AO Torture Test: 1,000 Rounds through the Springfield 1911 DS Prodigy

Many gun aficionados are either infatuated with, or well aware of, the 1911 handgun designed and brought to fruition by the famous John Moses Browning. Fast forward 100 years and modern engineers, inventors, and designers have taken that nearly timeless design and brought it into the 21st century by crafting what is called a 2011 handgun. What makes a 2011 handgun more forward-thinking and modern is that it boasts everything that you might call a “failing” in the 1911. They have more capacity because they have double-stack magazines. They not only have removable grip panels, but entirely removable frames that are often crafted from polymers to lighten the firearm and allow for it to be stippled to your exacting preferences in grip texture. Most 2011 pistols also allow you to readily add micro red dot optics as you please. All these aforementioned features are something evident on most all 2011 pistols including the relatively new Springfield Armory 1911 DS Prodigy 9mm.

Springfield Armory is known for many things, but if you needed to define them with a blanket statement they are the “battle firearm” company. They make legendary M1A rifles, 1911 pistols, more modern AR-15 variants, polymer service pistols like the XDM Elite, and now they joined the 2011 party. Here, at AllOutdoor, we aren’t known for torture tests, but we put the Springfield Armory 1911 DS Prodigy through its paces when we shot close to 1,000 rounds at the Annual ConcealedCarry.com Guardian Conference last September in the sizzling south of Oklahoma.

Springfield Armory 1911 DS Prodigy Coverage

Annual ConcealedCarry.com Guardian Conference

For those who might be unfamiliar, ConcealedCarry.com is an all-inclusive source of knowledge for those who own firearms and/or carrying them everyday for work or personal protection. The scope of the information they share covers the gamut of legal advice for when you are carrying to medical equipment everyday citizens should be trained on to even more common things like news, a podcast, YouTube videos, and products you may enjoy. All of this makes them a great resource for firearm owners.

While we were attending the ConcealedCarry.com Guardian Conference, we were all about the instruction and tutelage they had to offer in regards to pistol shooting. We did participate in some medical classes as well, but they bulk of our reason for being there was to hone our handgun skills. Moreover, give the Springfield Armory 1911 DS Prodigy 9mm one hell of a workout.

The Basics – Springfield Armory 1911 DS Prodigy 9mm

Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s lay down the basics of exactly what the Springfield Armory 1911 DS Prodigy 9mm is. We understand that this could be dubbed a near cousin to the 1911 (we’re talking a close enough cousin that they’re getting invited to the family cookout). You have a lot more metal components than innumerable handguns on the market today – allowing for tighter tolerances and quality – but there is also a polymer grip frame that can be stippled, modified, and easily changed out as well. All of the nitty-gritty specs can be read below for the 1911 DS Prodigy 9mm as presented by Springfield Armory:

Cartridge: 9mm
Barrel: 5″ Forged Stainless Steel, Match Grade, Bull, 1:16
Slide: Forged Carbon Steel, Black Cerakote®, Optics-Ready
Frame: Forged Carbon Steel, Black Cerakote®
Sights: Fiber Optic Front, Black Serrated Rear, HEX Dragonfly
Recoil System: 2 Piece Full Length Guide Rod
Grips: Polymer
Magazines: (1) 17-Round, (1) 20-Round
Weight: 33 oz
Length: 8.5″
Height: 5.5″
MSRP: $1,699 (PH9119AOSD – specific model we’re reviewing here today)

The Prodigy from Springfield Armory takes the proven 1911 platform and enhances it with double-stack capacity, performance-driven feature set and bundled HEX Dragonfly red dot. Reconfigured around a double-stack magazine, the Prodigy’s polymer grip module mounts to its forged steel frame offering capacities of 17+1 and 20+1. Optics ready with an ambidextrous safety and Picatinny rail the Prodigy combines the most beloved characteristics of the 1911 with modern capacity for unrivaled performance.

The Torture Test – Springfield Armory 1911 DS Prodigy 9mm

Now, to the torture test! For our unaware subject – the Springfield Armory 1911 DS Prodigy 9mm with a factory-mounted HEX Dragonfly red dot – it was a prolonged test over the course of 3 days and 4 shooting classes in the Oklahoma heat. The average temps we experienced while out on crushed rock ranges varied from 100°F – 105°F most days. All those in attendance were chugging water as quickly as we were reloading magazines.

