I’ve been piecing together a pistol build dedicated for home defense for a while now, and it has been a challenging endeavor. It all started with a great deal on a g19 lower from Glock that I decided to pick up as a solid base for my build. I pieced parts together over the next six months from various reputable manufacturers until the pistol was complete. At the first trip to the range, my excitement was quickly squashed on the first magazine through the gun. I was trying to convince myself that the gun just needed more break-in to stop the failure-to-feeds and extracts. After that frustrating day, I waived the white flag and decided to let the professionals handle this. I gave Lone Wolf Distributors (LWD) a call. For those of you who don’t know, LWD makes aftermarket parts for firearms with a specialty in Glock. They build quality pistols and parts commonly seen at the competition range as well as a great hunting platform.
Lone Wolf Distributors Timberwolf
After talking to LWD, we decided to send my slide to them and fit it to their Timberwolf frame, and go through the internals to make it all jive. After perusing their website, I found they did custom cerakoting. I HAD to have them cerakote the gun in Battlecam Urban, and boy does it look good.
The build specs are as follows
- Brownell’s g17 slide
- LWD Alpha wolf threaded barrel
- LWD Guide rod assembly
- LWD slide completion kit
- Ameriglo suppressor height sights with plain rear and Tritium front
- LWD Timberwolf complete frame
- Trijicon RMR type 2 Red dot sight
First Impressions
After receiving the pistol from LWD, I immediately took it to the range for a trial run. If it shot as good as it looked, then I would be delighted. Having a reliable weapon is final in any situation whether it is on the mountain, or protecting me and my loved one’s lives. I was pleasantly surprised after running a few magazines through. It was a significant change from before, and after a few hundred rounds, I did not have a failure.
The Timberwolf frame I received was based on a G17 Glock; however, the most substantial difference between the two is the grip angle. Anyone who has shot a Glock, knows how aggressive the grip angle is. The LWD angle is far less aggressive and more on par with other manufacturers. For the shooter who does not shoot a Glock exclusively, this provides a more natural point of aim. The trigger is smooth and has a firm reset, resulting in improved accuracy and a quicker split times between shot.
At The Range
I have now run 1,200-1,500 rounds of ammunition through it from a wide variety of manufacturers, with bullet the majority of bullet weights in the 115gr. FMJ. I have not had a single failure-to-feed or extract.
I also ran the pistol suppressed and did experience a few failure to extract malfunctions. I think if I was to have a dedicated can on it, I would lighten the spring pressure. The only malfunctions were user errors with my hand grip not allowing the slide to lock back after an empty magazine. Running a high-round count through this has allowed me to build confidence in carrying this pistol in any situation.
The Trijicon RMR is intimidating and requires a considerable leap of faith and money to commit to it. Not only is the cost of the unit is high, but you also have to have your slide machined to accept the unit unless you go with a dovetail mount. These factors have steered me away in the past, however, after shooting with it, I can say it is worth it. It requires training and some getting used to, but in the end, you should have faster target acquisition and better long-range accuracy. In fact, my group size at 25 yards was nearly cut in half over iron sights!
Lone Wolf Conclusion
Overall, This Lone Wolf rebuild has proved to be a reliable and accurate pistol. The Timberwolf frame feels nice in hand and provides a natural point of aim. Accuracy was expected with this pistol, but what I am most impressed with is the reliability. It is one thing to expect reliability, but another to have it.
You can comment or ask Travis questions here.
