The Tavor receivers start as a forging 7075-T6 … then they are machined, then anodized … coated in Teflon …

Desert tech claims the Wlvrn is 30% more accurate than the MDRX. I'm not a mathematician, but if the MDRX was getting just over 1 MOA, then the Wlvrn should easily be a sub MOA rifle.

How many .308 semi autos are close to that?

What is the most accurate .308 semi auto rifle currently on the market? The AR10?

What about .308 semi auto bullpups? Which is most accurate.

I'm really hoping DT makes good on their claims. People are giving Desert Tech one last shot to do things right this time, and they may not get another chance if they foul this up. I think they know that.

Oh they get as many chances as they want.

I'm just not going to buy it until well after it's proven by someone else.

If they flub this up, the entire market will turn against them. There are still people who won't buy anything from Desert Tech thanks to their MDR debacle.

How long will you wait before you consider it proven?

Agreed. I wanted a MDR since I got to handle some at shot 2014, but delays and issues i ended up with a Tavor. Kept an eye on the MDR hoping it got all the kinks worked out, but it didnt make sense to pick one up when they still had issues and didnt offer much more over the Tavors. Now it's lighter and more accurate, I'm willing to give them a shot, they had time to develop this, and given previous issues, hopefully learned how to make it right. If my Wlvrn is problematic, DT  will be company ill never buy from again. If it's great, good chances I'll end up with a second Wlvrn, or a SRS.

Are you currently waiting on one, or are you considering purchasing one?

We are pretty sure it was two areas of issues.  One was the trunnion bolts loosening and them not letting users tighten/repair until 2023.  This issue was fixed with the wlvrn.
The second seems to be the gas system.  The barrel is moving before the bullet leaves the barrel and the piston system is causing the barrel to ring causing it to tip down and vibrate up.

They reduced the gas needs/force with the SE only wlvrn, they found a weird contribution from how the piston hit, now the question is if the barrel is stiffer to resist the force of the piston.  This could also be solved moving thr gas system closer to the muzzle like Lazy said.

I think it is a matter of having too many things to work on and not enough time/bodies/production resources to do more than a couple ideas per year.

Depends on the source.  Obviously youtube-influencer (free rifle) and company-posted results mean very little.  Forum posts here mean more.  Certain members posts here and other communications, will mean a lot more then that.  I'm only interested in 6.5CM, which is probably their lowest selling unit (not even available yet), so it'll be a while before accuracy data on that one comes out - unfortunately.  Ah well, I have plenty of gun projects, so all is good.  5.56 accuracy data means little, since the frame does not struggle with weak 5.56, and you can get some really good groups.  It's the heavier .308 class ammo shooting warm heavy bullet ammo, that I'm interested in.  the .308 data should be a decent indicator of what the 6.5CM will do.

If your inputs are leading you to suspect this will be a sub-MOA .308 class rifle, I would take a long hard look at those sources; because aside from the cherry picked group, that's not happening.  but if it can be a decently reliable 1.5 MOA gun - that's perfectly acceptable to me for what this is.  Obviously expecting Ruger Precision Rifle performance out of this is not realistic and not really the mission statement.  So we'll see.

Mdrx in 308 performed between 1.6 and 6 moa. As tested by KS ARG's 50 5 round group tests.  The average between all the ammo types was 3+moa.

Wow. I stand corrected.

Fantastic! Can't wait to hear your thoughts after you shoot it! Be as thorough and long winded as you wish. I'll be eating it up.

Wlvvrn Barrel


2023 223 MDRX Barrel


2017 223 MDR Barrel

Currently waiting on a 308 one. Ordered after the initial release so I'll be a little late to the party.

Different gas port locations with handguard cutouts like the Sig MCX would’ve been a smart move. Less modular slightly, but the benefits greatly outweigh that.

That barrel profile...

Just seems odd to have that neck right there. Part of me is like wtf?, other part of me is maybe they tested different profiles and didn't find much of a difference?

