Springfield Prodigy 1911DS Handgun - Custom Project

As I've mentioned in a previous post, I really like the Springfield Prodigy, but I also really like the performance and the aesthetics of my Race City Defense RC9c. So, I decided to modify and customize a Prodigy 1911DS to improve it's performance and overall aesthetics to be as close to the RC9c as possible, while still maintaining a reasonable budget. This meant installing the same EGW internal components and external controls, sending the slide and barrel to DSC Gunworks for top inline porting as well as adding panel cuts and extra front cocking serrations, but staying with a Cerakote finish.

Photos from the Gunbroker auction

I picked up a used 4.25" Prodigy that was still in excellent condition for less than $1000 to use for this project. I considered just doing these modifications to my non-ported Prodigy, but I wanted to keep a non-ported example of the Prodigy in my inventory for regular training and comparisons.

Photoshop renderings for slide work

I really like the overall aesthetics of the Prodigy. I don't mind the rounded top of the slide or the fact that it's not a full length dust cover frame, but if I could change anything about the Prodigy it would be for it to have five front cocking serrations to match the rear serrations instead of only four, which is just my OCD preference. The slide panel cuts weren't really necessary to satisfy my OCD, but I figured I'd have them done while it was being cut for other things, and because they do look really good on the RC9c. I also had the barrel's LCI welded up and blended, which was also not necessary, but... why not, right? 😜

Race City Defense RC9c

The DLC finish on the RC9c is extremely nice, but the brushed flats on the slide are a fingerprint magnet, and I find myself constantly wiping the pistol down to keep it looking perfect, which can be a little annoying at times. The RC9c also has a lot of sharp edges and corners for a carry gun that should have been dehorned before the DLC application, in my opinion.

While Cerakote may not be as nice or as durable as DLC, it is certainly inexpensive and easy for me to refinish the Prodigy with Cerakote. I had considered just going with my custom Black Nitride Mimic color for a simple subdued look, but I ended up going with my custom DLC Mimic color to give it more of a premium look since I had the slide panel cuts done.

As usual, I did my normal RFV Tactical 1911DS Enhancement Package work to the gun that consists of performance and reliability tuning, grip module step cut and texture, as well as dehorning and blending prior to Cerakote refinishing. I sanded out the machining marks within the panel cuts as best as I could, but that was a bit of a pain. The EGW internal components made it really easy for me to tune the trigger to just below 2.5 pounds. As I've done with most of my other Prodigy pistols, I installed a polymer STI trigger to gain some pre-travel adjustment, and because I like the way they look and feel.

The RC9c is only offered with an RMR footprint compatible optic plate. If I could mount a Holosun 509T on my RC9c without stacking two plates together, then there would definitely be one on it instead of the RMR HD. The Prodigy's AOS system allows me to install a 509T despite the mounting system's known issues. I picked up a C&H Precision steel optic plate for this one, because I like that it has an integrated rear iron sight, rather than a separate rear iron sight that is dovetailed onto the optic plate, which can come loose. The C&H plates don't have a great reputation because the small stainless steel T-nuts used to mount the optics to the plates are prone to failure, but this 509T plate does not use those and it fits a little tighter onto the slide than the factory plate does. It also positions the optic farther back on the slide away from the ejection port, which helps to keep the front of the optic cleaner. I'll be updating all of my other 509T equipped Prodigy pistols with this same C&H optic plate.

The weight of the RC9c and the Prodigy are nearly identical, so I thought that adding top inline ports to the Prodigy would increase the performance to be similar to the RC9c. I already have a Prodigy with V-slot ports and one with the factory Comp port, but neither of those perform quite as well as the RC9c with it's top inline ports. DSCG recently started offering different sizes of ports for their inline port service, so I opted for 6 micro inline ports instead of 4 of the larger classic inline ports. I am really happy with the way the ports turned out.

The performance of this Prodigy 1911DS with the top inline ports is identical to my RC9c. When shooting the two guns back to back, I could not tell a difference between them as far as recoil impulse, muzzle rise, or return to zero consistency at any distance with any ammo. The only difference that I noticed is that I prefer the feel of Prodigy grip module over the MJD grip module that I installed on my RC9c. This was exactly the result I was hoping for, and I am extremely happy with the performance of this custom Prodigy.

As far as maintaining a reasonable budget, below is the breakdown for the cost of customizing this Prodigy 1911DS compared to the price of a Race City Defense RC9c at $4300, which has apparently now been discontinued. Does the RC9c have better fit and finish? Absolutely, but this custom project says a lot about the potential of the Prodigy 1911DS as a budget platform to customize.

