Springfield 1911 DS Prodigy Range Report

[Erich]

Yesterday I took my 4.25" Prodigy out for the first time to do a limited function test before swapping over to the optic and sighting it in. Wasn't thinking range report having only planned a quick 50 rounds on top of the (very shameful) fact that I haven't fired a pistol since last October. I ended up at 75 rounds and very taken with how it did.

The short of it: This gun just plain shoots and as cliche as it is, it makes anyone look good.  It ran flawlessly over the rounds fired. I found it well balanced and surprisingly soft shooting. It is beyond easy to shoot, and shoot well.

Out of the box, the gun has great fit. There is no perceptible play in the slide to rail fit, the bull barrel lock-up is tight. Even with that, it quite slick. Slowing cycling the slide there are no rough points, consistently smooth all the way to the lock.

The trigger. I had the option to handle 3 different Prodigy's the day I bought mine. They had some variation. One in particular had over twice the reset travel of the other 2 and a higher pull weight. It was out. The other 2 were closer. Very similar overall fit and feel, but one had a tick less creep. It was out.

On getting home, I dry fired it a bit. If you are being a trigger snob and slowly break the trigger over 2 to 3 seconds, you notice the creep as the sear takes its sweet time riding over what must be some pretty high hammer hooks. Safety first. On my digital (after range), trigger breaks @ 3.5lbs averaged over 6 pulls. In live fire normal trigger use, the creep is not noticeable. Pretty nice for a factory setup. No plans to modify for now.

The first 50 rounds were shot a full size steels @ 50 yards. The factory optic cover plate has a higher sight compared to the one on the optic mounting plate. Over the first couple mags I found it shoots relatively high. Ended up finding a hold at the bottom of plate was needed, netting consistently higher torso hits. While I was watching for berm strikes to walk it in, it struck me how little the muzzle was rising and how quickly it dropped back on target though I wasn't necessarily trying.  I credit the inherent 1911 goodness, platforms balance, and the modern 2011 grip's improved (for me) ergos.  I realize the grip is polarizing for many, but for me the extra girth fit my hands well and I like its more aggressive texture. 

I plinked the next couple mags at the steels to wrap up. I played around with support hand hold being a new grip for me. Small errors are limited by how controllable this gun is and the amount of feedback it provides.  Even with a 5 month break introducing some consistency problems, its was relatively forgiving and gave good repeatability. Felt really happy with how it performed.

Got back to my truck, I looked at the board under the backseat. OK, got to do it. I walked my board out to 15 yds.  This was my second target that had 13 rounds fired at it.  I am pleased how great this gun shoots. It is accurate, beyond my ability. No doubt more skilled practiced hands would give very impressive results. Very curious to see how it does with the optic.

 

[Danger Rane]

Great report, thanks for sharing. I’m looking forward to getting my hands around one at some point. 

[Grayfox54]

Is that a scratch, mold mark or crack in the lower front of the grip? 

[Erich]

4 hours ago, Grayfox54 said:

Is that a scratch, mold mark or crack in the lower front of the grip? 

Its molding flash. The pic really makes it look worse than it is. Worse on that side. One of the downsides to not being $2300.

There are a couple other things that showed its lower cost origins. Overall the finish is great. But they drop parts or toss them around in bins. The outer edge of the muzzle crown shows couple mm indents from barrels smacking one another or something. And the rear sight had a ding that rolled into the notch . I called springfield and they sent me a new cover plate so they are good about the service side.

Edited March 27, 2023 by Erich

[Grayfox54]

Springfield has the best customer service in the industry. 

[hipower]

Thanks for your report. I appreciate it. Liked the Prodigy first time I saw an ad for them. Sadly for me, not in the budget at this time. I'll just have to wait.

[BigK]

I keep seeing magazine ads for that gun. I think it looks great. I love the extended beaver tail and the grip safety.

Edited April 4, 2023 by BigK

[Erich]

Quick update. The factory optic cover plate would not come off as intended. An out of spec plate was forced into place when built.

I was able to eventually remove it but revealed damage to the area from the installation. it’s on its way to the mothership to inspect and address the slide damage and get a replacement optic plate. 

[M3s90]

Thanks, have been interested in this gun