The 80% frame market is super hot right now. When Lone Wolf came out with their 80% Freedom Wolf frame, I definitely wanted to try building one up. Especially since I am a fan of their Timberwolf frames. The Freedom Wolf frame is noticeably different from other 80% kits on the market.

As with most 80% kits, the Freedom Wolf comes with the tools needed to make a complete stripped frame. These include: the “Stencil” or Jig as most call it, Drill bits, front and rear rails, rail caps, 2 backstraps, a magazine well, and adhesive. Yes, that last one is glue, don’t worry, it works way better than I imagined it would. Having a flat and curved backstrap is a pretty nice option in an 80% frame kit, as is the removable magwell.

There are instructions online on how to machine/assemble the Freedom Wolf. So I’ll give the quicker run down. First, remove the piece of plastic where the locking block goes, just pull it out with pliers. Next remove the 2 tabs, where the locking block goes, with pliers. Then, VERY CAREFULLY, dremel the tabs down flush with the inside of the frame. This was probably the most tedious part for me to do. Now install the “Stencil” and put the whole thing in a vice. Drill the holes as stated. Now dremel out the dust cover pieces and the tabs in the recoil spring area.

Now that that part is done, we move onto the gluing of the rails. This is what seemed odd to me, but it worked out fine. There are 2 front rails and 2 rear rails, both with rail caps. The rear rail caps are left and right specific. Now get a small paint brush or 2, steal them from your kids, or go buy some. They will be unusable when finished. Paint some of the supplied adhesive on the rail pockets. Slide the rails into these pockets with the rail facing out. Then apply more adhesive to the outside of the rails, along with some on the rail caps. Push together firmly until the glue sets. Now wait 48 hours minimum before doing anything else with the frame. After that you can assemble the frame. You’ll need a parts kit with a locking block and a gen 4 magazine catch. The gluing is different, but it works well.

I ordered one of the Lone Wolf parts kits for the Freedom Wolf. It’s just easier since it comes with all the correct parts for this frame. I installed the parts kit and put a gen 3 slide on the frame. Almost every time I would release the slide, the pistol would fire the striker. Or, if I slowly released the trigger, when it hit the reset, it would fire. Not good. I installed a different slide, which made it worse. The Lite Slide from Strike Industries seemed to work the best on this frame. I then tried a different disconnector, that helped a little. Next a different trigger bar. You get the idea. Finally I had figured out which parts worked and which didn’t. After hours, the pistol now functions correctly about 90% of the time. It appears that the rear rails on the Freedom Wolf frame sit up higher than they should. This causes the striker to not be held with as much surface area of the trigger bar. Causing it to fall off when the slide is released. If the trigger housing pin hole had been drilled off, by me, then the housing would set up higher, actually making this less of a problem. I did try to bend the rear rails down slightly, with no luck. But it did reinforce the fact that the adhesive is top notch stuff.

Even with all of the problems I had, the pistol does shoot well. At least now that I got it to somewhat work properly. The frame is super comfortable. It is much smaller than the Polymer 80 or factory Glock frames. So people with smaller hands might like this better. Of the 4 slides I tried on the Freedom Wolf, all fit snug with very little play.

If you really want to challenge yourself building an 80% frame, the Freedom Wolf might be just the thing. I didn’t have good luck with the one they sent out for review. At least we know they didn’t hand pick it. I understand it’s an 80% frame, I was just hoping for something that worked better. Lone Wolf makes some awesome stuff. I love my Timber Wolf complete frame. The Freedom Wolf, not so much. So go check out some of the other great stuff Lone Wolf makes.

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

80% compact Lone Wolf frame - “Glock 19” size

Target Market:

Anyone wanting to build their own pistol

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

Accepts Gen3 or Gen4 G19/23/32/38 slides (via dust cover adapter)
Fits in standard Glock® 19 holsters
Extended beavertail designed to disperse recoil impulse
Ambidextrous reversible Gen4 style magazine catch
Undercut trigger guard for higher grip placement
No finger grooves
2 back strap sizes
Removable magwell
Fixture, drills, glue, and slide rails are all included

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

Nothing

What others are saying?:

3 Stars on MidwayUSA

needs a better jig

I bought this because of the slimmer grip and I wanted to see how the build process differed from that of the polymer80. the stencil as they call it, instead of jig, does in my opinion not hold the frame securely enough. as i drilled my holes I could see the frame rocking in the stencil. I can see now that the locking block pin hole is now more of an oval and when inserting a rod through the trigger pin hole I can see it is not at a 90 degree angle to the frame. the build quick. the whole process only took about 10 min. that is mostly due to that fact the you don't need to cut a channel for the guide rod and no cutting off the extra polymer from the rail area. all in all it turned out ok, but should have a better jig.

4 Stars on MidwayUSA

Nice frame, parts support is lacking

The good: I really like the ergonomics and feel of this frame. I really like how it goes together - it is more like an OEM Glock and less like a Polymer 80. I have 2 Polymer 80 pistols and I like this one better. I like the jig. I followed the instructions including use of a drill press and drill press clamp. It went great! I think it will be awesome once I finish it. The bad: I've finished my frame, but I have yet to complete it because I cannot get lower parts. First, the locking block is a special part from Lone Wolf, part number LWD-4361. They are backordered from Lone Wolf and I can't find them anywhere else. A Glock 19 OEM locking block won't fit without modifying the frame in addition to what the instructions say. I emailed Lone Wolf and recommended that I wait for their parts to be available, which might be a couple months. The mag release and trigger housing are Gen 4 parts, while the remaining parts are Gen 3. So, you can't buy a gen 3 parts kit and expect it to work. I am waiting for the backordered Lone Wolf parts kit that I ordered. Once parts are available, I think these will be the best 80 percent Glock lowers on the market.