        Prodigy 1911DS 4.25" (used) - $1000
        C&H Precision Optic Plate - $130
        EGW Ignition Kit - $150
        EGW External Controls - $210
        STI Polymer Trigger - $40
        DSCG Inline Ports - $295
        DSCG Slide Panel Cuts - $185
        DSCG Extra Front Serrations - $100
        DSCG LCI Weld Up - $60
        RFV 1911DS Enhancement - $500

        --------------------------------------------
        Total (with no optic or light) - $2670

Outlaw Action Pistol Match - 09/16/2026

Outlaw action pistol match (a mix of USPS and IDPA rules) at the Amarillo Rifle and Pistol Club. I was shooing my non-ported Springfield Prodigy in the Carry Optics division. Unfortunately, my knees have gotten pretty bad in my old age, and they aren't going to get any better, so I have come to accept that I just won't be as fast as I used to be. I still love shooting action pistol matches, but I just can't move fast enough to stay competitive anymore. 😔 I won't bore you with a stage-by-stage recap as you can just watch the video for yourself.  Despite my new handicap of not being able to run very fast, I was still able to come in 3rd place Overall out of 15 total, so not a bad day at all. 😊

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtx7kysKyd4

Tisas Carry 9 DS Comp Handgun

I recently picked up a new Tisas Carry 9 DS Comp to add to my budget 2011 clone collection. These new updated versions of the Tisas DS pistols look really good in my opinion, and I've been pretty happy with my MAC 9 DS Comp from a value standpoint. The MAC DS pistols are made by Tisas in the same factory using the same parts, but are distributed in the US by a different company.

My impressions of the MAC 9 DS Comp was that the gun looks great and performs well, but it seems to have a lower quality feel to it compared to a lot of my other 2011 style guns.  I didn't expect the Tisas DS Comp to be any different in terms of quality, but there are some notable improvements of the new Tisas DS pistols over the current MAC DS pistols. Unfortunately, the Tisas has it's own quality issues.

I love the aesthetics of the new Tisas DS pistols. They now have full length dust cover frames that are as wide as the slide, which gives them a more modern look and potentially increases their long term durability. However, I had to do a lot of filing on the frame rails to get the gun to cycle smoothly, as it was getting stuck in the rear position due to binding. This was not disconnector hang-up, as it would get stuck even with all the internals removed from the slide and frame. The muzzle end of the slide rails was binding on the taper of the front frame rails, so I had to file that taper down until it cleared and wouldn't bind.

With my MAC DS and the MAC hammer that was installed on my Prodigy Carry Comp, I had to trim the top edge of the hammers down to reduce friction on the bottom of the slide during cycling, and I had to do the same thing on this Tisas DS. Trimming the top edge of the hammer makes a huge difference for how smooth the gun feels when cycling the slide by hand, and almost completely eliminates that "clunky" feel that these guns have compared to other 2011 style guns. I trim this top edge of the hammer on a lot of different 2011s that I tune to make them cycle smoother, but the MAC/Tisas hammers need substantially more material removed.

The new optics mounting system on the Tisas DS appears to be more robust than the AOS mounting system on the MAC DS and the Prodigy 1911DS, which has a known issue of the optic plate screws coming loose and/or breaking. This new Tisas system has small o-rings positioned between the plate and the slide for vibration dampening (similar to the Staccato DPO system) and a locating pin to keep the optic plate securely in place on the slide. However, the supplied hex key screws that secure the optic plate to the slide strip out easily with the included hex key. The screws are the same size as the MAC DS and Prodigy 1911DS optic plate screws, so I was able to use some quality aftermarket replacements that have a T10 torx head instead of hex key to be able to torque them properly. The factory optic cover plate also had a small hex key screw (hidden behind the firing pin stop plate) that easily stripped out when I tried to remove it, so I had to tap a T9 torx head bit into it with a hammer to break it loose.

Tuning the trigger down to between 2.5 and 3 pounds was fairly straight forward, but as I did with the MAC DS, I installed a 19 pound hammer spring to lighten things up. Both the MAC DS and Tisas DS pistols are way over-sprung from the factory for compensated guns, so I installed 13 pound recoil springs in both of them, which makes a substantial difference in their recoil impulse and return to zero consistency.

One thing I really like about the MAC DS and Tisas DS pistols is that the size and shape of their thumb safeties work fine with my large hands and high grip, so I didn't feel the need to thin down, dehorn, and refinish them like I do with most of my other 2011 style guns. Both pistols are nicely dehorned on the edges and corners of the slides and frames and their black nitride finish looks great. With my RFV Tactical grip texture, trigger/action tuning, and lighter recoil springs, these guns shoot really well for their budget price point.