Where can the Prodigy get?

[PhillipeC]

Where do I begin?

Beginning of last year, after a couple of John Wick movies I decided to start participating on some Practical Pistol matches near me. Had my Glock 34 which had only the stock frame as all other parts were replaced to use it as my competition gun. Loved the match and had fun but I could observe that a lot of shooters were in the 2011/1911DS game. I'm a big fan of the 1911 platform but never had that kind of cash for them.
That is when I met the Prodigy and fell in love. I ordered my self a 4.25" and started learning about them and shooting it as I learned. Used in matches and as a range toy, the Prodigy proved to be a very good gun. Maybe I'm lucky, or maybe I'm just not afraid of tweaking it and making it work.
Throughout the range sessions, I started replacing parts. Not that I had problems, but, I wanted to make it even better.
It all started with an Atlas Toolless guide rod. From there, I replaced a couple of springs to make it smoother. Fast forward to a year later and about 2000 rounds, this is how it sits now.

How did I get here?

Well, a month ago I decided that the 1911DS/2011 was what I wanted to spend my time and money with and saved enough to get an XC, which in my mind was a "dream gun". I know there are many others out there but I really like the way it looks, and, for the price, the features are quite nice. (I.E. island comp barrel.)
That is when I decided to shoot one and feel it and I can say that when I held it I was very disappointed. Even more when I cycled the slide.
My prodigy felt like glass sliding on glass. The XC felt like glass on glass with a lot of sand in between… (yes, it was recently cleaned and shouldn't feel like that.)
I shot it and it shoots very flat and it is a very nice gun, but, is it $4300 nice? Not sure about that.
That is when I decided to get my hard earned money and invest in a gun that changed my mind and made me enjoy shooting even more.

Below is a list of parts and how much I spent on them. Keep in mind, some of the items I payed retail price, others I did not.

Prodigy - $1200
Holosun 407C-GR - $220 or $320 with the plate.
Atlas Toolless guide rod - $65
Springs - $15
EGW Internals - $135
Extended slide release - $45
PT Hero Grip with Magwell - $500
DSC Comped Barrel - $395

Total - $2675.

This is barely what you need for a STOCK Staccato P with plate and optic.
This is $1625 LESS than a Staccato XC without optic.

And, you have an aluminum grip.

Overall feel, I can't stop playing with it and it just amazes me at every trigger pull.
Trigger sits at a consistent 1.9lbs right now.
As you can see in the pics, the aluminum grip is a tad bit thinner than the stock polymer which fits my hands incredibly well.
The overall barrel length makes it almost the same length as a 5" now. (DUH!)
It shoots very flat and you can check a quick comparison here:

DSC Comp Barrel - Prodigy - test

View: https://youtu.be/MW-TGLbZE-0


After recording these, I went to the 7yd line and
shot 15 round groups in less than 12 seconds. The results are attached.

It now weighs 38oz unloaded. My
Goal was to get as close as possible to a Staccato XC and I can say that I got very close but spending pretty much half of the price of one which leaves some money for what is really worth… Training! And ammo!
This gun shoots flat, it is very accurate with the comped barrel. I'm very happy I jumped on the Prodigy train and even more than I decided to build it. If anyone ever wants to try it, send me a message. I'm sure we can work something out.

Read More

 

[DJW]

I finally got out yesterday and put about 200 rounds through my Prodigy. I did not get good accuracy, but that could be it just didn't like the ammo I was using. It did handle hollow points pretty well though. After shooting it a bit, I decided that I don't like the rear site much. I would like to put an adjustable rear on it so I can adjust elevation. Not sure what to go with though. Also, mine didn't lock open after last round even once. I contacted Springfield so I will see what they have to say. I do love the feel of the gun, but I need to do some fine tuning and find the ammo it likes.

 

[PhillipeC]

I finally got out yesterday and put about 200 rounds through my Prodigy. I did not get good accuracy, but that could be it just didn't like the ammo I was using. It did handle hollow points pretty well though. After shooting it a bit, I decided that I don't like the rear site much. I would like to put an adjustable rear on it so I can adjust elevation. Not sure what to go with though. Also, mine didn't lock open after last round even once. I contacted Springfield so I will see what they have to say. I do love the feel of the gun, but I need to do some fine tuning and find the ammo it likes.

The lack of QC fromSpringfield is what kills this gun. Mine eats anything… aluminum, brass, all brands, all grains, and is accurate with anything. About the lock back, does it lock back if you manually cycle the slide with an empty mag?

