Lone Wolf Dawn 365 Kit: Upgrade Your SIG P365

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Lone Wolf Arms is a company well-known and recognized as a leader in producing good quality aftermarket GLOCK components and even making their own twist on the GLOCK handgun. Now they have branched into other handgun lines, including the striker-fired realm of SIG Sauer. It wasn’t until approached by David Fortier about evaluating their P365 line of products that I was aware of this endeavor. Known as the Dawn 365, Lone Wolf’s 365 and 365XL line of barrels and slides offer premium options, made from quality components with great finishes, but how well do they compare to traditional Lone Wolf quality? Let’s build a Dawn 365 and find out if it is indeed a beautiful morning or simply darkest before the Dawn.

Lone Wolf’s branching into SIG Sauer territory is pleasing but not necessarily shocking. Lone Wolf has forged their name in the aftermarket world, and with the huge success of SIG Sauer’s P365 series, it seems like a logical next step in their striker-fired evolution. So, what exactly makes the Dawn 365 and 365XL so special? Why would someone “upgrade” their already solid conceal carry or defensive SIG? Is this a logical step? These were all questions I asked myself before pulling one of my main carry guns out of circulation for this article.

The Dawn 365 components are produced from stainless steel, with the slide produced from 17-4 stainless and the barrels produced from 416R stainless steel. For those who didn’t get the correlation of the slide steel, it is the same type used to produce Mil-Spec stainless steel detents for Colt Mfg. and FNH M16’s and M4 Carbines by Schmid Tool (per technical data package). This means it is a durable and long-lasting stainless steel, which is advertised as being properly heat-treated. The 416R is typical, restricted sulfur content barrel stainless and typically yields quite accurate barrels overall. I was pleased to see different types of stainless steel used between the slide and barrel, as this will help prevent galling of the components with long term use. 

The barrels are Quench Polish Quench (QPQ) nitride-metal-treated on both the threaded and non-threaded variant of the Lone Wolf Dawn barrels, with the slide simply stating being “coated for corrosion and wear resistance.” I am not sure if this is DLC-coated or QPQ treated like the barrels, which I know that many (including myself) would like to know. I noticed that the coating on the barrel, more specifically the non-threaded barrel, scratches quite easily. This is quite unlike most QPQ finishes that I’ve experienced and while simply cosmetic, is still slightly concerning. The barrel-to-slide fit is great, even squeezing past that of SIG’s factory P365 slide to barrel fit. I am assuming this is due to Lone Wolf’s proprietary barrel contour. Speaking of their proprietary barrel contour, I am not sure how they could have this, while still accepting all factory components and being backwards compatible. However, they did it, though, and props to them.

The Dawn 365 slide is nicely contoured in comparison to a factory slide and looks good with an optics cut for a small (Holocaust 507) red dot. It has nice forward cocking serrations, along with weight reduction cuts (which are much more cosmetic than functional in that aspect). I like that the rear sight was left separate from the optics cut and not included on a type of “optics plate” that can loosen with time and use. Every square inch was used and well thought out, nothing felt like an “afterthought,” nor did it feel like Lone Wolf specifically designed the Dawn 365 to be ran with optics only, with iron sights as simply window dressing. The Dawn 365 slide was designed right with use and user in mind. The threaded and non-threaded barrels feature a nice target crowned barrel, nice machining, nice finish work and feature a “hood pocket,” along with “profile facets” which according to Lone Wolf, reduce surface area, allowing for faster lock-ups, faster cycling and a smoother shooting experience.

Assembly of the Dawn 365

Using factory components salvaged from my current P365 slide, all components fit quite well and went together effortlessly. Of course, being new components, I also applied lubricant to all bearing surfaces and moving internal parts. The fit and finish were quite nice, with all internal surfaces of the slide coated as well. I like this, as this is an added benefit and will help with corrosion resistance for those who carry daily in tropical environments or situations where the handgun will be subjected to repeated damp environments. The barrel fit and lockup is solid, smooth and while it may be a placebo effect, the action of the Dawn 365 does seem to feel smoother when operating the slide. Using the standard lower and trigger assembly (ironically, the “gun” according to the ATF), all fit and finish seems great, with no change in trigger pull or any noticeable changing in manual of arms (which I expected, as nothing in the internal workings of the lower was changed). 

For sights, the SIG Sauer night sights were left on the factory slide, with a nice set of fiber optic iron sights that was graciously sent from Angry Bear Arms. I like these sights quite well. They are robust, well made, and I like the fiber optic front sight post over the standard, tiny night sight picture. They also supplied a standard, straight black front sight, but the fiber optic is by far my favorite. They were supplied with two colors of fiber optic rods, which I opted for green, as the eye picks up the color green far superior to that of red. I like how they are slightly more rounded than the squared factory sights, often referred to as “de-horned,” this keeps the possibility of snagging on clothing while conceal carrying down to a minimum. They have a really nice profile and are somewhat reminiscent of a Novak-style combat iron sight picture. They are easy to use, easy to acquire and work quite nicely. I like that they supplied both fronts, as this gives the user more flexible options, and love that they are corrosion resistant nitride finished and American made. The Dawn 365 assembly does cycle smoother than the factory P365 set up, especially with Federal 9BPLE +P+ 115-grain and Speer Gold Dot 124-grain +P. It seemed more prevalent with hotter ammunition than Federal Syntech or FMJ of any type used. As far as the advertised “cycling faster,” I couldn’t tell a difference in that from the Dawn 365 to the P365. Could it technically? Yes, and it likely does. That said, I wouldn’t be able to tell unless my 365 was selective-fire. 

Overall, I don’t typically carry “aftermarket” part handguns like the Dawn 365, but this very well may be an exception. I like the way it handles, I like the feel and it looks great. I will be, of course, using my Kydex holsters from C & G Holsters. They are premium American made kydex holsters that are designed with carry in mind and specially cut to accommodate tall iron sights and micro red dot optics. C & G Holsters sent two holsters and I love the flat dark earth one as far as color, but for cold weather, the black "belt loop" model is my favorite, as it carrys comfortable and works quite well. Typically, my favorite kydex holsters are Bladetech, NSR and even custom made holsters from Bare Arms here in Ashland Kentucky. That said, I really like the way C & G Holsters holsters feel, carry and fit my Dawn 365. I may eventually switch the lower module out for a Gray Guns custom or even Wilson Combat contoured lower, but until then, the Dawn 365 fits my needs quite nicely.

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Lone Wolf Arms Dawn 365 Specs

• Type: Aftermarket SIG Sauer P365/XL replacement slide and barrel
• Construction: 17-4, high strength stainless steel
• Components: Dawn 365 stainless optics cut slide, threaded barrel and non threaded barrel (tested)
• Optics Cut: yes, Holosun 507K footprint
• Barrel: 416R stainless steel construction, QPQ/Nitride finished barrels (for corrosion resistance), drop in ready (no fitting required), standard 1/2x28 tpi threads.
• Slide MSRP: $289.95
• Threaded barrel: $174.95
• Non-threaded barrel: $159.95
• Manufacturer: Lone Wolf Arms 

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