Many years ago, I purchased my first Glock pistol, in 9mm. Almost immediately, I went to the Lone Wolf website and ordered a replacement barrel for it. Why? Because the advice of all the serious Glock guys was to do exactly that. This was at a time when the Glock G34 was the go-to gun for IDPA and similar shooting sports. The reputable scuttlebutt was that the Lone Wolf barrel was more accurate and would last longer. And also, perhaps more importantly – for reloaders it meant spent brass that would resize better; and you could shoot unjacketed lead bullets if you so desired (a no-no for a factory Glock barrel). I was more interested in the reloading benefits, but a little better accuracy – especially with my feeble skills, would also be welcome.
I don’t know how many thousands of rounds have gone through that barrel now, but I still have it and I still shoot it, with no signs of reduction in performance. But Lone Wolf is about much more than just making some of the best aftermarket barrels you can buy. They have been milling custom slides for a long time, offering a long list of standard options as well as customized to customer spec work.
So, it wasn’t a great leap – nor was it much of a surprise to this writer when Lone Wolf began to offer a full-blown handgun. The expiration of some of Glock’s patents has caused an explosion of aftermarket clones and alternatives built on that familiar platform. Many are simply trying to cash in on a proven design without the R&D costs or fear of lawsuit… but a few companies have taken a “we can take something we all know is good, and make it even better”, approach. Lone Wolf is among the latter. The LTD19 is its interpretation of a Glock 19 style pistol – reimagined, by shooters – for shooters.
It starts with the Timberwolf frame. A high-quality polymer molded unit that is simultaneously Glock-like and completely re-invented. Clearly, to function with the gun’s design there are certain specs that just can’t be changed. Nor should they be, arguably – after all, why copy a design and change the parts that work best?! The trigger group, locking block, slide lock/takedown mechanisms – all exactly as expected. Most Glock Gen3 parts should drop right in. The key differences are external. Mainly, the grip itself. The angle of the grip is much more 1911-like than Glock-like, something that all but the most faithful to the Austrian company will likely rejoice. Any conversation I’ve had with people who “just don’t like Glocks” almost always boils down to “it’s that grip angle”. In addition to “correcting” the angle of the grip, Lone Wolf has omitted the finger grooves on the front and added a nice combination of raised squares and ridges for friction. This is one area I might enhance if I owned the pistol – but that’s an easy upgrade. The trigger guard is nicely undercut for a high grip, and the flared magwell makes for easy speed reloads. A very nice touch is the inclusion of deep side bevels in the magwell for manual magazine extraction if necessary. Speaking of magazines, the LTD19 v2 arrived with one 15-round Glock 9mm magazine. As with Glocks, longer magazines with greater capacity (including the 33-round fun stick) will work just fine.
The slide assembly of the LTD19 almost looks too pretty to shoot….almost. It’s a very nicely milled slide, with a lot of interesting and complex precision cuts. It is available in a Nitride or stainless finish. Our sample has a satin finish that looks good sitting atop the light gray frame that our sample included. Adorned with complex cuts and shapes for eye candy, there is also very practical millwork done to provide lightning cuts in the sides and deep-aggressive serrations front and rear. If you’re a survivalist, bring this gun and leave the cheese grater at home… it would redundant.
SHOOTING THE LONE WOLF LTD19 v2
The Lone Wolf LTD19 feels good in the hand, due mostly to the grip angle and overall size of the grip itself. Shooters with smaller hands will appreciate that they can wrap their fingers around it comfortably. This also helps put controls in better reach, such as the mag release and the slide stop/release. Ergonomics are further enhanced by the lip of the magwell, which helps to lock in the shooter’s grip by creating a defined space for the primary and support hand to share. The aggressively cut generous serrations in the slide make its manipulation very easy and sure, whichever method you use. A personal pet peeve is a handgun with front slide serrations that offer little to no traction. This is not where I want my hand slipping off or short-stroking the action. No danger of that here – these serrations mean business and bite into the fingers for a no-nonsense connection between shooter and gun. I teasingly referred to it as a cheese grater, but I mean that as a compliment.
