standard AR15 trigger system. This trigger functioned fine throughout the testing and there were no light primer strikes or any other problems associated with the trigger.

Ambidextrous Safety: As a left handed shooter this simply makes the rifle easier to use. I used a CMMG ambi safety and used blue locktite to secure the screw for the part that attaches on the right side of the receiver. After shooting several local matches with the rifle and the Ironman 3 Gun this vibrated loose under recoil; something I have not encountered with the same safeties in .223 rifles. I degreased the threads thoroughly and resecured it and it did not come loose on its own again.

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Compensator: TSD Combat Systems Kompressor to reduce muzzle climb while not buffeting the shooter with a shockwave or being overly loud.

Free Float Tube: Midwest Industries suppled a keymod handguard to install. Free float handguards are an important accessory The SRC-308 handguard is specific to the rifle. Installation required removal of the factory gas block and barrel nut, then installation of a new low profile gas block and barrel nut. If installing yourself you will need a .308 action block. In this case I used a Specialized Dynamics combo unit that can work with .308 uppers or standard AR15 uppers. Installation was straight forward, but of course having the right tools helps. The MI rail was useful for attaching a bipod and sling mount, and gave me more real estate to hold onto than the factory midlength handguard.

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Optic: I was able to borrow a Leupold MKIV 1.5-5X with CMR2 reticle in a WARNE Scope mount from fellow competitive shooter Kelly Neal. Kelly had used this optic to win several major matches and it had the battle scars to prove it. In particular the tube at the objective end had a significant dent, but the scope still functioned fine and it was not visible when looking through the optic. This particular scope is calibrated for use with .223 ammunition. Out to 200 yards the trajectories are relatively similar, past 200 yards I started noticing more of a difference and had to use some guestimating after observing impacts through the optic. The CMR2 reticle is much more useful for action shooting sports than the earlier SPR reticle I had in the exact same scope years ago. The Warne scope mount was zombie green I added some more electric/zombie green components to match the theme. Rail Covers and Grip from Ergo Grip, and M4 Stock from Cavalry Manufacturing.

With all these features added I was able to get a 1MOA group at 100 yards with my match ammo. Free floating the barrel and adding the match trigger easily doubled the accuracy of the rifle.

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Magpul 25 round PMAGs are a natural choice for competition when equipment rules do not restrict capacity. The AF Weapons coupler putting 2 mags side by side made reloading and carrying enough ammo for each stage much easier.

I was able to use the SRC-308 as configured for a few matches before going to the Ironman 3 Gun Match in June of 2014. At the local matches I experience no malfunctions with the rifle. At Ironman I used the .308 on every long range stage where I had to engage a double spinner target. .308 will rotate one of these in 3 hits consistently vs 10-12 with .223. For long range use the rifle worked excellently, I did wish I had more of an opportunity to practice past 200 yards with the optic though.

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John Brooks, a former Marine Scout-Sniper that attended the match with me, used the SRC-308 on a dare to engage bonus rifle targets at 600 yards. Without dope chart or trigger time on the rifle before the stage John was able to put the max of 6 hits on the MGM flash targets with 16 shots fired. This was honestly a lot better than many competitors did with their own equipment.

I deliberately didn’t clean the SRC-308 through the course of the match leaving it in racks exposed to the elements and getting it coated with fine sand shooting from the prone on stages. On my last stage of the match I had one malfunction at the start of the stage with the rifle at Its dirtiest. The spent cartridge failed to eject. After this first shot malfunction was cleared, the SRC-308 ran the rest of the stage flawlessly. Apparently whatever fouling caused the malfunction was blown free by that first shot fired. Everything has its limits and the SRC-308 did better than I expected. I used the SRC-308 at one more local match after Ironman to make sure it still was running reliably and it performed flawlessly.

In the video here you can see all my match footage with the SRC-308 as modified:

All told while the SRC-308 was in my possession I put over 1,000 rounds through it in test fire, zeroing, and matches. I only had the one malfunction when the rifle was sufficiently fouled by carbon and sand. It handled well and it’s accuracy was better than expected for the roles it is likely to be used in. If you’re looking for a .308 AR that works out of the box, consider the Windham Weaponry SRC-308.5184Rifle02

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