Here's Why I Really Like The Springfield Prodigy 1911DS...

I have acquired quite a few 2011 style guns over the last 5 years, and it's the only platform that interests me these days. I have come to really like the Springfield Prodigy 1911DS despite having more expensive and better fit guns in my collection. I currently have 4 Staccatos, 4 STIs, 4 Bul Armorys, and 4 Springfields. Out of all of these guns, I tend to carry, train, and shoot matches with a Prodigy more than any other 2011 style gun. For me, the Prodigy just checks more boxes than my other guns when it comes to aesthetics, ergonomics, and value. The performance of all my 2011s differs a little bit based on the specific modifications (i.e. barrel porting) or upgrades, so performance does not really play a factor in all of this, as that can typically be tuned into any of the guns via modifications and/or upgrading components. My "check boxes" basically come down to slide serrations, overall proportions, grip module ergonomics, optics mounting systems, and overall quality and value. I recently felt the need to justify to myself why I like my Prodigy 1911DS guns more than everything else, so I decided to document it here. While the Prodigy 1911DS is not the winner in all of the categories, for me it certainly wins more categories than my other 2011 style guns and it is a close runner-up in some of the other categories.

Slide Serrations: STI > SA > Bul > Staccato

Slide serrations, particularly the front serrations compared to the rear serrations, are an important aesthetic feature to me. There should be enough serrations on the front of the slide to easily manipulate the slide, as an optic mounted to the rear of the slide practically renders the rear serrations useless. For me, I think there should be the same number of serrations on the front as there is on the rear, but most 2011 style guns have less serrations up front than on the rear. I prefer that there is at least 4 serrations up front and 5 serrations on the rear. My two 2019 STI Staccato P have the most aesthetically pleasing serrations of all of my guns, and the proportions front to rear look great. My Prodigy 1911DS's have perfectly adequate serrations... basic design, an acceptable front to rear ratio, and they are very functional. My V6 ported Bul TAC 4.25 has very nice looking and very functional front serrations, but there are more serrations up front than the rear, which looks a little odd to me. My Staccatos all have only 3 serrations up front regardless of the slide length, so they don't look as good to me even though they have the same style of serrations as my two STI 2019 Ps.

Slide Lengths: SA > Bul > STI > Staccato

I personally prefer 4.25" Commander length slides. I like the proportions of this slide length, especially with a compact grip or a chopped full-size grip, and I like the recoil impulse of this length over a longer slide. The Prodigy 1911DS comes in fairly traditional lengths of 5", 4.25", and a 3.5" compact. The Bul Armory guns come in 5" and 4.25", but their compact guns have a shorter 3.25" slide, which is less desirable to me than a 3.5" slide. Some of the older STI guns were available in 6", 5" and 4.25" (marketed as 4.15"), as well as some 3.9" and 3.5" lengths. The Staccatos have a lot of different non-traditional sizes: 5.4", 5", 4.5", 4.4", 4", 3.9" and 3.5", with no current 4.25" offerings at all.

 
Frame Lengths: Bul > STI > SA > Staccato

My Bul Armory guns have the best options for frame lengths. They have full-length dust covers (which is my preference), and their slash cut partial length dust covers look really good too. Most of my older STI guns have full-length dust covers, but their straight cut partial length dust covers are very plain looking. My Prodigy 1911DS's all have the same "butler cut" on the end which is not quite full-length, but long enough that it looks good. My Staccatos all came with plain straight cut partial length dust covers combined with slides longer or shorter than 4.25" which makes them the least desirable to me. In an effort to make it look better, I did a slash cut on the frame of my V8 ported Staccato P 4.4", which makes it look a little better.

Frame Widths: SA/Bul > STI/Staccato

My Prodigy 1911DS's and Bul Armory's frames are all as wide as the slides, which is what I prefer. My STI's and Staccato's frames are all thinner than the slides, which is less desirable to me since most modern high-end 2011 style guns have wider frames.

