My Review of the Lone Wolf .40 Cal Compensator for Glocks

I got the Lone Wolf .40 Caliber Compensator for Glock pistols a couple of months ago mainly for use to help control recoil at full-auto. Aesthetically, the compensator looks great, giving the gun an exotic, space gun like look to it. The sharp edges also seem to make it look intimidating, and in my personal opinion, just helps in making the gun look very nice. 

Bottom view of the Lone Wolf .40 cal Compensator

Side view of the Lone Wolf .40 cal Compensator

Top view of the Lone Wolf .40 cal Compensator

However, things did not turn out so well, as I found a couple of issues with it.

'Strong Backblast'
First issue is the strong backblast I get with it, most especially if I use it on my Glock with its buttstock and forward grip. The side vents are angled towards the user, and when firing some of the soot ends up on the knuckle of the index finger of my left hand, the one holding the forward grip. 

Burnt powder residue on my knuckle as on the top ports of the Lone Wolf .40 cal Compensator

Furthermore, since I am right handed and I am on the left side of the weapon, I can feel some warm, hot gasses blowing thru the top-left side of my head. The backblasts are not hot enough to do any sort of damage to my knuckle or to my head, it is more of fast, hot air blowing for a short time. But they can be distracting, and need getting used to.

The backblast also causes the noise of the firearm to be directed to the sides, not good for the other shooters on either side of you in the Firing Range. Even if they are wearing hearing protection, they will notice it.

In fairness, I think the compensator was not designed for use with a buttstock and forward grip as they would put parts of your body closer to the compensator. The compensator was intended for use free hand, with your arms out and the compensator away from your head and hands as much as possible. Used this way, the backblast is likely a lot less than it was.

'Ineffective in Full Auto'
One of my expectations with this compensator is that it will work well enough for me to be able to use my Glock in full auto without the buttstock, with either just the front grip, or maybe even single-handed. That turned out to be grossly false, as full-auto accuracy with the buttstock and front grip proved to be no better than when I am not using it. 

Comparison of full-auto fire with and without the Lone Wolf .40 cal Compensator

I don't know why this is so, maybe because the .40 caliber recoil is too strong, and/or perhaps the compensator was designed only for semi-auto and not full-auto use, but the result is very disappointing. I expected little or no muzzle rise when using it, but I did find more than expected when firing in bursts.

'Loose Compensator'
A third problem is that the compensator does get loose after firing only a couple of rounds. This happens in semi-auto fire, and occurs much faster when using full-auto fire. No matter how much you tighten the retaining screw at the bottom of the Compensator (supposed to keep the Comp from spinning), it does end up spinning and ending up in different angles after a while of use.

The solution to this is simply to use blue low-tack Loctite, or any Thread-Locker out there. I put some on the main thread, and also on the retaining pin. The problem was effectively solved this way, as the Compensator ended up very solid, not spinning anymore and withstanding the force of full-auto fire.

The Cord Crocodile Grip Threadlock

HOWEVER, a warning out there: Don't put too much Loctite or Thread-Locker, as you could end up with a stuck Compensator that is very hard to remove from the barrel, like what happened to me. I ended up going to a Gunsmith just to solve the problem.

I recommend putting only very small amount of threadlock on the main thread, maybe 1/5 to 1 drop at most. You can put a lot of threadlock on the Retaining Screw on the bottom of the compensator. This will keep it from loosening during firing, and the small surface area means the screw will NOT lock up no matter how much threadlock you put in there. 

Closeup of the Retaining Screw of the Lone Wolf .40 cal Compensator

'Parting Shot'
My hopes of using the Lone Wolf .40 caliber Compensator as an additional recoil control tool for full auto fire failed miserably. You have that back blast to contend with, and on top of that it doesn't improve full-auto accuracy. Applying thread lock on the threads also need to be done with extra care, as too much will lock that compensator to the barrel like cement.

In fairness, the LWD Compensator was definitely not designed for use this way, hence the failure should've been perhaps expected. It was designed for use in semi-auto only, and fired freehand with your arms extended and as far from your body as possible.

In closing, here are two sample target boards when I used it in semi-auto mode. Note that it did very well in that regard, keeping the groupings tight, and subjectively shooting felt a little better, with less felt recoil on my shoulder.

Shot grouping of the Lone Wolf .40 cal Compensator fired in Semi-Auto

Another shot grouping of the Lone Wolf .40 cal Compensator fired in Semi-Auto