Up until the Annual ConcealedCarry.com Guardian Conference, I had not fired my test sample of the 1911 DS Prodigy. I verified its zero with a bore-sight indoors and from there I headed to the conference for a weekend of extended shooting. Out-of-the-box for the 1st class, we all zeroed our iron sights or red dots (whichever your pistol was rockin’) by making “A” Box hits into the chest and eye box of a cardboard target at 7 – 10 yards. As you can see from my target, the 1911 DS Prodigy performed great.

This set a good baseline for myself not only for the 1st class, but the entire weekend. From here, it was off to the races. As mentioned, I participated in 4 different shooting classes over the course of the weekend. These varied from stationary/static shooting at varying distances, dynamic shooting while walking or lightly jogging on the range (safely under the supervision of our instructor), and even long-distance shooting of 50+ yards engaging steel targets. All of the specific courses I took (typically 3 – 4 hours in length) were:

Armed Parent/Guardian: One Handed Shooting Fundamentals – John Johnston & Melody Lauer of Citizens Defense Research
THE TEST – Samuel Middlebrook of Redhawk Firearm Training
The Mastery of Shooting On The Move – Mickey Schuch of Carry Trainer
Dot Performance – AJ Zito of Practical Performance

Sometimes there was extensive discussion between bouts of shooting rounds down range and other times we were nearly mag dumping (with a purpose) into steel or cardboard like that target took our lunch money or called our momma fat! Overall, it was a great test of endurance for the 1911 DS Prodigy. I never cleaned the gun all weekend and it functioned flawlessly in the searing heat. The part of Oklahoma that we were in had red, silty clay that seemed to get into everything (I had more clay in my pockets than pocket change most days). This red clay penetrated the Prodigy, but it still kept hummin’ along.

When I arrived in Oklahoma for this treacherous and torturous test of the Prodigy I had 1,000 rounds there waiting for me. By the end of the weekend I had only a handful left. So, my Springfield Armory 1911 DS Prodigy 9mm did not shoot exactly 1,000 rounds on that given weekend, but I have since far eclipsed that round count mark. The gun never experienced a single Failure-to-Feed (FTF), Failure-to-Fire (FTF), or Failure-to-Eject (FTE). All classic failures if a handgun is not up to snuff with where it should be.

The one negative remark I can make is concerning the HEX Dragonfly red dot. The red dot performed as flawlessly as the handgun it was mounted on except around 4pm everyday. The sun would be at a perfect, direct angle where my dot would burst and I could see 5 red dots as once! It was a bit trippy and sort of neat looking until you needed to engage a target. The first time it happened I immediately resorted to shooting the iron sights (which can be easily viewed through the glass of the red dot). This abnormality only occurred for about 5 minutes when the glaring sun hit the glass ever-so-perfectly to disrupt the picture. Other than that tiny window of time, the HEX Dragonfly red dot and Prodigy were champs in the silty clay and searing heat of Oklahoma for a 950+ round weekend of shooting.

Final Thoughts – Springfield Armory 1911 DS Prodigy 9mm

So, what are my final thoughts on the Springfield Armory 1911 DS Prodigy 9mm with a factory-mounted HEX Dragonfly red dot?… Overall, I am thoroughly impressed with this handgun. I am indifferent towards 1911 pistols (please don’t tar-and-feather me for saying that). I respect them, appreciate them, but other firearms get me a bit more excited. After shooting the 1911 DS Prodigy 9mm extensively I am hooked. I have a seat on the 2011 bandwagon because I have nothing negative to say about the pistol. I added a Streamlight TLR-1 HL to mine for additional weight (it adds a stabilizing affect aside from the lumens available to you), and Springfield has an extensive mounting plate system so you can always upgrade the red dot if you like. At an MSRP of $1,699 with a factory-mounted red dot, this is a hell of a bargain in comparison to other 2011 manufacturers that cost 3x as much with no discernable improvement in quality.

In closing, I want to say thank you to Springfield Armory for allowing AllOutdoor and myself the opportunity to try out their Springfield Armory 1911 DS Prodigy 9mm. That is greatly appreciated. Also, we would like to know what all of you guys and gals think? Do you believe that the Springfield Armory 1911 DS Prodigy 9mm is something worth spending your money on for competition, concealed carry, or simply shooting with friends? As always, let us know all of your thoughts in the Comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.

Adam Scepaniak