Product Review Lone Wolf 3.5lb Connector & Striker Spring Kit/LWC1 frame review.

Bobster

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Lone Wolf 3.5lb Connector & Striker Spring Kit/LWC1 frame review.

I initially reviewed these HERE along with a Warcat holster and Guard D sights if you want to check that out in case I forgot something here. For $4, the connector is worth it, for $9 the springs were so-so, IMO...

Connector LINK UPDATE: the 3.5lb connector is now $23! :eek:

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Striker Spring Kit LINK UPDATE: the spring kit is now $10...

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The LWC1 is equipped with a Dagger DLC SW1 slide with crowned barrel and 507 Horoson. The slide/optic had already been proven on the LWC3. After the slide re-assignment, the LWC3 then got a standard $99 Dagger DLC bare slide, threaded barrel and RSA I had kicking around. "Bare" Dagger slides come pre-loaded with everything but barrel and RSA. A prior trip to the range proved the LWC1 works fairly well although the trigger could have been better. This is a semi-aimed mag dump at 50'.

1stlwc1target.jpg lwbros.jpg

TARGET 3.5lb CONNECTOR:
I got out the "cheapie" Wheeler trigger scale and took some base-lines. 3-4 times to get an average. A quick note on this gauge is that I don't like the way the "hook" is free to rotate, especially on a rounded trigger face. It requires a spacer to keep it a finger's width away from the top of the trigger guard. You also need to "help" it by pushing on the trigger safety so the trigger will move. PSA was blowing them out for $10 about a month ago. I think I paid about $25 10yrs ago. :( It works "ok" but it might be time to spend a bit more to get a nicer one.

wheeler.jpg

  • The Dagger FS formally known as WideLoad came in at 4lbs due in part to the trigger work I did previously. LINK I think this gun will benefit from a 3.5lb connector. :)
  • The PF940C built with USPA parts measured in at 5.5lbs. It will be "tuned" eventually.
  • The TWC3 came in at 6lbs. The internals for this came from a Freedom Wolf 80% that this serialized frame replaced under warranty. The FW initially wouldn't function until I replaced the trigger parts with an OEM Glock setup except the block. Then those parts went into the TWC3 when I retired the FW. This gun is still a work in progress--I might even try putting the LW parts back in it...
  • The TWC1 started off at 5lbs. Then I replaced the stock LW connector with the 3.5lb connector which brought it down to 4lbs. I polished the sharp edges of the connector and trigger bar while they were out. I also installed a flat plastic trigger shoe leftover from a P80 build. I noticed the trigger was still a little "sticky" so I took a look at how the firing pin safety "hump" was interacting with the safety plunger and it looked to be too close to the slide--not touching but deserved of a tweak.
  • Removed the trigger assy (again), put the bar in the vise clamping on the fp safety hump and gave a little bend/tweak prying up with the screwdriver as shown. (I'm using the unused TWC3 trigger bar for illustration) This was better than clamping the entire base of the bar in a vise and tweaking the hump from above as was done with WideLoad. Putting the trigger back together it was determined one tweak wasn't enough. So back apart, bar back in the vise, another little tweak then back together and the second tweak did the trick. :) Re-checked the pull and it went down to 3.5lbs. :)

tweakntrigbar.jpg

STRIKER SPRING KIT:
I thought this kit might come in handy for "tuning" or whatever. According to Lone Wolf:
Silver Long=Factory Weight
Silver Short=Mid Weight
Bronze=Light Weight

So I started with swapping the PSA spring that came in the slide with the "mid-weight" spring. Since I was using the armorer's plate to check striker engagement I determined it could be useful to get the spring cups back in as shown. :) Yes, they make special tools for this you can get for as little as $10. 3D print from dbay shown.

satool1.jpg satool2.jpg nutheruse.jpg

You can also use the slide to get the cups out, I flip the SA in its slide hole as shown. With this method it helps to have a vise handy. The back plate on this slide (from the TWC3) was SUPER tight and required a gentle tap of a spudger wedge made out of an old toothbrush handle to get it to pop out while holding the striker sleeve down with a Glock tool.

slidesatool.jpg

With the "mid-weight" spring, the pull went up to 3.75lbs. :rolleyes:

Back apart to try the "light-weight" spring and the pull went down to 2.5lbs BUT the trigger was slow to return so out it came and I put the PSA spring back in.

I did not try the "factory-weight" spring because I wasn't that curious and I had achieved the results I was looking for--a lower weight trigger pull and smoother trigger with striker engagement about 2/3.

At the range, the TWC1 fired fine with no malfunctions. At least 100 rounds. My son's GF was able to fire it with no stovepipes (ie: limpwristing)--a great acheivement IMO as this was only her second time shooting a gun. :) We never left the plinking range so I was not able to check the Guard D sights on the pistol range on a paper target as we had run out of daylight. The Rock Island .38 snubby was also in the rotation as was the S&W 15-22.
 