Grip Module Ergonomics: SA > Staccato > Bul > STI

The Prodigy 1911DS grip module has the best ergonomics of any factory polymer grip module in my opinion. They just feel better in my large hands as the back of the grip in the mainspring housing area is wider and more rounded, and they look better once I've done my specific texture work to them which is done in a 360 degree wrap around configuration. The smooth finger groove of the Prodigy's grip module along with the longer beavertail grip safety help me to get a good grip more consistently than guns that don't have those features. The Staccato and Bul Armory grip modules are similar to each other and look and feel great with my texture work, but the Staccato grip modules also have a smooth finger groove and they seem to be made out of a better material than the Bul grip modules. The older STI grip modules look good and feel great with my texture work, but as the original polymer 2011 grip module they are fairly dated as far as styling features and ergonomics.

Optics Mounting Systems: Staccato > SA > Bul > STI

The Staccato "DPO" mounting system is probably the best factory system for mounting a wide variety of optics on a 2011 style gun and it is a very robust design. The Prodigy 1911DS "AOS" mounting system also has a lot of options for different optics, but the factory mounting plates fit a little loose on the slide and the mounting screws are very small, which can cause issues with the screws coming loose or shearing off. However, there are a lot of companies that make aftermarket mounting plates for the Prodigy that fit better and use stronger screws. Bul Armory's new "BAO" mounting system is very robust, but they only have RMR, DPP, and RMS mounting plates. This leaves out the Holosun 509T as an option, which is my favorite optic for concealed carry, and is installed on most of my guns. Most STI guns weren't even optics-ready and their older "HOST" mounting system was a decent system when it was introduced, but was limited in options as there weren't as many different types of optics available back then. 

Overall Quality and Value: SA > Bul > Staccato > STI

The Prodigy 1911DS is the least expensive out of all my guns, however it doesn't have the best performance, reliability, and fitment out of the box, and needs to be tuned to run fast and reliable. At RFV Tactical, I have an enhancement package specifically for tuning the Prodigy 1911DS. Even with the cost of having the Prodigy tuned for performance and reliability, and having to buy the optic mounting plate of your choice separately, it is still the best value of all of my other 2011 style guns, and in my opinion is the best "budget" 2011 on the market. While the Cerakoted finish of the Prodigy 1911DS is inferior to DLC, Nitride, or PVD, it is certainly easier and cheaper to refinish if it gets scratched up or damaged. The Bul Armory guns offer the next best value since they come with 4 magazines, a magwell, and include all of the optics mounting plates. They have a PVD finish and a better overall fit and finish. They also have the best out of the box performance with no tuning necessary. The Staccatos are not as good of a value with only 3 mags and no optic mounting plate included. They could also benefit from a little bit of trigger tuning, however their DLC finish and slide to frame fitment are top notch. The older STIs have the worst value because they were expensive when they were new, and they are even more expensive as used guns now that they are discontinued and highly sought after since they have more of a cult following after STI transitioned to Staccato.

Other High-End and Budget Brands

It is certainly possible to find other brands of high quality 2011 style guns like Atlas, Race City Defense, and Jacob Gray, that might check off more of my boxes, but most other high-end brands start out at $4000 or more, so "value" wouldn't really come into play. None of the other budget 2011 style guns like MAC/Tisas, Bersa, Alpha Foxtrot, Girsan, Fusion, and LFA, check off hardly any boxes for me (their grip modules are all CRAP!), as I have handled and even worked on several of them, including the new Kimber 2K11, and I wasn't really that impressed with any of them.