 

[TTSX]

But you had to put a weird pig nose comp on it. The staccato comp looks way better. Aesthetically it's a turn off though I'm sure it doesn't bother the person behind the gun

 

[DJW]

The lack of QC fromSpringfield is what kills this gun. Mine eats anything… aluminum, brass, all brands, all grains, and is accurate with anything. About the lock back, does it lock back if you manually cycle the slide with an empty mag?

Nope...not at all.

 

[PhillipeC]

But you had to put a weird pig nose comp on it. The staccato comp looks way better. Aesthetically it's a turn off though I'm sure it doesn't bother the person behind the gun

Comp is gone at this point as I've decided to improve my skills instead of making the gun shoot better. Still hits everything and anything. I do agree the comp was not the best looking comp out there.
That said, my gun with or without modifications had the same accuracy and are all kinds of ammo.

 

[PhillipeC]

Nope...not at all.

That indicates it is a problem with your slide release pin. Check if it even tries to go up on an empty mag and also manually push it up and down. It should have little to no resistance. If it does, what you can do is remove it and polish so you get rid of any imperfections.

 

[DJW]

I tried to flush any dirt out and lube it. It does move, but it doesn't want to come up far enough to engage the slide...at least that what it seems like to me.
How hard is it to remove to polish? Looks like it would be a PIA?

 

[PhillipeC]

I tried to flush any dirt out and lube it. It does move, but it doesn't want to come up far enough to engage the slide...at least that what it seems like to me.
How hard is it to remove to polish? Looks like it would be a PIA?

How familiar are you with the 1911 platform? You have to remove it in order to field strip the gun. Just line up the smaller notch on the slide with the slide release and pop it out.

 

[Catbox]

Nifty write up.
If I didn't have other stuff I want more, I would build one up like this.
Thanks for including all the prices too.

 

[PhillipeC]

Nifty write up.
If I didn't have other stuff I want more, I would build one up like this.
Thanks for including all the prices too.

Thanks! It is a great "canvas" for the 2011 platform. Definitely worth the money!

 

[DJW]

How familiar are you with the 1911 platform? You have to remove it in order to field strip the gun. Just line up the smaller notch on the slide with the slide release and pop it out.

I misunderstood what you were talking about...my bad. I took a closer look at it last weekend and I polished the slide release. It was a sticking a little on the little spring-loaded pin. But it seems like the magazine spring is not strong enough to push the lock up when the mag is empty. I stretched the spring a bit and it seemed to do the trick...but it only worked once or twice. Suggestions?

 

[PhillipeC]

I misunderstood what you were talking about...my bad. I took a closer look at it last weekend and I polished the slide release. It was a sticking a little on the little spring-loaded pin. But it seems like the magazine spring is not strong enough to push the lock up when the mag is empty. I stretched the spring a bit and it seemed to do the trick...but it only worked once or twice. Suggestions?

I would work more on the slide catch/release. It is odd that you got 2 magazines with the same weakened spring. What you can also do is remove the little spring loaded pin and make that spring just a small bit shorter, reducing that detent strength. You can always send the gun back to SA and they will fix it, but you will be without it for weeks. I'm impatient and try to fix my stuff myself. If I screw up, I buy new parts and justify the money spent as a lesson/new skill learned.
Keep in mind that, if you shorten that spring on the detent, it will also affect the thumb safety.

 

[DJW]

I would work more on the slide catch/release. It is odd that you got 2 magazines with the same weakened spring. What you can also do is remove the little spring loaded pin and make that spring just a small bit shorter, reducing that detent strength. You can always send the gun back to SA and they will fix it, but you will be without it for weeks. I'm impatient and try to fix my stuff myself. If I screw up, I buy new parts and justify the money spent as a lesson/new skill learned.
Keep in mind that, if you shorten that spring on the detent, it will also affect the thumb safety.

Well, maybe it all in the release and the detent. I will work on it some more and maybe take a look at the detent spring and the safety. I did send a message to Springfield on their warranty site but haven't gotten a response yet other than the automated one letting me know they got the message. I'm a bit surprised I haven't heard from them since it's been about a week now.

 

[PhillipeC]

Well, maybe it all in the release and the detent. I will work on it some more and maybe take a look at the detent spring and the safety. I did send a message to Springfield on their warranty site but haven't gotten a response yet other than the automated one letting me know they got the message. I'm a bit surprised I haven't heard from them since it's been about a week now.

Call them. I lost a grip screw, called and they sent me a new one within a week.