GUN TESTS GRADE: A
$884
The TWL-S Frame/Gray Man Slide is the same as the TWL-L Frame/Gray Man Slide except it is chambered in 10mm caliber and has a different frame size. This is the short-frame variant, and it looks similar to the TWL-L frame except for a shorter grip and no magwell. The slides were also completely the same except for the 10mm barrel.
Action | Locked breech, striker fire, semi-auto |
Overall Length | 7.5 in. |
Overall Height | 4.25 in. |
Maximum Width | 1.2 in. |
Weight Unloaded | 31.0 oz. |
Weight Loaded | 36.0 oz. |
Barrel | 4.6 in. |
Capacity | 10+1 (double stack) |
Slide | Matte stainless steel |
Slide-Retraction Effort | 16.0 lbs. |
Frame | Black, polymer; modular grip |
Frame Front Strap Height | 1.7 in. |
Frame Back Strap Height | 2.1 in. |
Grip | Textured polymer |
Grip Thickness (max) | 1.2 in. |
Grip Circumference (max) | 5.5 in. (flat grip insert) |
Front Sight | Fixed, dot front |
Rear Sight | Outline, optic mount |
Trigger-Pull Weight | 4.8 lbs. |
Trigger Span Single Action | 2.8 in. |
Magazines | 1; polymer |
Manual Safety | None |
Warranty | Limited Lifetime |
Made In | USA |
Website | LoneWolfDist.com |
This sample also came in a soft-nylon case and with one 10-round Glock OEM plastic magazine. It also accepts 15-round Glock G20 magazines. The LWD TWL-S looked a bit out of proportion with the full-size barrel and the short, compact grip, but it had good balance with a full magazine.
In hand, the TWL-S frame offers just the right amount of grip. Nothing more or nothing less. For some testers, their small finger just had enough grip; larger-handed shooters curled their pinky fingers under the magazine floorplate. With the flush-fit 10-round magazine inserted into the grip, there was a gap between the magwell and the floorplate. This allows the user to more easily pull out a stuck magazine if that happens.
Going hot, we felt we had the minimal amount of grip area needed to control the powerful 10mm, especially at speed. The LWD trigger had a 4.8-pound pull that we felt was an improvement over the Glock OEM trigger. Again, we preferred this trigger over the stock G37 trigger. We like the extended sight radius afforded by the full-size slide because most compact pistols also have a shorter barrel and slide. The texture helped control the snappiness of the 10mm.
Our smallest five-shot group at 25 yards was with Buffalo Bore 180-grain JHPs, which measured 0.81 inches. That was an anomaly because the average five-shot group at 25 yards measured closer to 2 inches. This is good accuracy. In our Wizard speed test, the LWD TWL-S was a snappy handful. Recoil was noticeable, and we needed to really pay attention to keep the holes clustered. Again, trigger was reset was short, so follow-up shots were fast.
For concealed carry, the subcompact frame makes sense because the grip is the part that prints. The barrel is longer than what you normally encounter with a subcompact frame. Using the same Bravo Concealment holster, we concealed carried the LWD TWL-S, and the compact frame did not print.
Our Team Said: Recoil was quite noticeable but controllable with the LWD TWL-S, and accuracy was very good. It was also easier to conceal carry it due to the short, subcompact grip. This is an option if you want a compact 10mm with the ballistic performance of a full-size 10mm.
45 AUTO Range Data | |||
Smith & Wesson M&P45 M2.0 Compact | Winchester Train 230-gr. FMJ | Federal American Eagle 230-gr. FMJ | HPR 185-gr. JHP |
Average Velocity | 770 fps | 800 fps | 830 fps |
Muzzle Energy | 303 ft.-lbs. | 327 ft.-lbs. | 283 ft.-lbs. |
Smallest Group | 1.3 in. | 1.2 in. | 1.8 in. |
Average Group | 1.4 in. | 1.6 in. | 2.2 in. |
Lone Wolf Distributors TWL-L | Winchester Train 230-gr. FMJ | Federal American Eagle 230-gr. FMJ | HPR 185-gr. JHP |
Average Velocity | 797 fps | 809 fps | 963 fps |
Muzzle Energy | 324 ft.-lbs. | 334 ft.-lbs. | 381 ft.-lbs. |
Smallest Group | 1.7 in. | 1.0 in. | 0.7 in. |
Average Group | 2.0 in. | 1.7 in. | 1.4 in. |
10MM AUTO Range Data | |||
Lone Wolf Distributors TWL-S | Buffalo Bore 180-gr. JHP | SIG Sauer V-Crown 180-gr. FMJ | Hornady Critical 165-gr. FTX |
Average Velocity | 1317 fps | 1213 fps | 1222 fps |
Muzzle Energy | 693 ft.-lbs. | 588 ft.-lbs. | 547 ft.-lbs. |
Smallest Group | 0.8 in. | 1.6 in. | 2.0 in. |
Average Group | 1.3 in. | 1.9 in. | 2.2 in. |
45 GAP Range Data | |||
Glock G37 Gen 3 | Sellier & Bellot 230-gr. FMJ | Speer Lawman 185-gr. TMJ | Speer LE Gold Dot 200-gr. GDHP |
Average Velocity | 840 fps | 1027 fps | 943 fps |
Muzzle Energy | 360 ft.-lbs. | 433 ft.-lbs. | 395 ft.-lbs. |
Smallest Group | 2.1 in. | 1.6 in. | 1.9 in. |
Average Group | 2.3 in. | 2.1 in. | 2.0 in. |