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.

Link to other reviews:

Nothing Found

Price point:

MSRP = $174.95

Retail = $149.95 at Brownells

I need it now! Availability:

Lone Wolf or Brownells

Our Rating:

Pros:

Same size as their TimberWolf frame
Fits most Glock 19 holsters
Drill bits and Jig included
Comes with 2 size backstraps
Comes with oversized magwell
Gen 3 or 4 slide compatibility

Cons:

Not 100% Safe
Jig doesn’t fit well
Needs a drill press instead of a hand drill
Glue dries quickly during assembly
Waiting 48 hours for glue to fully cure

Score: 5.00 Mediocre

Lone Wolf Distributors has released their new Timberwolf “Glock” style small frames. I like to call these Version 2, as they have been completely redesigned. They have large and small frames available. The large frame is the .45/10mm, and the small frame is 9mm/.40/etc. This review is on one of the small frame versions, the TWF-C.

Timberwolf frames come in 4 available options. The “TW’ in the part number is, as one would guess, stands for “TimberWolf.” The “F” or “C” stands for full size or compact, either in the frame or the slide. The first “F” or “C” is the slide length you would like to use. I chose the TWF-C, which corresponds to a “full size slide”, so G17 length or longer (think G34), and a “compact” grip frame. This is only a complete frame, so one must supply their own complete slide. Other options are the TWF-F, TWC-F, and TWC-C.

The new Timberwolf frames come with a lot of options. First off, they are a serialized firearm, not an 80%, so they come fully assembled with Lone Wolf parts. Second, they come with a curved and flat backstrap. Third, it has a removable magwell. Fourth, an undercut trigger guard. Fifth, Gen3 or Gen4 slides can be used. Sixth, they fit in standard Glock holsters. Seventh, an accessory rail on the dust cover.

Unlike standard style frames, the TWF-C is small. Even though the width is the same, the circumference is way smaller. This is great for smaller handed shooters. For example, my Polymer80 measures at 5-¾” circumference, while the TWF-C measures 5-¼” with the flat, and 5-⅜” with the curved backstrap. I can definitely tell a big difference. In fact I ended up using the curved backstrap because the flat one is too small for my hand. The grip angle on the Timberwolf frame is also more 1911 style, than Glock style. A good thing for me, as the Glock grip angle never worked well for me.

For those of you who like larger magazine wells, the Timberwolf has you covered. It comes with a removable magwell adapter. I found it to work decently well for its size. The frame has a lip that the magwell just slides over, then the magwell pins at the rear. The design makes it super easy to take it on and off. I leave mine off, as it interferes with my grip on the pistol. It only covers up about 3/16” of the grip, but it reduced the grip enough for me to notice. When the magwell is off, there is still a lip, at the base of the grip, that sticks out a little. Having the option of a removable magwell, is a pretty slick idea.

Now that we understand the TWF-C frame, let's get into how it performs. First things first, I chose the TWF-C because I wanted the shorter frame with a G17 slide. Mainly as a carry gun. The Timberwolf did not disappoint. Since it fits in standard glock holsters, it’s easy to find a carry rig. But, I don’t own any actual “Glocks”, so I used a modified Poly80 holster. It carried better than my compact Polymer80, mainly because the grip on the TWF-C is much more rounded. At the range, the Timberwolf performed flawlessly. It just shoots and shoots. I even used two different aftermarket G17 slides on the frame. One was compensated, one was not. Both served the TWF-C frame well. I did feel like the compensated slide was a bit too long for the compact frame, but that could be just me. The trigger supplied is, so to say, blah. It’s essentially a Glock feeling trigger. But, aftermarket Gen 3 triggers will go into the Timberwolf frame. I might want a more textured frame, but the texture is fine, especially for a carry gun. Smooth frames are also available. Other than that, I really like the Timberwolf frame.

If you're looking for something different in a Glock style pistol, Check out the new Timberwolf frames. Lone Wolf has you covered in the frame option department, with four different ones available. If you have small hands, but want all the options everyone else has, pick up one of these new frames, and feel the difference. Definitely go check out Lone Wolf, for their complete frames and complete slides, you can get a complete TWF-C pistol, if that’s your thing.