Windham Weaponry is closing

[kawtech87]

I Just got an email saying Windham Weaponry is closing it's doors. I have a Windham, it's a decent rifle and is the one that lives in my bedroom safe. I guess the Bushmaster legacy is truly over now.

 

[kawtech87]

This is the Email:

It is with deep regret that we announce the closing of Windham Weaponry. Our website/online retail ordering system will remain active through Tuesday night, Sept 12. We will do our best to ship all orders this week and early next week. No credit card will be charged until the order is shipped.



Twelve years ago, when we started Windham Weaponry, our shareholders and longtime employees were excited to continue the traditions and spirit of Bushmaster Firearms, after the new owners decided to leave Maine.


We built WW into a company we could be proud of providing outstanding customer service, high quality products, as well as a great place for our dedicated employees to work.


The last few years have been a very challenging time for the firearms industry, and we have struggled to keep the WW dream alive for as long as possible. Unfortunately, we have not been able to meet our loan obligations with the bank after they worked with us as much as they could.


There was a glimmer of hope when we were negotiating with an investor to help keep WW alive and healthy, but that just fell through.


We have begun discussions with Keenan Auction Company to determine the best course of action for a full liquidation which should happen within the next month or so.



Our shareholders and employees truly appreciate your loyal support all of these years.

 

[WebSnyper]

Was just coming here to post same.

 

[Mgderf]

WOW!

 

[musketjon]

Beat me to it. Damn. So much for a life time warranty. Resa. Le will be "good luck". I just bought one of their 20" govt models 2 years ago as my first-ever AR15, and now this. Just my luck. I ordered a CLE float tube for it last week. Guess I'll call CLE tomorrow and see if I can cancel it. I swear, if it wasn't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all. Time to start saving for a RRA NM rifle. Damn.

Jon

 

[NyleRN]

Beat me to it. Damn. So much for a life time warranty. Resa. Le will be "good luck". I just bought one of their 20" govt models 2 years ago as my first-ever AR15, and now this. Just my luck. I ordered a CLE float tube for it last week. Guess I'll call CLE tomorrow and see if I can cancel it. I swear, if it wasn't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all. Time to start saving for a RRA NM rifle. Damn.

Jon

Easy there spirit. It's an AR. If it has issues It's easily fixed. It's one of the easiest rifles to disassemble and fix. There's not much to it.

 

[T-DOGG]

My Windham AR in .308 was a nice rifle. Sad to hear of this news. I hope the employees are able to find work without too much trouble.

 

[snorko]

And here I just sold my unfired NIB Windham M-4. I truly know how to miss a market.

 

[patience0830]

Beat me to it. Damn. So much for a life time warranty. Resa. Le will be "good luck". I just bought one of their 20" govt models 2 years ago as my first-ever AR15, and now this. Just my luck. I ordered a CLE float tube for it last week. Guess I'll call CLE tomorrow and see if I can cancel it. I swear, if it wasn't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all. Time to start saving for a RRA NM rifle. Damn.

Jon

Quitcherbitchin.
Still a solid rifle and parts are available anywhere for AR's. Why you whinin'? If you bought an AR for resale value, it should have been a Knights Armament or some other high end make. And even then it's iffy.

 

[NyleRN]

Well, this isn't 1997 anymore where Bushy, Colt, Armralite and Oly Arms are the only games in town for a black rifle. They kept making what I would call basic base rifles in a SUPER saturated AR market competing with like rifles of the same tier that cost couple hundred less. Failed to branch out into other sectors such as accessories (AFAIK) and left them as sitting ducks.

 

[Nugget]

Two sides of the same coin:

They went bankrupt! Now my rifle and my warranty are both useless...

So much for a life time warranty. Resale will be "good luck". I just bought one of their 20" govt models 2 years ago as my first-ever AR15, and now this. Just my luck. I swear, if it wasn't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all.

They went bankrupt! I sold a future collector's item right before the market took off...

And here I just sold my unfired NIB Windham M-4. I truly know how to miss a market.

 

[Ark]

Aw, man. Never bought one but I liked what Windham was doing.

I can see why, though. Their bread and butter products were rifles of the type that PSA cranks out like like Chinese alarm clocks. Off the top of my head, Windham hasn't tried to chase the DDM4 market or the retro market, just keep making GWOT era Bushmaster type M4s. Those are like $300 over at PSA right now.

 

[injb]

Aw, man. Never bought one but I liked what Windham was doing.

I can see why, though. Their bread and butter products were rifles of the type that PSA cranks out like like Chinese alarm clocks. Off the top of my head, Windham hasn't tried to chase the DDM4 market or the retro market, just keep making GWOT era Bushmaster type M4s. Those are like $300 over at PSA right now.

+1 and the other big difference is that even when every gun owner has forgotten how many AR-15s they have, PSA still won't go out of business because they make a lot of other stuff. Not everyone has a dozen AK-47s yet. Any company that only makes traditional style ARs has to realize that some day the market is going to be completely saturated. If you're not inventing new excuses to sell people more stuff, it might be the end of the line.

 

[musketjon]

Quitcherbitchin.
Still a solid rifle and parts are available anywhere for AR's. Why you whinin'? If you bought an AR for resale value, it should have been a Knights Armament or some other high end make. And even then it's iffy.

No, I didn't buy it for resale or speculation. I don't buy any thing for speculation. It just hurts a little that there will be no more factory support, that's all.
Jon

 

[WebSnyper]

No, I didn't buy it for resale or speculation. I don't buy any thing for speculation. It just hurts a little that there will be no more factory support, that's all.
Jon

But, you can replace every part on that rifle with parts that are of the same quality or better if needed and not skip a beat. I understand it would be nice to have a factory warranty, but it's not like there is anything proprietary there to worry about, or that there will be any shortage of parts.

 

[musketjon]

But, you can replace every part on that rifle with parts that are of the same quality of better if needed and not skip a beat. I understand it would be nice to have a factory warranty, but it's not like there is anything proprietary there to worry about, or that there will be any shortage of parts.

Thanks for putting it in proper perspective for me.

Jon

 

[Ark]

+1 and the other big difference is that even when every gun owner has forgotten how many AR-15s they have, PSA still won't go out of business because they make a lot of other stuff. Not everyone has a dozen AK-47s yet. Any company that only makes traditional style ARs has to realize that some day the market is going to be completely saturated. If you're not inventing new excuses to sell people more stuff, it might be the end of the line.

I do, definitively, believe Windham makes a better M4A1 than PSA Freedom. But 90% of the gun buying market will look at two rifles that look the same and buy the $200 cheaper one.

 

[actaeon277]

Too bad they couldn't wait for the elections.
Probably going to be a run on guns again.

 

[PTinbound]

I have long been a big fan of the quality and workmanship of WW. If I weren’t so prone to boating accidents, I might have been tempted to buy one or two. Palmettos have their place, but I would put Windham right up there in quality with spikes tactical or maybe even BCM. It’s just that BCM is way over priced.

 

[kawtech87]

I have long been a big fan of the quality and workmanship of WW. If I weren’t so prone to boating accidents, I might have been tempted to buy one or two. Palmettos have their place, but I would put Windham right up there in quality with spikes tactical or maybe even BCM. It’s just that BCM is way over priced.

Honestly though. Windhams are highly underrated quality wise. I'm not sure if I'd put them and BCM on the same level, but I've never owned a BCM. I will say that my Windham has better receiver fit than the LWRCI I used to own and outside of my LMTs it's the only AR I own were the receivers don't rattle. They are definitely better than PSA and other bottom tier ARs. I'd put them solidly mid-tier