Windicator Accuracy

the1mu · January 28, 2014, 01:22 AM

So awhile back, I purchased a new EAA windicator .357 2".

I have taken it out shooting just 2 times and so far have been appalled with the accuracy. Now, I am by no means the best shooter in the world but with my friends Taurus (5 shot .357) and most semi autos I can at least get 2-4" groupings at 7+ yards. Like I said I'm not the best but when I shoot this gun I always hit my 12"x12" paper but there are virtually no groupings. 2 shots will group low, one will go high and left and on the randomness goes.

If it is really just me being a bad shot, that is totally fair. (BTW I do dry fire practice of about 100 rounds a day). But my question is what could be causing this issue and how do I correct it? I am going to call the manufacture in the morning and see what they say about it.

lowercase · January 28, 2014, 01:46 AM

Maybe it has a bad crown. Hard to say, though.

I have a Charter Mag Pug .357 that doesn't group worth a darn. It's extremely inaccurate with .38spl. It is much more accurate with .357, but still isn't all that accurate. Pretty much "no groups" with .38 and "large groups" with .357.

I can't stand a gun that won't shoot accurately. Sorry to hear about your Windicator.

the1mu · January 28, 2014, 01:47 AM

Anyway to fix it?

lowercase · January 28, 2014, 03:35 AM

Maybe, it depends on what is actually causing the inaccuracy.

The bad crown thing is only one possibility.

I'd send it in to EAA and explain the problem.

AK103K · January 28, 2014, 05:18 AM

I recently saw a Windicator at a local shop, and from what I saw on that example, the crown may very well be the issue. The muzzle was very rough and unfinished, and looked like it was cut with a hacksaw, and called good.

If yours looks like that, having the crown attended to, probably would be of some help.

Sarge · January 28, 2014, 06:15 AM

If you aren't shooting from a solid, rested sitting position then you really can't evaluate the baseline mechanical accuracy of a handgun.

Found this online, FWIW:

Quote:

The Windicator shoots as good as it looks. Five-shot groups fired with five different magnum loads at 15 yards ranged between 2.74 and 3.83 inches. The fastest load was Remington’s 125-grain SJHP, which flew through the Windicator’s 2-inch barrel at 1,306 feet per second and delivered 473 foot pounds of muzzle energy. A full evaluation will appear in a future issue of Combat Handguns, so keep an eye out!
http://www.personaldefenseworld.com/...aa-windicator/

the1mu · January 28, 2014, 05:57 PM

Can anyone tell from these wonderful photos if the crown might be a problem or not?

AK103K · January 28, 2014, 06:08 PM

That actually looks a little better than the one I saw. It still looks rough and unfinished.

I have a number of revolvers, and none of them look anything like that. They all have a chamfered/counterbored muzzle.

WESHOOT2 · January 28, 2014, 11:33 PM

First try numerous different loads from various makers.

Second, have a known skilled shooter test your gun with various loads.

g.willikers · January 29, 2014, 08:44 AM

It might be that the cylinder chambers don't match the barrel in diameter.
They should be slightly larger.
Or maybe the cylinder chambers don't exactly line up with the barrel at lockup, causing some shaving of the bullet.
Or the barrel is slightly over sized and the bullets need to match.
All are easy to check for.
Not that there's much than can be done about them, but at least you will know if the gun is worth keeping or not.
A 2" gun is kind of hard to shoot well, too.
Maybe that's all it is.

aarmel732 · January 29, 2014, 09:04 AM

I had one of those and it did not shoot accurately AT ALL. I tried different loads, different holds, shooting from a rest, one hand, two hand, upside down, gangster style, and nothing got it to shoot closer than 6" groups at only 21 feet.
My Taurus 85 38 special with a 2 inch barrel that everyone loves to hate on is less than a couple inches at that range. I had a Rossi in 357 with a 2 inch barrel that was equally as accurate.
It looks like to me they make the 4 inch barrel in mass, and simply cut the barrel down on a lathe to make it fit the windicator snub size. It was a mean gun, but it wasn't a good gun. I bought mine on sale for $250, I was happy to sell it on armslist for the same amount.

5-SHOTS · January 29, 2014, 09:27 AM

I own a Weihrauch HW9 Target Trophy .22L.R. caliber which is a very very accurate revolver (Windicator is the name EAA putted on Weihrauch revolvers); mine however costs twice than a "regular" version.
I've also shot the 3'', 4'' and 6'' .357Mag and the 2'' .38SPL versions of that gun. The accuracy was not bad but not on pair with the 2'' S&W 686-6 Plus, S&W 649-1 Bodyguard and Ruger SP101 DAO I owned at that time.
IMO the lack of accuracy on your sample could be: an unfinished crown, rough forcing cone and chamber-to-forcing cone misalignment (or the combination of one or more of those things). Try first to have it re-crowned by a good gunsmith.
Those revolvers function very well and generally have surprising good triggers for the money, but on centerfire models I can't say the accuracy outstanding.

hemiram · January 30, 2014, 03:34 AM

My friend's Windicator is an ok gun, nothing great, but it's got acceptable accuracy. I kind of wonder about it's lifespan, especially shooting .357 ammo. It seems a bit flimsy. So far, with about 200 .357 and probably over a thousand .38SPLs through it, it's holding up.

