Firearm: Lone Wolf Dusk 19 (MSRP: $649.95)
Introduced at SHOT Show 2023, Lone Wolf’s Dusk 19 polymer-frame, striker-fired 9 mm pistol does bear some similarity to that concealed-carry staple, the Glock G19. There’s a good reason for that: Lone Wolf has been making upgraded components for Glock owners for decades and has decided to eliminate the middleman with its own take on a carry pistol. Lone Wolf has offered both grip frames and slides as part of its Timberwolf line, and the Dusk 19 is a natural outgrowth of that progression.
One of the first things you’ll notice about the Dusk 19 is the decidedly non-Glock-like grip angle. Rather than the traditional grip angle—for Glocks—of approximately 22 degrees, the Dusk 19 has a more 1911-like grip angle of 19 degrees. This makes a difference to some people; I really don't notice it. Other differences abound, like the flat-face trigger, the deeply undercut trigger guard, pronounced forward serrations and a dedicated optics cut. Configurations are also plentiful, with threaded barrels, suppressor-height sights and slide- and frame-color variations incurring a slight upcharge.
Size-wise, the Dusk 19 is pretty close to the G19, with a 3.9-inch barrel, overall length of 7 inches and an empty weight of 19.8 ounces compared to 4 inches, 7.3 inches and 21 ounces, respectively, for the Glock. The Dusk 19 is compatible with most holsters for the G19 and uses the same magazines and aftermarket sights. When it comes to sights, Night Fision’s Stealth series night sights come installed, and the Dusk 19 has an optics cut for optics that use the Trijicon RMR footprint. This allows the optic to sit low on the slide, eliminating the need for suppressor-height sights.
Other features include a black nitride or PVD finish in numerous color options, stainless steel barrel and a flared magazine well. Both flat and rounded backstraps are available to best fit the Dusk 19 to the shooter’s hand, while both front and rear serrations provide ample purchase for administrative functions. While these features help distinguish the Dusk 19 from the G19 and its various clones, they’re all added to make the shooting experience better, not just pad a list of extras. There’s a lot of careful thought that went into the Lone Wolf Dusk 19, and it’s an excellent choice indeed for a compact-size carry gun.
Holster: Falco A903 holster (MSRP: $109.95)
We’ve covered Falco Holsters previously on “I Carry,” but only the leather variants offered by the Slovakian company. Falco also offers a wide range of kydex holsters, such as the A903 we have in today’s kit. The A903 is a single-sheet design, with twin retention screws also serving as an attachment point for an appendix-carry-friendly wing as well as a polymer belt clip. It’s simple, rugged and works well, everything you want in a daily carry rig.
One of the things that differentiates the Falco A903 kydex holster, though, is the amount of customization that is possible. Falco has done an excellent job with its holster-design website, with simple drop-down menus for choosing which firearm for which you wish to find a holster. Simple, easy to understand graphics further narrow the search to include the type of sights, optic cut or not, right- or left- hand, sweatguard size and color. You can even include an image on the holster for a slight upcharge, and there’s even a gift box option if that’s what you’re looking for.
Optic: Gideon Omega dot sight(MSRP: $269.99)
Since the Dusk 19 came with an optics cut for RMR-footprint optics, we’ve paired it with the new Omega dot sight from Gideon Optics. The large, circular window is designed for competition-style pistols, but it works just fine on compact, concealed-carry friendly handguns as well. The savvy viewer will note the use of “dot sight” rather than red dot – that’s because the Omega is available with either a red dot or a green dot as we have in today’s kit.
Should you want a red-dot, there’s another option, too. The standard 3-MOA dot can also be had with a 45-MOA circle for fast acquisition. No matter which reticle you choose, the Omega comes with 10 brightness settings, a low-power mode that automatically powers the unit down to conserve battery life, a Picatinny rail mount and a top-mounted battery compartment for the single CR1632 battery, which is also included. Three sets of mounting screws, a T10 hex wrench and a lens-cleaning cloth also come standard. That’s an awful lot of gear for an affordable optic.