The sights on the LTD19 are standard Glock sights, or exact replicas as far as I am able to discern. The sight picture is good, and I found the Lone Wolf to prefer a center hold more so than a genuine Glock, which favors 6 o’clock. The real benefit of the sight choice is in aftermarket compatibility. It is likely that there are more aftermarket sights available for the Glock 17/19 than any other single handgun. This means near limitless choices if you decide to upgrade later.
The trigger of the LTD19 is obviously a Glock-patterned trigger, but feels to my finger to be much improved overall. Lone Wolf specs it out at 6 ½ pounds, and my Lyman digital gauge agrees. But due to the polished internal parts, it feels much smoother and crisper than the pull weight would suggest. For a potential self-defense handgun, it is just right.
To record the accuracy, I chose the off-hand method from a distance of 12 yards. I often prefer this over the rested tests, because this is an evaluation of how well I can shoot the gun – and so it becomes as much a test of ergonomics, sights, and yes – shooter. I shot two groups of 115-grain ball ammo – one from Magtech and one from the perennial Remington green and white box. Both groups were very good and surprisingly similar in location and pattern. When sending lead downrange at an array of steel targets, I found the same consistency with a mix of all types of ammunition, including the often debated and soon to be rare steel cased stuff. There were no malfunctions of any kind.
JUST MY OPINION
I asked for the test sample of the Lone Wolf LTD19 v2 to be the gray frame with a silver slide. To me, that is the color of a lone wolf. And in that tradition, I think this pistol stands alone from the pack of Glock-patterned handguns that are carving out a place in the market. Because Lone Wolf has been around for years as a trusted maker of high-quality aftermarket and custom parts from barrels to full slide assemblies and more, I think it has an advantage both in experience and customer loyalty.
I like the feel of this gun. The grip angle and size are very comfortable and should please those who have a dislike for the Glock grip angle and feel. The trigger is free of any grit and has a smooth pull with a crisp break – something that I prefer over simply “lighter” every time. It’s a shooter – putting hundreds of rounds down range without a hiccup, and as long as I did my part it put them on target.
And if you like your guns to stand apart from the crowd, it doesn’t get much better than the interesting and aggressive look of the LTD19 v2. But then, standing apart from the crowd is what a Lone Wolf does.
Check out the full selection here, at Lone Wolf Pistols
Glocks are the Bic lighter of firearms. They’re also so ugly and awkward to hold. Not to mention unsafe, with only one useless ACTIVE safety feature — that little clitoris on the trigger that is easily defeated. I’d never carry a Glock with one in the chamber. It takes only ONE conscious or unconscious act to make it fire: sufficient pressure in the trigger, which is usually only about five pounds. It takes THREE conscious or unconscious acts to make a 1911 discharge: (1) depress the grip safety; (2) take off the thumb safety; and (3) exert sufficient pressure on the trigger. Yes, carrying a Bic… I mean a Glock is like carrying a 1911 with no grip safety and no thumb safety. Try to argue that point.
I will never understand how Glocks have been so overwhelmingly accepted by law enforcement in the U.S. They are just not safe to carry. Sure, apologists always whine, “Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire.” That’s so obvious, but people are prone to make mistakes. We shouldn’t make it easier for disaster to occur.
The LE acceptance of it was the result of a clever and conniving strategy involving negative publicity and calculated propaganda.
I was a senior underwriter working with a well known large insurance consortium back when the guhlachs hit the scene.
Guhlach managed to convince police departments et al that single action autos or revolvers were inherently unsafe, because they had to be cocked first (and then of course an accidental discharge could take place due to being startled, sneezing, being bumped etc….)
Suddenly insurance companies that held umbrella policies for many cities, states, municipalities etc began upping the premiums for those who didnt fall in line with the BS “smarter safer” logic.
(a note aside here: many cities are self insured, however the result was the same – fear of lawsuits because of an AD….. never mind the fact that we still see itchy trigger fingered ADs and a lot more misses than the old days.
Guhlach owners will tell you how accurate and comfy their plastic toys are but I’ve never seen it. Yes there are a FEW competitors who use them and place, but they have put enough $ and work into them to turn a Kia into a Corvette.
There’s a reason 95% of IPSC still shoots 1911s, but you can’t tell guhlachers that.
