While randomly looking on Gunbroker for various double stack 1911s (my new obsession), I came across a penny auction for a used Springfield Prodigy 4.25" 1911DS that had been ported similarly to my
V-Slot ported 2019 STI Staccato P which is a $300 modification (not sure what company did the porting). The bids were still pretty low, so I submitted my maximum bid and ended up winning the auction for much less than my max bid and well under what I thought the gun should be worth.
Photos from the Gunbroker auction
There were some obvious blemishes and scratches on the slide and frame, which is probably why the bids didn't get very high, but that didn't matter to me as I planned to Cerakote the slide in Graphite Black (H-146) and the frame in Stainless (H-152) for my preferred two-tone look after dehorning all of the sharp edges and some other refinements like chamfering the front edges of the frame to better match the slide and blending the pinned beavertail grip safety and the frame together with softer lines. I already had a set of
Evolution Gun Works ignition components,
Ed Brown controls, and an
Atlas Gunworks tool-less guide rod that I removed from
my last Springfield Prodigy that I installed on this one to replace all of the factory
MIM parts and the two piece guide rod. I also replaced the trigger with a
Fusion Firearms K-hole trigger that I had left over from my
Bul Armory SAS II Tac Commander as I'm not really a fan of the old classic three-hole trigger for a modern 2011-style gun. As with my last Prodigy, I did another
step cut grip chop and texture on the factory grip module so that I can carry it with compact 16-round (120mm) Staccato C2 magazines, as well as a smooth magwell border on the back of the grip and mainspring housing to give it a nice finishing touch.
Work in progress photos.
New trigger pull is slightly under 3 pounds.
With the experience and knowledge that I gained from troubleshooting all of the issues with my last Prodigy, I was able to get this new one running perfect without too much effort, but it also didn't need nearly as much work as my last one did as Springfield has improved their QC on these guns since the initial launch in 2022. There are some characteristics and aesthetics about the Prodigy that really appeal to me, like the wider/thicker frame and the grip module's ergonomics. When the Prodigy is customized and made to run reliably, they are really great guns. I'm really happy with the way this one turned out. 😎
I normally don't list the cost of parts and work done to my personal guns in detail, but I know people will be curious as to how much it would cost to build a Springfield Prodigy 1911DS similarly to this one (minus the cost of the gun), so here is a rough estimate for all the parts and custom work done to my gun as a reference point. While all of this may add up to the cost of a brand new Staccato P, it is obviously way more customized to look and feel exactly how I wanted it, as well as having the benefit of barrel porting. With all of these upgraded parts and custom work, it also runs just as smooth, fast, and reliably as all four of my Staccato P 2011s! 😁
V-Slot Barrel Porting - $300
Parts list:
EGW Ignition Components - $150
Ed Brown Controls - $125
Atlas Tool-less Guide Rod - $100
Fusion K-Hole Trigger - $40
Dehorn All Sharp Edges (slide and frame) - $50
Pin and Blend the Beavertail to the Frame - $50
Cerakote the Frame and Slide (two colors) - $170
Cerakote Small Parts (controls and hammer) - $50
Step Cut Grip Chop for Compact Magazines - $75
Smooth Magwell Border (mainspring housing) - $25
Concealed Carry Texture (360-degree wrap) - $125
Small Parts Fitment and Trigger Tuning - $100