Regardless, I think we will start seeing accuracy reports in the coming week. I saw one from Coldboremiracle in 6.5 that was sub moa, but as he works for DT, I'm not putting much faith into that.

I like the WLVRN’s profile … nice taper

Yea I saw that post..His 6.5cm groups in the Mdrx were also subminute (0.75moa in the Dt Rivalry video). There at least we knew he was using 140gr Fed Gold medal bergers.. (Lots of supressors in that vid tho..)
The insta post doesn't say what he was using.
6.5 CM MDRX accuracy 0.75moa best 5 shot group

Desert Tech said the channel is aluminum with steel insert in high friction area.


Can someone confirm?

They said this? Where did you get this info?

From what I could see, there is a steel insert by the cam area (you can see the spot for it on DT Wlvrn video) and then the feed ramps. Unsure if there are any more

If the cam pin area is reinforced ... that would be a huge bonus for me ... and the feed ramps...

At 1:51 you can see an area the looks like it has a spot for a steel insert that will be bolted in above the ejection port and the room for the cam pin, as well as the steel feed ramps will be.

https://youtu.be/bVazJohWlvw?si=ARQrGf4XB4dpZg8t

Maybe Part Number 11 on page 65?

https://deserttech.com/media/attachments/products/WLVRN_Manual.pdf

It isn't clear exactly where/how it is installed or even how it is supposed to work.

I’d say you’d be correct …

Well..Today...was not my best day at the range.
Ammo shot was:

55gr Fiocchi FMJBT - Zeroing ammo... 0.65 Cents per rounds
69gr Federal Gold Medal Match .........$1.29 Per Round
73gr Federal Gold Medal Match.......... $1.24 Per Round
85gr Barnes Otm ...............................$1.34 Per Round

Both rifles were shot on Normal (-).Both rifles are as they come from the factory + Optic..(The Wlvrn had the new Raiden flash hider and the MDR had the factory flash hider).

I shot the Gen 1 MDR side by side the Gen 3 Wlvrn.
Mdr (1:8 Twist) was set up with a Eotech and 3x magnifier.
Wlvrn (1:7 Twist)  was set up with an ARKEN 1-8x24.
                                                 MDR vs  WLVRN
69gr Federal Gold Medal Match      1.04moa   -   1.55moa
73gr Federal Gold Medal Match      2.67moa   -   2.37moa
85gr Barnes Otm  ---------------      2.05moa   -   1.53moa

Alright, lemme explain..
I normally do (2) 5 shot groups and average them, but I had several issues (some of them cause by me)..

-Environment-
I had some nitpicky ranges officers who couldn't keep their opinions to themselves..First time in 14 years, and over nothing safety related..(how many rifles I had on the bench was one).
Range didn't wasn't going to go cold for me collect targets with todays group of RSOs (all but 4 100yard targets were shot up).

-Me/equipment issue-
Cameral issues with my Tactacam..It was dark enough that the camera switched to black and white mode...lost shot footage after my second group for the Wlvrn.
I could NOT SEE the center dot on my Arken LPVO. All I had was the Horseshoe section on an overcast day..(look how his vanished on a white background fully illuminated).. . I turned on the illumination and turned it back off again...the dot just vanished against my red targets for the lighting I was in today..

-Rifle Issue.-
While shooting 69gr Fed GMMk in the WLVRN..I had
(2) misfeeds that loaded the first round right back into its case and a second that bent the case significantly so that I felt shouldn't shoot.. (so I ..switched mags from the Master Molder to a Hex mag I had on hand)..
While shooting 55gr Fiocchi
(1) Failure to eject/Stove pipe malfunction shooting the 55gr Fiocchi (Hex Mag)..But that could also be related to the low gas setting and not a whole lot of ammo through the gun at that time..

Total Round count..50..

I have 3 other match loads I could shoot and around 100 rounds of 55gr FMJs I still want to shoot....Today wasn't my day..and I will be changing optics  for the next range trip.
Once that occurs I will retest the above 3 in 2 (5) shot groups and probably follow up with a Huxworks can on the end to see if there's improvement.