Outlaw Action Pistol Match - 07/19/2025

Outlaw Action Pistol match (USPSA rules with IDPA scoring) at the Amarillo Rifle and Pistol Club. I was shooing my new Springfield Prodigy Carry Comp from concealment (AIWB) in the Optics division. I actually designed the stage layout for this match. Due to the club restrictions in this large bay, I designed one large mirror image stage with 4 different start positions so that we could run 4 stages using the same layout. However, we cut it off at only 3 stages due to how long it takes to get through 25 shooters on each stage. The match went really well, and everyone seemed to like my stage layout. Since I designed the stage layout, I had visualized running each stage multiple times for several days prior to setting it all up the evening beforehand, so I was really confident with my stage plans for each shooting position. I executed each stage plan exactly as I wanted, so there weren't any fumbles or mistakes on my part. It just came down to how fast and accurate I could run each stage. One of the faster shooters got disqualified for breaking the 180 rule while moving up range on Stage 2, so I ended up in 1st place Overall out of 24 total.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HtcKfOnFMo

Outlaw Action Pistol Match - 06/21/2025

Outlaw Action Pistol match (IDPA Scoring) at the Amarillo Rifle and Pistol Club. I was shooing my V6 ported Bul Armory TAC 4.25" from concealment (AIWB) in the Optics division. I was planning to shoot my new Springfield Prodigy Carry Comp, but one of the optic plate screws sheared off during a practice session, and I am waiting for replacement screws to arrive. 😕 Due to how long it was taking us to get through the first two stages, we decided to combine the last two stages into one large stage so that we could get done before it got too hot.

Stage 1: A little mandatory running back and forth, with a tight squeeze through a narrow "doorway" to get to the final shooting position. My performance was pretty good on this one. I finished in 2nd place with 4 points down.

Stage 2: Start position was kneeling with your hands behind your head, retrieve your unloaded gun and magazines from a gym bag full of clothing, stow a spare mag, load the gun, then engage all of the targets in a very specific order with a total of three shots per target. Unfortunately, I loaded the gun with a magazine that wasn't fully loaded. It had enough rounds to get me to my intended reload point, but the chamber was empty when I reloaded and had to rack the slide after I got a click without a bang. I finished in 3rd place with 7 points down.

Stage 3: With two stages combined into one, we had five shooting positions, a lot of targets (some with a very specific engagement order), and three reloads (minimum of 47 rounds total). No way to go really fast as everything was just far enough away or small enough that you had to really hold yourself accountable for every shot. I finished in 3rd place with 7 points down.

A lot of really good shooters showed up for this match, and it was great to shoot alongside them and verbally harass them when they made mistakes. 😜 The V6 Bul 4.25" ran perfect and fast all day. I ended up in 2nd place Overall out of 22 total.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KluV7zc9r4M

USPSA Action Pistol Match - 06/07/2025

USPSA Action Pistol Match at the Southwest Shooting Center in Clovis, NM with the Southwest Performance Shooters club. I was shooting my non-ported Springfield Prodigy from concealment (AIWB) in the Limited Optics division. This non-ported Prodigy has become my favorite gun to carry, practice, and shoot matches with.

Stage 1: A fast stage with up close targets and some shooting on the move. I ran it pretty fast (for me) and managed to come in 3rd place with three C-zone hits. 

Stage 2: Another fast stage, but with a few longer distance shots. All was going according to plan until the last target. I let my grip get a little loose and threw four shots at the last target and still managed to not hit the A-zone on that one. 😣 I still placed 3rd and again had only three C-zone hits.

Stage 3: "Quickly II" classifier stage.  This one had mandatory reloads and strong-hand and weak-hand shooting. I had six C-zone hits and ended up in 6th place.

Stage 4: A lot of fast and up close targets on this one with a couple of good leans. I placed 4th with only two C-zone hits.

Stage 5: A short and sweet stage with no reload necessary. I went a little slower than I would've liked on most of the targets, but I only had one C-zone hit and placed 5th.

Another fun match with great weather. I ended up in 4th place Overall out of 15 total, while continuing my "forever stay" in B-class. 😜

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKMAph5rizE

Springfield Prodigy 1911DS 3.5" Compact

With the three Springfield Prodigy handguns that I currently have, I felt like I needed a 3.5" Compact to round out my collection. I have been patiently waiting for a used one to become available, but they have been very scarce. One finally popped up on Gunbroker and I was able to snag it for under $1000. This one was still in really good condition, with no obvious blemishes or wear on the slide and frame, but the grip module's textured area had some flat spots from rubbing up against something. That was no biggie for me, since I obviously planned to do my RFV Tactical Prodigy specific grip texture work on it.

