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Windham Weaponry: An Inspiring Tale

by David Fortier • March 7, 2012 • 32 comments

Bushmaster Firearms was bought out by a big conglomerate that moved manufacturing to New York. Hundreds of people were left out of work in rural Maine. But the former owner came out of retirement to put men and machines together again to make ARs. Read more about Windham Weaponry in the 4/20 issue of SGN.

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Windham Exterminator

Windham Exterminator

Fortier says the Windham Exterminator has obvious applications for three-gun and other sports shooting in addition to its role as a varmint shooting piece.

In Long Guns, Uncategorized • Tagged , ,
  • gunstuff

    Just another AR with somebody else's bolt on parts. What's the big deal?

    • Ivan

      Be glad for those folks that were laid off and now have work so they could feed their families.

      • yhb

        hell, I wouldn't build a slang-shot in that state.

        • Marty

          Nobody asked you to. Keep your self and attitude OUT of Maine. Its morons like you that have ruined this country. You probably live in some suburban New York, New Jersey, or Massachusetts, town that has nothing but bitter asses like yourself not even realizing that your superiority complex is laughable.

        • lmr

          learn to spell you moron

        • John

          In case you didn't know maybe because you can't read Bushmaster AR's were built in this state and that is when Bushmaster was at its absolute best and then it went to New York where it returned as crap. So go shove your city-slickin tongue up your ass.

    • Gary

      perhapy you would like a nice pink one with purple flowers?

      • gunstuff

        Actually, in case you didn't know, pink AR's have been around for a few years. Now that you know that you can go out and get one to accessorize with your pink Red Ryder (they've been making those in pink too). I'm sure that your Hello Kitty guns won't get jealous.

  • Ronald Fredette

    must be you were not one of the people laid off in Maine even though it did help people in New York /always nice to have another weapon to choose from.

  • Jason

    This is more a story of putting people back to work in a Rural area and rejuvenating American manufacturing than it is singing the praises of a new AR, didn't you get that from the article?

  • RichardBLewis

    The conglomerate that bought Bushmaster is owned by George Soros. good job Bushmaster…

    • yukon

      email hoax…not true. Urbanlegends.com

  • gunstuff

    The article was also very much about touting their varmint rifle. And if you don't want to see them get laid off again I suggest that they come up with something innovative to set them apart from the hords of AR manufacturers that are out there.

    • Marty

      Well for one the quality behind this rifle, and the rest of the Windham line is far superior to the "New Bushmaster", stag, Olympic, etc. And from what I have heard most parts are made in house. Where as "Bushmaster" now contracts out most parts. Proof is in the quality and performance. Just another AR? No. Finally another QUALITY AR.

      • gunstuff

        They are not making any parts. They simply buy parts from other sources and assemble them into completed rifles. Granted the parts they purchase are of high quality.
        Look, I'm thrilled to see that folks are back to work. But in order for them to stay at work a business has to be successful. There are many people in the AR game and basically all of them are putting out a gun that is of enough decent quality and respectable accuracy to fill the niche of the average shooter, and the average shooter is the biggest portion of the gun buying public.
        In my view it is a poor business plan to make another cookie cutter AR just like everyone else. You'd be better off offering something that was different and exclusively yours.
        Bottom line: Their rifles bore me. They're not offering me anything that hasn't already been offered before, so why should I give them my money?
        No money = unsuccessful business = laid off workers. That's all I was trying to get across.

  • Ex-Employee

    There is a difference for those that say it's just another AR. Yes, we can all build a semi-auto AR-15 that works pretty good. The folks at the old plant built tens of thousands of guns that met some very strict contract requrements. Building a full-auto capable rifle is a science that carries some tribal knowledge and not just a Class 3 license. They know the parts business and what parts are reliable and function well for years and years.

    And I am an ex-employee so it is great to hear that some of my friends are back inside those walls doing what they do best. Maybe someday I will join them and maybe not but either way I wish them all the best in their new endeavor.

    These folks were number one in their business and they bought the number two business and held a strong following of loyal customers from all over the world.

    To say that this is just another AR is……………………………………………………well it is just wrong.