I am glad the single 5 shot group seems to favor the Wlvrn..but I wasnt feeling it did until I measured these..and not having the target available outside a long range picture from my phone also sucked..

So I will wait to see DTs results (should be a video this week)  and see if I can replicate them.

Here are my measured targets..One is what I could salvage from the Tactacam..Unmeasured target



Best MDR group


Picture of the 69gr Fed GMMK malfunctioned rounds..



*Edited to add a link to the reticle..Its easy to lose that center dot on an overcast day..which is exactly the condition I was shooting at..All outdoors.

Given the situation and conditions, seems respectable. I've had times where I just wasn't in the right vibe and unable to get decent groups. Still, better than I could ever get with my X95s.

Far as the miss feed, not sure but I would probably blame the mag on that, looks like a knock off thermold haha.

Its a pre Magpul era magazine...And I do blame the 2 malfunctions on that..but thats me.

Ya, since it seems you didn't have that issue with hexmags I would agree.

Did you shoot it unsupported at all, how did the recoil impulse feel?

I did not shoot it unsupported..Rested/supported, I noticed no difference between the MDR and Wlvrn..Both are pleasant to shoot in that caliber.

Very nice writeup.  It is looking like the WLVRN performs about the same as the MDRx in the accuracy department when placed side by side.  

The not being able to see your reticle is definitely a big problem.  I've run into that as well, an advantage to crosshair type reticles.

The good news is that the massive change in the upper isn't negatively affecting the 223 ammo, the MDRX 223 performed pretty well in the lineup.  For a Semi Auto rifle 1.55 moa definitely meets the mail.  However it does seem to verify the KS ARG theories of the barrel assembly itself (and barrel harmonics), rather than the mount/stiffness, being the biggest contributors to the inaccuracies.  

It could be that the rifle might need more break in for the accuracy to level off, but I think that the improvement in performance, accuracy side, needs to be in the gas block location and barrel stiffness if we want to see anything better.

Also, did you check your MDR trunnion bolts?

Nice write up! Looks like the Wlvrn's accuracy is acceptable. But you probably would have had better groups in broad daylight. But ofcourse you have no choice but to shoot after you get home from work.

I'm interested in the 3 stoppages you had. Desert Tech reported only 1 failure in 2k rounds. So 3 in 50 is curious. Maybe the rifle needs to be broken in. Or maybe they were flukes. Only time will tell. As long as stoppages can be dealt with using immediate or remedial action, it's tolerable.

If you have a stoppage that puts the rifle out of action, or needs to be field stripped, that's a concern, but then again, what do I know? I'm just an average Joe speculating.

Keep shooting and keep us posted!

Odin, what are all the markings on the gas regulator? I see S and N in your photo.

Same as the MDR/X.. (-) S (-) N (+) A

Okay. I don't have any MDR experience, so I didn't know if the settings were marked, or a wide range of unmarked adjustment like on the RDB. I'm kinda glad they have less range of adjustment.

I wonder if they will end up making any updates to the Wlvrn. If so, would they upgrade ones early Wlvrn for free. I'm trying to decide if I should jump on the Wlvrn now, or wait a while until they have any issues ironed out. Or if I should buy it at all.

The historical answer is they release updates every year... Some updates will be paid drop in updates, some won't be be rervese compatible.

The only time they are free is if a gun celebrity does a special on how bad something is OR you were getting warranty work on it.

Based on what we see the 223 wlvrn rifle performs similar to the mdrx and is lighter.

The 6 position adjustable systems tend to be marked.

None of my tunable (20Plus settings)  firearms have anything marked.

It does make me kind of wary that no mainstream youtuber has reviewed this rifle yet and they are already out in the wild.

The only big time videos being made are by Desert Tech themselves.

I wonder if Desert Tech didn't want to risk bad reviews and are trying to control the information surrounding this rifle.

I'm not saying I trust every youtuber out there, but there are some that I trust more than others, such as Honest Outlaw. He doesn't typically hide his gripes about firearms and buys them with his own money.

