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 already had. 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 less snappy compared to 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 trying to decide 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.

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 slide/barrel. 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.

Outlaw Action Pistol Match - 05/17/2025

Outlaw Action Pistol match (IDPA Scoring) at the Amarillo Rifle and Pistol Club. I was shooing my non-ported Springfield Prodigy from concealment (AIWB) in the Optics division. It was great weather for a match with no wind, which is very rare for the Texas Panhandle.

Stage 1: I executed my stage plan pretty well, but I didn't get the timing of the swinger down correctly and had to wait for it. I sent three quick shots at the swinger and actually got two A-zone hits on it with only one C-zone hit for the entire stage and placed 2nd.

Stage 2: This was a pretty straight forward stage with a seated start. I ran it pretty good, with only two C-zone hits and ended up winning this stage.

Stage 3: A really challenging stage with a few tight shots, as well as a small Texas star that spins deceptively fast. My accuracy suffered a little bit on the two targets that I shot on the move, but overall it was a good stage for me. Four C-zone hits and placed 2nd on this stage.

Stage 4: This stage was going really good until the last target. I tripped on a weed coming into the last position and completely lost my balance as I engaged the last target. My first shot was a hit on the "no-shoot" target and my second shot was a complete miss over the shoulder.  I then reengaged the target with one hand after I caught my balance to at least get some hits on the target, but that one hurt. I ended up in 15th place on this stage.

Overall, the stages were all really good considering the limitations we have with utilizing a single large bay. I ended up in 3rd place Overall out of 21 total.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYjH1675ZCU

USPSA Action Pistol Match - 05/03/2025

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. 

Stage 1: I was the first shooter on the first stage of the day.  I normally try to be conservative on my first stage of the day, but I just really wanted to go fast like Ricky Bobby. 😄 I ended up with 5 C-zone hits and 1 D-zone hit, but still placed 2nd on this stage.

Stage 2: Several tight shots on this one as well as some shooting on the move. My reload took longer than I planned and I went a little too far coming into one position and had to reposition my foot on the fault line before engaging more targets, and the loose wall netting got in my way while engaging two other targets, so it was slower than I would've liked. I placed 4th on this stage with only one C-zone hit.

Stage 3: "Too Close For Comfort" Classifier. Decent run with only one C-zone hit (head box). My concealment reloads on stages like this are always a challenge. I placed 3rd on this stage.

Stage 4: More tight shots with some while standing on a balancing beam.  Another good run with only one C-zone hit (several make-up shots though) and placed 2nd on this stage.

Stage 5: This last stage was probably my most conservative run but still had 3 C-zone hits (all on head box shots). I placed 3rd on this stage.

Good weather and great stages that were a lot of fun. I ended up in 3rd place Overall out of 16 total.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jIgAkir6rY

Outlaw Action Pistol Match - 04/19/2025

Outlaw Action Pistol match (IDPA Scoring) at the Amarillo Rifle and Pistol Club. I was shooing my non-ported Springfield Prodigy from concealment (AIWB) in the Optics division. It was so cold and windy that they decided to only run three of the four planned stages, which I had no complaints about as I don't really enjoy shooting in really cold weather. I normally would've chosen to sit this one out due to the cold weather, but it's been several months since I shot a match and I really wanted to get back to it.

Stage 1: I placed 3rd on this stage. Nothing bad about my performance other than I couldn't feel my mag release button during the reload and I fumbled inserting the fresh mag into the gun because my hands were so numb from the cold.

Stage 2: I placed 1st on this stage only because I was only two points down total, whereas most of the faster shooters were several points down on a lot of targets because they chose to shoot the first two arrays on the move quickly. I also shot those targets on the move, but at a little slower pace and I sent several make-up shots when I realized that my hits were not as accurate as I wanted them to be.

Stage 3: All was going good until I got to the Texas Star at the end of the stage. The last plate became dislodged from it's mount when I hit it, but it got caught on the base of the target stand and still hung in place. Rather than risk it getting called a miss, I decided to take another shot at it, which took way too much time thinking about what to do and landed me in 5th place on the stage.😒 I was also a bit distracted by a bird walking around behind the targets that was apparently unaffected by all the gunfire. 😂

The stage that they removed was a "standards" style stage with three positions that included strong hand only and weak hand only.  I'm confident that I would've done well on that stage as I practice strong hand and weak hand shooting every time I do live fire practice. I ended up in 3rd place Overall out of 25 total, so it was definitely not too bad of a day for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z99cohmtCGc

STI DVC Carry Handgun

I have really gone crazy with acquiring 2011-style guns lately. 😜 It's pretty much the only type of handgun that interests me these days. I have more 2011-style guns than any other platform, so I guess you could call me a 2011 snob. 😎 So, as a self proclaimed 2011 snob, I wanted to find another cool gun that is no longer in production and is fairly sought after.  I'm not really interested in full-size guns with 5" barrels, as I like to keep them more practical for concealed carry. I narrowed it down to either another STI Tactical 4.0 with a steel frame, an STI Costa Ludus VIP, or an STI DVC Carry. I came across several DVC Carry for sale while searching and decided that was what I wanted. The DVC Carry, which was the predecessor to the Staccato C2, was offered in several different versions throughout it's production, including a limited run with a steel frame. Most of the ones I found for sale were the non-railed aluminum frame versions, but I managed to find and acquire one in absolutely pristine condition with a railed steel frame AND optics ready with the factory "H.O.S.T." mounting system, which is an extremely rare find.

Photos from the Gunbroker auction

The gun came with a Leupold DeltaPoint Pro installed, but I'm not really a fan of that optic, so I swapped it out for the tried and true Trijicon RMR as both of my Staccato C2s have RMRs installed. Unfortunately, the factory RMR mounting plate wasn't included in the box, but Arise Mfg makes an RMR/SRO plate for the older HOST mounting system. I also installed a Streamlight TLR-7 HLX light with the "1913-2" rail key that positions the front of the light perfectly flush with the muzzle of the gun for a very clean look.

I already had an extra VIP grip that I textured in my RFV Tactical Concealed Carry texture and installed on my STI Tac-Lite 4.0 and then later removed, so I installed that grip module along with a longer STI trigger and stored away the original dragon scale textured VIP grip with the short trigger in case I ever decide to sell the gun. I'm using a custom shortened Staccato C2 magazine with the VIP grip for a nice flush look and excellent concealability. I also reduced the engagement point of the beavertail grip safety and tuned the trigger pull weight to just under 3 pounds, as I do with all of my 2011-style guns.

This gun is absolutely gorgeous with its DLC finish and the copper colored barrel showing through the factory window cuts in the slide. The slide to frame fit on this gun is better than any other 2011 that I own. I love that it is the same size as a Staccato C2, but it shoots like a full-size gun with it's steel frame. I will carry it occasionally, but it was acquired as more of a collection piece to be admired than as a daily carry gun. 😍