    • gunstuff

      I fully understand that it represents something special to you because you can put a face to the product. There is an emotional bond for you. But that's not true for me. I don't mean any disrespect, but I don't know anybody from the Old Bushmaster, or the New Bushmaster, or the New Windham Weaponry, or Stag, or Colt, or Rock River, etc., etc. I just know that when I hold one of their rifles I just see another AR-style rifle that was put together from good quality parts just like (almost) everybody else out there. I don't see anything different or exciting, and for a guy like me that's been around these rifles for a long time, that's boring.
      Again, I mean no offense, but all's they did was take an AR, put a good barrel on it that's free floated, give it a good trigger (I assume) and screw on a scope and "ta-da" we're supposed to get excited over that and run to the store? Maybe you, but not me.

      • Rey

        Maybe you just need a weapon with blinking lights that shoot freaking lasers to keep you excited. The quality of my WW Heavy Barrel is superb, and getting all that quality for the price I paid has ME excited.

      • sure shot

        so smart guy, wheres your top notch AR? what makes a superb rifle to you? all the companies you mention build a nice rifle, Also CMMG, which is on I just bought a cple weeks ago, 800 rounds later, i am completley satisfied and has performed without a flaw. wheres yours? lol, I know, you prob dnt have the sense to center a compinsator. lmao

  • Daryl

    Since I own 6 AR's and they all have different manufactured lowers, I guess there aren't too many people making them. It would be nice if someone came out with a 9mm lower and upper that didn't need to be assembled from a .223 lower. Maybe soon.

  • Marc

    Freedom Group is not owned by George Soros…….moron

  • Pedro C.

    Marc, a little civility to RBL, please. Freedom Group is owned by Cerberus Capital Management. CCM, founded 1992 by Steve Feinberg, is located in New York. CCM owns approx. 95% of Freedom Group. In regard to firearms: Acquired Bushmaster Firearms, Inc., from Windham, Maine native Dick Dyke for an undisclosed sum in April 2006 and purchased Remington Arms in April 2007. Under Cerberus' direction, Bushmaster Firearms acquired Cobb Manufacturing, "a well-respected manufacturer of large-caliber tactical rifles in August 2007." Cerberus also acquired DPMS Panther Arms, December 14, 2007, and Remington Arms acquired Marlin Firearms in January 2008. In October 2009, Remington Military products purchased suppressor manufacturer Advanced Armament Corporation and these companies were combined into the Freedom Group. Again, in summation, Cerberus owns about 95% of Freedom Group.

    • Ray S.

      Cerberus also controlled the Chrysler Corporation prior to Mercedes-Benz.
      The U.S. used to have laws against monopolizing companies but now we
      are cursed with LLC's that buy out once-great companies, eliminate jobs, and
      eventually write the old companies off to gain quick profits, thanks to the
      politicians who write the rules.
      Good news for investors, bad news for the average American.
      10 years from now Remington and Bushmaster will be history, save for government
      contracts.

  • Greg

    Picture #7, is the bolt carrier made in the M16 style, with a rear shoulder on the bottom, or the AR-15 style, milled flat to the rear?

    • Bret

      Looks like a standard AR15 cut, not the flat to the rear abortion that Colt put out in the 90's.

    • Gary

      It is a semi-auto AR-15 carrier, on the full auto carrier the bottom shoulder is the exact same length as the upper shoulder so to trip the full auto sear. most semi auto carriers are now of this design, it functions much better than the old colt from the 90s that were flat on the bottom all the way to the rear.

  • in Maine

    I only live a few miles away, wish they would have a factory outlet store, at low prices :-)
    I agree more ideas and products are needed then just another AR. I would think a low cost
    replicas of Lugers, Broomsticks, Garands and MI carbines would be nice for the average income.

  • npmatt

    There will never be "low cost" replicas of Lugers, Broomsticks, Garands, M1 carbines, etc. They are labor-intensive with all of the small parts that must be machined and the hand-fitting required for assembly. The advent of CNC machining, investment casting, polymers and high labor costs ensured the old classics would remain just that. However, as an admirer and owner of several of those old classics, I'm also fond of the "plastic" guns and black rifles, several examples of which I own. I've looked at the Windhams and they are very nice rifles–I'm glad to see another quality AR to choose from.

  • moigy

    To bad they moved to New York – with Mayer Bloomberg & all his anti-gun friends. I think that they should move it to somewhere where the locals & their employees could actually buy them and then have a range to use them at.

  • Ivan

    What is wrong with a person bringing jobs back!

  • guest

    A lot of you would still kick even if you didnt have legs…BMI had a great shop in Windham back when they first started out… nice people who made a quality product …bringing back jobs to that area …with a class act HATS off to you Dick.

  • Andrew Farrell

    Man, things like this make me sometimes wish I'd majored in MechE