That being said, even a TFB TV review would be welcome, but they do come across as a bit shilly at times.

I dont trust Honest Outlaw..
Dont mind TFBTV or anything Hop does...Garand thumb is entertaining and does some serious round counts (if nothing else is important)..
There's also MAC and NutnFancy..

Why not? Honest outlaw is always listing his many gripes about virtually every gun he reviews. I can't remember the last time I heard TFBTV talk shit about any weapon. James Reeves is always cozying up to every manufacturer and trainer like an obedient little lapdog.

I don't like Nutnfancy. He doesn't seem properly trained and I found his technique and methodology suspect. But I havn't watched any of his videos in a long time.

I do like MAC and I'm surprised he hasn't talked about the Wlvrn since he's such a bullpup fan.

Garand Thumb is very entertaining, but I rarely see him ding a gun for much. They clearly make a lot of revenue on their videos. I feel like they're more about big entertainment and generating revenue from their high budget videos.

In Range is interesting. I like Ian Mccollum. Seems like a humble and knowledgeable guy.

If I recall, Honest Outlaw was one of the channels that dumped a video on the Hellion the same day as like a dozen other channels.. Same with Sootch00 (Both were immediately unfollowed by me)
Really hated his coverage on that gun..and I know it does not have a 5lb bullpup trigger,its closer to 9 (Its probably worse that the Aug...)

He also clearly ran the gun overgassed..
He also had no idea that it doesn't use the conventional trigger system the vhs or other bullpups use..also didn't know you can get mlok handgaurds for it.

Im really only listening to TFBTV when Hop writes a review on it..and I follow him and Brock on their Novagroup channel.

Ah I forgot Paul Harrel..But he...sorta reviews guns.."You be the judge."

I bet MAC is just waiting for a copy and more than my meager 100 rounds before he drops a video.

I've seen Garand Thumb dig on guns..The 308 MDR did not do well on his channel..and he never revisited it...GT mostly wants to say if a gun is military ready or not (*Spoiler..99% aren't gonna be lol)

InRange is awesome..Same with Jonathan Ferguson, Keeper of Firearms & Artillery at the Royal Armouries (when hes on Gamespot.)

Polenar Tactical, AKOU and 9hole are a few others id watch but the cover different things that interest me...But none of these last 5 are likely to do a review of the rifle...

With the influx of DT releasing videos online ... I would bet yeah they don't want any hint of bad reviews if one would come out and two they probably decided to control all info going in and out outside of end user reviews on forums ...

I don't trust Honest Outlaw's quality of work.  His RDB review was sloppy and misleading and flat wrong - because he was such a rube he didn't even read through manual or adjust the gas system. He just loaded up the gun with the gas set at maximum, and then bitched about recoil and heat - well no shit dude, you aren't running the gun right, and didn't even RTFM.  It's not hard, click click, and now it's the softest shooting gun you're ever fired.   Seriously, the RDB is the softest shooting 5.56 gun you will ever fire, by far.  He shoots a few rounds over a ditch, and that's about it.  No meaningful accuracy testing, and a false and erroneous function testing, and then panned the gun.

That was my first and last Honest Outlaw video - you would be better informed if he just deleted that.

I personally can't stand most youtube gun video's - because they just drone on and on, yet very few do the actual basic of:

RTFM
Actually field clean the gun
Fire at least 500 rounds
Accuracy test at beginning and end

Garand Thumb sometimes gets close.  Though his PSA torture test was awesome, he then concludes ots not a serious gun, when he never demonstrated a "serious gun" could withstand his exaggerated torture test any better (thr PSA actually did remarkably well).  I hate to say it, but at times NutnFancy used to be more complete, but his video's are just unwatchable.  And he gets stuff wrong at times too - like his LaRue video where he modified the gun, then panned LaRue for making a shitty gun.  OK dude.

TFB is decent.  They are a bit more 'tanment on the infotainment scale.


