The Timberwolf Subcompact 10mm

Lone Wolf Distributors cut their teeth designing and producing top-quality aftermarket accessories for GLOCK pistols. For more than a decade they have been the go-to guys for threaded barrels, specialized guide rods, grip plugs, drop-in custom slides and a zillion other well-reasoned accessories designed to optimize your favorite polymer smoke pole. Now, Lone Wolf also offers some radical new complete pistols. Their newest 10mm subcompact creation packs unprecedented power into a package you can actually tote underneath shorts and a T-shirt.

War Story

It’s the most studied gunfight in history. Former Army Ranger Michael Lee Platt was one of two bank-robbing murderers pulled over in an otherwise quiet Miami-Dade County neighborhood by FBI agents in April of 1986. When the smoke cleared both felons were dead as were two of the agents. Another five agents were wounded. The gunfire was so extreme locals later said they thought they were filming an episode of Miami Vice.

The tactics have already been explored in profound detail. The most extraordinary bit, however, was the remarkable physiology of Platt’s reaction to his gunshot wounds. Despite suffering a lethal injury early on, Platt went on to fire 42 rounds out of his Mini-14 and a half dozen shots through a pair of .357 revolvers.

In the opening moments of the fight Platt caught a 115-gr. 9mm Winchester Silvertip bullet in his right arm just above the elbow. The bullet passed across the humerus and through the biceps. Along the way it severed the brachial vessels, spilling energy as it went.

Partially spent, this projectile then entered Platt’s chest between the fifth and sixth ribs. Tumbling vigorously the round tore through the right lung and came to rest about an inch short of his heart. Despite the severity of this injury, Platt kept fighting for another four minutes and subsequently killed the two FBI agents.

At his post-mortem evaluation it was determined Platt had lost 1.3 liters of blood into his right lung. A typical adult human only has about five liters total. This wound was fatal and would have ultimately stopped him, but not in the first five minutes when it really counted.

My own experience in an urban ER has demonstrated this as well. I have seen several thugs die from well-placed center-of-mass gunshot wounds a full 15 to 30 minutes after they were initially shot. During the interim they were capable of fomenting a great deal of mischief.

So what is the point to all this gory discourse? It behooves those of us who frequently pack handguns of questionable power to appreciate just how ineffective our tools might be if we to use them for real. A .380 ACP pocket pistol might be easy to tote but there is certainly no guarantee a Bad Guy is going to be terribly inconvenienced if you unleash it on him. With this in mind Lone Wolf Distributing set out to build the most powerful concealed carry handgun the current state of the art could contrive. The end result is their custom Timberwolf Subcompact (TWL-S) 10mm pocket cannon.

Pertinent Particulars

Everything is Physics. Cram an enormous cartridge into a tiny gun and it will suck too much to shoot it often or well. In the case of the Timberwolf TWL-S, the solution was to mate a subcompact frame with a full-length slide. When packing a concealed handgun, the size of the grip is typically the limiting reagent. You can shove a full-sized slide down your drawers with no one being the wiser but a long fat grip is inevitably going to “print.”

In this case the big slide offers extra mass, nice barrel length and a proper recoil system, all key attributes for recoil management. Scalloped grip grooves make the gun easy to cycle and stainless steel construction makes it indestructible. Tiny slots along the top help decrease glare and state-of-the-art tritium sights keep the gun pointed in the right direction, even in hard dark. A Lone Wolf back plate also offers a cool toothy wolf staring back as you align the sights.

Where it all begins

The real magic happens in the frame. When first you heft it, you can just tell this gun will never work. The polymer frame is too short for proper purchase. Equipping a 10mm Auto heater with such a tiny gripping surface seemed to be the formula for misery on the range — then I slapped the extended magazine in place and the little light came on over my head.

These stubby little double stack magazines pack a full 10 rounds of 10mm Auto chaos. Add the Lone Wolf finger extension baseplate and the number goes to 12. The little extra bit of gripping space makes the gun fit perfectly in the typical adult hand. The end result really does something I never thought possible — packing 10mm Auto power into a package small enough to hide and carry comfortably.

The polymer grip is nicely pebbled and the magazine release is easily reversible. The trigger is classic GLOCK with a predictable take-up and nice crisp break.

Trigger Time

The 10mm Auto cartridge is a monster and you certainly know you’re shooting it. However, the TWL-S is also undeniably effective. The raked grip-to-frame angle orients the line of recoil along your forearm to minimize muzzle flip and the dimensions of this compact little pocket howitzer fit me nicely.

Reliability was flawless with everything we fed it, while the slide locked back over an empty mag every time. Magazines drop free cleanly so the manual of arms is the same as with most polymer-framed pistol. The slide release and magazine catch stick out just enough to grab without getting in the way.

At reasonable handgun ranges the Lone Wolf TWL-S will reliably group within a soup can lid. I burned up a substantial stash of 10mm Auto ammo during our time together and I can attest this gun does indeed have a manly comportment. This isn’t the gun you will use to kill a lazy afternoon at the range while happily ventilating discarded Coke cans. However, should you ever have to use it for real, you’ll be thankful for all the power.

Philosophy

The debate over caliber versus stopping power has raged ever since the invention of gunpowder. Now after countless real-world examples and untold gallons of blood spilt, we still don’t really have the definitive answer. It’s safe to say if you are ever called upon to use your defensive firearm for real, you will want the biggest, baddest, meanest gun money can buy.

In the world of concealed carry pistols, however, you just aren’t going to get much more effective than the 10mm Auto Timberwolf TWL-S. The pistol harnesses state-of-the-art materials science and recoil systems to make such a powerful pistol fully portable. To be effective a defensive handgun needs to be available, reliable and accurate. This new gun from Lone Wolf is all this and more.

www.lonewolfdist.com

Subscribe To GUNS Magazine

Purchase A PDF Download Of The GUNS Magazine April 2020 Issue Now!