Photos from the Gunbroker auction

Other than the grip texture work, the only other change that I made was to swap out the ambidextrous thumb safety levers to a thinner EGW single sided thumb safety lever that I pulled off of my 4.25" Carry Comp. As part of my normal reliability and performance tuning for a Prodigy 1911DS, I changed out the undersized and over-sprung firing pin with an EGW firing pin and ISMI spring. As with my 4.25" Carry Comp, the firing pin hole in the slide measured 0.064", so I had to turn down the tip of the 0.068" EGW firing pin to just under 0.064". I didn't even bother test firing the gun with the factory firing pin because it measured 0.060" and I knew there would be light strike issues caused from primer shearing. I also tuned the sear spring for a 3 pound trigger pull, which also eliminated any disconnector hang-up on the slide, tuned the extractor for reliable feeding and extraction, polished and radiused the barrel's feed ramp, trimmed down and radiused the top edge of the hammer to reduce the friction on the underside of the slide during cycling, and adjusted the engagement point of the beavertail grip safety so that it doesn't have to be fully depressed to disengage it. The gun now cycles very smooth and passes all of my reliability testing.

I did the grip texture on this one a little bit different than what I normally do. As an experiment, I tried to mimic the factory texture by using a fine point tip on my iron. The texture is slightly more aggressive than the factory texture, but less aggressive than my normal Concealed Carry texture. It looks and feels good, but it was very time consuming to make it look consistent, and was honestly not worth the effort once I finally finished it. I haven't done my normal dehorning, blending, and Cerakote work on this one yet, because the original Cerakote finish is still in really good condition, and the dehorning and blending that I do to make the gun more comfortable in hand is not really necessary for a gun that is not used frequently for training and/or matches.  I may do all that work to it in the future with a two-tone color scheme or a custom color mixture if I find myself carrying it frequently (or I get bored and need a new project), but I'm just going to leave it as is for now as I view this gun mainly as a shop gun for holster fitment that I will probably only carry occasionally.

I installed a Trijicon RMR that I pulled off of another shop gun and mounted it with a Dawson Precision mounting plate that positions the optic at the very back of the slide and eliminates the rear iron sight.  I thought this configuration would look really good on it's shorter slide and the RMR's small window doesn't get blocked by a tall rear iron sight. I also installed a Streamlight TLR-7A compact light which fits flush with the end of the 3.5" slide/barrel.

The gun carries and conceals really well with it's lighter weight aluminum frame and short grip, but it is a little snappy when shooting just like my two Bul Armory Ultralight guns which are both extremely lightweight. It's a really great carry option for when I want to go a little lighter or more minimal than normal but still have a similar feel to my larger 2011-style carry guns.

Springfield Prodigy 1911DS 4.25" Carry Comp

With my increasing affection for the Springfield Prodigy 1911DS, I've been wanting to acquire a 4.25" Comp, because I've been curious as to how it would compare with all of my other ported 2011-style guns. I wasn't really interested in the 4.25" Comp when it first came out because I didn't like how far back the front sight is positioned on the slide due to the comp's large opening, but it has since grown on me. I came across a used 4.25" Comp where the previous owner installed a shorter 15-round grip from a Compact 1911DS, which I am calling a "Carry Comp". The Compact grip modules have not been available for purchase separately from Springfield, so I thought this would be a unique configuration for my Prodigy Enhancement Package at RFV Tactical. I actually told myself that if Springfield ever came out with a Comp version of their aluminum frame 4.25" Compact, then I would buy one. But if I'm being honest, I would prefer a steel frame over an aluminum frame, so this worked out perfect for me (and way cheaper too).