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UPDATE: I just placed another order with LW. The 3.5lb connectors are back down to $3.95 LINK so I got a few more since I was satisfied with the previous one. Also got a stop screw for the LW trigger housing and an extended Gen4 mag release. The TWC1 didn't come with one although the TWC3 parts kit did... Just a small parts order enticed by an email. :rolleyes:

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The Warcat holster and Guard D sights described HERE are now up to $25ea. :( I forgot to sight in the Guard Ds AGAIN the last range trip so no report yet... :rolleyes:

The last range trip was a lot of sighting in and I determined the DLC (black) slide/barrel on DaggerWolf was not quite as accurate as the FDE slide/barrel on WideLoad so I swapped them. Checked striker engagement and trigger pull and they were the same. (2/3 and 3.5lbs). Pic below also shows a few pieces of strategically-placed grip tape.

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Gun ran fine at the Action Steel a couple weeks ago. Only issue was the "new" (has been sitting on a shelf for 10yrs) Glock 18 mag (ie 32rd-er) didn't like being loaded over 29 rounds (FTFs) so I only loaded 28 and didn't have a problem after that. As many stages require 25ish rounds (if no misses), the mag is handy with no changes required. I'm pretty good with mag changes and could always go back to the 20s. Actually, another issue is one of my scores in one of the stages didn't get entered into the tablet so I got fucked as far as overall score goes. :(

I was still getting used to the flat trigger at the beginning of the match but got better as the morning went on. There was a little too much over-travel which I have since cured by taking the stop screw out of the TWC3 and installing it and adjusting it in the TWC1. The ordered screw above will go back in the TWC3 to replace the one I pinched. I might swap the barrels to/from the two Dagger slides and see how accuracy changes. As in--is it the barrel or is it the slide? :unsure: This is if I can get to the range before the next match in 2wks. Otherwise I'm going to run DaggerWolf as-is. :)
 
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UPDATE 2: Got the LW parts in a few days--they ship rather quickly in most cases. :) I figured some might like to see the "trigger" stop screw that comes in some Lone Wolfs.

I didn't install the Glock extended Gen4 mag release on anything yet but it really isn't that "extended" compared to the one that came with the Freedom Wolf kit which is now in the TWC3 shown. I measured .33mm diff which is like .01". The Glock number was 8794. I'll have to measure the one that came in the TWC1, which came as a complete frame from LW.

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The Freedom Wolf was replaced under "warranty" with the TWC3. I'll buy the supersuperglue to glue the rail back on one of these days. The Gen4 DeadPool slide was sold off to finance an optics cut slide. The internals live on in the TWC3. I had trouble with the factory trigger that came with the FW kit so I put a Glock Gen3 trigger in and had to swap the LW "Gen4" block onto it. After a match with the DeadWolf one of the rails had come loose and my trigger finger was "bruised" from the Glock trigger safety blade sticking out excessively. It has since been trimmed down.

fwdeadpool1.jpg

Some Lone Wolfs come with a "trigger stop" screw which actually limits the rear travel of the cruciform. I "borrowed" the screw from the TWC3 to use with my TWC1 which did not come with one. It is fairly easy to install/adjust them as long as you have the tiny allen wrench (one comes with the screw). Remove the slide, pop the rear pin out, lift up on the trigger block and the screw is right there and the hole is already threaded.

trigscrew2.jpg trigscrew3.jpg

With the TWC1 (DaggerWolf), after some trial and error I ended up with only about 2 threads showing. Any more than that and it tended to tweak the block when the trigger was pulled but the 2 threads DID make a noticeable difference in trigger travel. That gun has LW trigger parts.

With the TWC3 (shown), the screw doesn't seem to be touching the Glock cruciform at all. :unsure: I adjusted it at 2 threads showing and it is not even close. Perhaps the Glock cruciform is a different dimension in that location? :unsure: I may try putting the original LW trigger bar, shoe and connector in and seeing why the LW trigger didn't work in the first place. The orange armorer's back plate is already on the PSA DLC slide shown.

Also note the LW ejector which is twisted. The .40 ejector that also came with the kit is flat and straight. (not shown)

trigscrew4.jpg

Eventually RunDLCWolf will become my son's carry/car piece once the bugs are ironed out of it... :)
 
This is an informative thread. I have used the LW 3.5 lb connector in 5 or 6 builds as well as their firing springs. That setup in in my G20 LW build I did back in 2019. It has a trigger pull just under 4#.
Bobster, I like the toothbrush mod for a jig to hold the striker Assembly in place while the cups are installed. Been using the slide as a tool for a decade. đź‘Ť
 
This is an informative thread. I have used the LW 3.5 lb connector in 5 or 6 builds as well as their firing springs. That setup in in my G20 LW build I did back in 2019. It has a trigger pull just under 4#.
Bobster, I like the toothbrush mod for a jig to hold the striker Assembly in place while the cups are installed. Been using the slide as a tool for a decade. đź‘Ť

Thanks for the love. ;)
DaggerWolf above has been upgraded with a GPT with added LW 3.5 connector and breaks smoothly and consistently at 3.5lbs. The GPT dropped right in the LW frame--no mods necessary. I'll probably get another one during a BF sale next month. It took a little getting used to as the trigger doesn't stay "back" after the last round in the mag like old glockish triggers. But I know the "feel" of the slide locking back so NBD... :) DW is used for shooting steel plates in "competition" and just runs so I'm done tinkering with it. :cool:

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