As for me my bullseye shooting 1911 is perfect for EDC. Expecting a crowd? – ok ….my Para P14LTD holds plenty and is a lot more accurate out of the box than any guhlach I’ve ever seen.
This, coupled with hysteria from people who have zero knowledge of the 1911 led law enforcement agencies across the nation to abandon those “unsafe” guns and go with the DA only plastic toy.
Been carrying a Glock 19 EDC for over 20 years and Never came close to having a safety issue. But, you’re entitled to your preferences and opinions, I suppose.
Take a close look at the feed ramp and chamber.
The feed ramp isn’t polished and doesn’t line up with the chamber.
My old eyes sure do love these blown-up digital photos.
Not sure why people don’t like the grip of a Glock. That’s what got me to buy one. Now I own 30 of them. And as for reloading 40 S&W has some problems, but that was a easy fix with a resizing bulge die. It is funny how all the haters are looking to capitalize off the patterns that are ending now. Glock 19 / 17 imo will be the # 1 selling hand gun for many years to come. Stay strong Glock…
Owning 30 Glocks is not something to brag about. They’ll never be collectible and don’t hold their value as well as other guns. One would be better off investing in action figures than disposable plastic firearms that have no class.
I was put-off from buying a Glock when they first started to be marketed in the U.S.. It was because of the grip! I just could not get comfortable with the squared-off shape. Finally, someone gave me a tip to try a rubber grip sleeve that would somewhat “soften” the square shape. Although not ideal, it did make a noticeable improvement. So, I went ahead and bought a used 19 that was a LE trade-in. Gun has never malfunctioned once, regardless of ammo fed it. That said, I still prefer my CZ 85.
Not a fan of Glock and doubt I’d be one of lone wolf simply because you can polish triggers all day long, the trigger is still a Patented Glock trigger; and Glock triggers royally SUCK…
I’m fussy when it comes to triggers. Must have gotten lucky with the Glock, cause it has a terrific trigger. Maybe its because it’s a Gen 2?
Never liked the glock plaftorm, OK you wouldn’t if you didn’t go, Lets try a P80 with all OEM parts in a 17. What a waist of time and money, This is the most inaccurate hand gun I have ever shot, My point is why would anyone spend a bunch of money on a aftermarket handgun or the parts to try and improve something thats really not going to be much better. Sorry glock lovers there are better hanguns out there.
I have a lone wolf alpha wolf barrel I bough for my Glock 30sf.It is a worthless piece of shit that jams alot.I would never buy another lone wolf product.
The Glock itself may be the issue. Throw it away and buy a decent gun made of steel.
I put KKM PRECISION BARRELS.COM in all of mine, just my preference.
Unless the barrel comes with a suppressor threaded tip (requiring the barrel to be 0.500-0.250 inches longer) and a screw on thread protector – I’m not buying any after market barrels.
Actually, I will never buy another semi-auto pistol that does not come with a suppressor ready threaded barrel and front frame rail. MFG’s read and heed.
I know what the “M” and the “F” stand for, so I assume the “G” stands for Glock? It still makes no sense. What’s with all the excitement for a suppressor? It’s not worth the hassle and the exposure to government scrutiny.
Demolition ranch proved High Points are better than Glocks. Still can’t see why anyone pays more than $300 for a disposable Glock. The grip angle sucks. The attire one is expected to wear is just wrong, flat bill hat backwards, high tops unlaced and untied, LA Laker shorts with underwear showing. Not for me.
You make excellent points. And don’t forget the required Glock shooting stance: straight legged with knees locked, gun in one hand with that arm straight and raised overhead with the Glock turned sideways. It not only looks gangsta, you can’t hit what you’re “aiming” at.
Justin, how does the Lone Wolf stack up to the Shadow Systems MR912 in your opinion?
Correction…MR920…I believe you reviewed the 920L(4.5” brl) in May, 2022.
Does anybody really believe a guy who writes an article on here will stick around and read the silly comments in this section, and then answer questions? Wow.
Price?
according to the article you’re posting on….$699, MSRP
Is that really you, J.Jones?
Yeah, there can only be one J. Jones.