The gun came with some aftermarket parts already installed including an Evolution Gun Works single sided thumb safety, a Red Dirt flat faced trigger, and a Miller Precision pinned beavertail. I swapped out the single sided thumb safety for the included factory ambidextrous safety levers that were from a Compact Prodigy, and I swapped out the Red Dirt trigger for an STI trigger that I already had, as I don't really like flat faced triggers. I added an Atlas Gunworks tool-less guide rod and installed a modified EGW 0.068" firing pin and ISMI firing pin spring. I had to turn down the tip of the EGW firing pin to just under 0.064" to fit through the hole in the breech face. The firing pin hole in the slide measured 0.064" and the factory firing pin measured 0.060". That doesn't seem like a big difference, but it was enough to cause primer shearing that led to some frequent light strikes when test firing the gun with the factory firing pin, which is exactly what I experienced with my first Prodigy. 😞 The modified EGW firing pin resolved the light strike issue, and the gun has since run flawlessly.

These Comp slides appear to be machined a little bit different than the standard slides as I also discovered that the notch for the slide stop is in a slightly different location, which prevents the use of a shock buffer on the recoil spring guide rod. This gun needed a LOT of dehorning. The edges on the front of the slide were not chamfered from the factory at all like they were on all of the other Prodigy's that I've worked on, and the Compact thumb safeties and Miller beavertail also needed a lot of dehorning and blending to make it feel comfortable in the hand. I also thinned down the thumb safety levers (personal preference) and did a relief cut on the bottom edge of the slide stop lever pad to make it easier to lock the slide back manually. The hammer that came installed on the gun is apparently from a MAC 9 DS and it needed quite a bit of trimming down on the top edge so that the gun would cycle smoothly. I may end up replacing it with an EGW hammer, but I actually like the way it looks.

The Compact grip module is similar to the full-size module, but it has more of a ridge in the mainspring housing area like most 2011-style grips do, whereas the Prodigy full-size grip module is much more rounded and comfortable in that area. I shaved down the mainspring housing to line up with the Miller pinned beavertail that doesn't have the typical memory bump, which also reduced the grip's overall circumference. I also opened up and blended the magwell opening and removed the ribs on the sides of the bottom of the grip so that it would have a smooth 360 degree magwell border once stippled. Plus... I just dislike the look of those ribs on their grip modules. 😛

I had a hard time deciding on a Cerakote color scheme for this gun. I really like two-tone guns, but I didn't want to go with my usual choice of Stainless on this frame, and I couldn't decide between Burnt Bronze, Sniper Gray, or something else (I'm kind of boring when it comes to colors on guns). I ended up going with a custom mixture of Tungsten (50%) and Armor Black (50%) on the frame and beavertail. This dark metallic gray mixture gives the gun a subtle low contrast two-tone look. If I had to do it over again, I would go with 75% Black and 25% Tungsten to tone it down just a little more.

My default optic choice for this gun would normally have been a Holosun 509T, but I pulled a Holosun 507C optic off of a shop gun for it temporarily since I already had a factory RMR mounting plate. I actually like the look of the 507C optic on this gun, so I may just leave it installed. As with most of my Commander length 2011-style guns, this one also got a Surefire X300U full-size weapon light, so that I can carry it in any of my RFV Tactical full-size weapon light holsters that are molded specifically for the X300.

This gun shoots great and feels very balanced. The concussion from the comp's port is surprisingly not as loud or violent as most of my other ported 2011-style guns, but it is still effective in reducing muzzle rise. Typically the trade off for reduced muzzle rise with a ported gun is that there is a little more kick into your hands during recoil, but the recoil impulse of this gun is still relatively soft compared to most of my other ported guns. This one also doesn't get quite as dirty from shooting it as my other ported guns since the port is at the very end of the muzzle where the slide to barrel fitment is tighter. The Compact grip module is excellent for concealed carry as it is shorter than a Staccato C2 grip, however this slimmed down version makes the gun feel a little bit different in the hand compared to a full-size grip, which took some time for me to get used to. Overall, I am really happy with the way the gun looks and performs, but it took a lot more work than I typically do to enhance a Prodigy 1911DS.