January 28, 2014, 01:22 AM	#1
the1mu Member Join Date: August 7, 2013 Posts: 53	Windicator Accuracy So awhile back, I purchased a new EAA windicator .357 2". I have taken it out shooting just 2 times and so far have been appalled with the accuracy. Now, I am by no means the best shooter in the world but with my friends Taurus (5 shot .357) and most semi autos I can at least get 2-4" groupings at 7+ yards. Like I said I'm not the best but when I shoot this gun I always hit my 12"x12" paper but there are virtually no groupings. 2 shots will group low, one will go high and left and on the randomness goes. If it is really just me being a bad shot, that is totally fair. (BTW I do dry fire practice of about 100 rounds a day). But my question is what could be causing this issue and how do I correct it? I am going to call the manufacture in the morning and see what they say about it.

January 28, 2014, 11:33 PM	#9
WESHOOT2 Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 1999 Location: home on the range; Vermont (Caspian country) Posts: 14,324	First try numerous different loads from various makers. Second, have a known skilled shooter test your gun with various loads. __________________ . "all my ammo is mostly retired factory ammo"

January 29, 2014, 08:44 AM	#10
g.willikers Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2008 Posts: 10,442	It might be that the cylinder chambers don't match the barrel in diameter. They should be slightly larger. Or maybe the cylinder chambers don't exactly line up with the barrel at lockup, causing some shaving of the bullet. Or the barrel is slightly over sized and the bullets need to match. All are easy to check for. Not that there's much than can be done about them, but at least you will know if the gun is worth keeping or not. A 2" gun is kind of hard to shoot well, too. Maybe that's all it is. __________________ Walt Kelly, alias Pogo, sez: “Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent.”

January 28, 2014, 01:46 AM	#2
lowercase Senior Member Join Date: August 30, 2012 Posts: 287	Maybe it has a bad crown. Hard to say, though. I have a Charter Mag Pug .357 that doesn't group worth a darn. It's extremely inaccurate with .38spl. It is much more accurate with .357, but still isn't all that accurate. Pretty much "no groups" with .38 and "large groups" with .357. I can't stand a gun that won't shoot accurately. Sorry to hear about your Windicator.

January 28, 2014, 01:47 AM	#3
the1mu Member Join Date: August 7, 2013 Posts: 53	Anyway to fix it?

January 28, 2014, 03:35 AM	#4
lowercase Senior Member Join Date: August 30, 2012 Posts: 287	Maybe, it depends on what is actually causing the inaccuracy. The bad crown thing is only one possibility. I'd send it in to EAA and explain the problem.

January 28, 2014, 05:18 AM	#5
AK103K Senior Member Join Date: May 1, 2001 Posts: 10,223	I recently saw a Windicator at a local shop, and from what I saw on that example, the crown may very well be the issue. The muzzle was very rough and unfinished, and looked like it was cut with a hacksaw, and called good. If yours looks like that, having the crown attended to, probably would be of some help.

January 28, 2014, 05:57 PM	#7
the1mu Member Join Date: August 7, 2013 Posts: 53	Can anyone tell from these wonderful photos if the crown might be a problem or not?

January 28, 2014, 06:08 PM	#8
AK103K Senior Member Join Date: May 1, 2001 Posts: 10,223	That actually looks a little better than the one I saw. It still looks rough and unfinished. I have a number of revolvers, and none of them look anything like that. They all have a chamfered/counterbored muzzle.

January 29, 2014, 09:04 AM	#11
aarmel732 Member Join Date: October 15, 2012 Location: Illinois Posts: 67	I had one of those and it did not shoot accurately AT ALL. I tried different loads, different holds, shooting from a rest, one hand, two hand, upside down, gangster style, and nothing got it to shoot closer than 6" groups at only 21 feet. My Taurus 85 38 special with a 2 inch barrel that everyone loves to hate on is less than a couple inches at that range. I had a Rossi in 357 with a 2 inch barrel that was equally as accurate. It looks like to me they make the 4 inch barrel in mass, and simply cut the barrel down on a lathe to make it fit the windicator snub size. It was a mean gun, but it wasn't a good gun. I bought mine on sale for $250, I was happy to sell it on armslist for the same amount.

January 29, 2014, 09:27 AM	#12
5-SHOTS Senior Member Join Date: October 13, 2013 Location: Italy Posts: 139	I own a Weihrauch HW9 Target Trophy .22L.R. caliber which is a very very accurate revolver (Windicator is the name EAA putted on Weihrauch revolvers); mine however costs twice than a "regular" version. I've also shot the 3'', 4'' and 6'' .357Mag and the 2'' .38SPL versions of that gun. The accuracy was not bad but not on pair with the 2'' S&W 686-6 Plus, S&W 649-1 Bodyguard and Ruger SP101 DAO I owned at that time. IMO the lack of accuracy on your sample could be: an unfinished crown, rough forcing cone and chamber-to-forcing cone misalignment (or the combination of one or more of those things). Try first to have it re-crowned by a good gunsmith. Those revolvers function very well and generally have surprising good triggers for the money, but on centerfire models I can't say the accuracy outstanding.

January 30, 2014, 03:34 AM	#13
hemiram Senior Member Join Date: November 6, 2005 Location: Toledo, ohio Posts: 762	My friend's Windicator is an ok gun, nothing great, but it's got acceptable accuracy. I kind of wonder about it's lifespan, especially shooting .357 ammo. It seems a bit flimsy. So far, with about 200 .357 and probably over a thousand .38SPLs through it, it's holding up.