Tell ya what DT, send me a WRLVRN and I'll give it an honest review.  I won't accuracy test it until worn in.  Send it me in 6.5 CM.  I'll log every jam and every representation accuracy test.  My own MDRx is actually one of the most reliable guns I own.  Accuracy needs work - you say you fixed it.  Send it to me and the world can find out of that's actually true.  Not your on-staff guy who is going to hang supressors on it and hand pick the ammo for a tuned rifles cherry picked group- but actual performance as is.  Send it to any of those youtubers and who.knows, since none of them have the confidence or gumption to actually put rounds on paper.  I'll do an assessment that includes analysis' like this.  Which no Youtuber will unass and have the rigor to actually do.





And on that - observe how the MDRx POI shifts laterally based on ammo choice, by a lot.  That's flex.  If the new WLVRN does that as well, then I'm out.  But if it doesn't, and keeps them near same POI (within reason) - like the AR10 did, that will be encouraging.

I got more info in the 6.5cm group Coldboremiracle posted.

The ammo used was DTM 140 match.
Rifle was suppressed with a Guardian Defense 30 cal suppressor.
Shot at 100 yds with
Mantis bipod and
Tangent Theta 3-15 optic.

When he shot the 6.5cm Mdrx,he was using Fed Gold 140gr.I belevie that was also supressed.

So..This is not the rifles accuracy with just a scope thrown on/right out if the box.
This is for Maximum accuracy.

Personally, after the MDR fiasco, I’ll wait for a whole lot of user reviews before ever considering a DT semi auto.

I don’t trust a single thing DT itself releases about reliability or accuracy, and that’s their own fault.

Pretty sad, considering I actually like their bolt bullpups, but those have been around with hardly any design changes, since back when they were still DTA. I think the only change was from the SRS to SRS-A2, which made the platform a bit more consistent for accuracy/precision.

I'm going to wait as well. Odin here seems to be the first to actually review the rifle.

I'm waiting for more high round count reviews.

Odin, when are you planning your next range trip?

Maybe..End of the month or early next month..Which ever my wife says is ok..

But it will be after this weeks DesertTech video on the Wvlrn accuracy..So I might have a box or 2 to acquire to also confirm their results
I may also need to go out in the back country and do some mag dumps before settling down for another accuracy session..

They are supposed to have a Q and A on Wednesday but I dont know when..I have questions..

I plan on retesting with the Wlvrn with my Crimson trace 1-6sfp LPVO (Instead of the ARKEN) and another box of Fed GM 69gr 73gr and the Barns 85gr.
Nosler Match Grade Rifle Ammunition 223 Rem. 69 gr
Nosler Varageddon 55gr
are also in the case for testing...

I also plan on shooting more cheap stuff (which I'm more likely to have access to locally).
Fiocchi Field Dynamics 223 Remington Ammo 50gr V-Max 50 Round (current balance between cheap and accurate that I shoot out of my rdb for 1moa groups)
55gr and 62gr Pmc Xtac
Winchester m193
Frontier 223 (55,68gr Bthp match)

Ive seen (1) accuracy mention (user submitted) for the 308 Wlvrn on facebook..No targets shown.. 2-3moa with 168gr Fed GMMK..They are retesting soon...Also interesting..That user said they contacted Dt and that sales person stated 1.5moa accuracy was expected with 150gr PMC...

I guess I could call and verify myself that's what they are saying.

Maybe DT is accuracy testing their Wlvrn while clamped into a vice in a 100 yd indoor range under perfect conditions..

Testing the rifle in a vice is probably a good way to determine accuracy, to remove human error.

I wonder if the reason Desert Tech hasn't come out with any videos is because they're still working on the gun. Feels like another botched release.

You're supposed to release the gun once all the issues have been worked out and videos have been uploaded, Desert Tech..

DT released a bunch of videos, not a whole lot in the accuracy department, but a lot of videos on the changes.  They even did a video of a mock shootout as a stress test.  Probably more videos on the inner workings of the gun than most gun manufacturers.