Springfield Armory Prodigy DS Comp

Springfield’s newest Prodigy is a steel slayer

1911 pistols in 9mm with double stack mags have become a hot trend, generally known as 2011s after the earlier STI pistol so named. The expensive Staccato in that format has become a “grail gun,” giving rise to less expensive copies. Among the best of these – perhaps the best — is the Prodigy from Springfield Armory, the latest variation of which is the DS (Double Stack) Comp with an integral recoil compensator.

Why a recoil compensator on a light-kicking 9mm that weighs 38 ounces with a Vortex Defender-ST red dot sight on top? Test team member Andrew Fritzinger, a firearms instructor, put it best: “I want every advantage I can get!” Like most of the dozen or so people on our test team, Andrew loved the pistol. We could shoot it at maximum speed and, with a strong grasp and stance, the red dot just quivered on the point of aim as the shots went off.

Trigger pull, an average of 4.7 pounds, was “just right” for a self-defense gun designed to be used under stress. The pull was clean, and there was no palpable “backlash” or trigger movement after the sear release. Target shooters want lighter triggers, and that’s what pistolsmiths are for. The grip necessarily has some girth, and those with very small hands found that a negative. Those were the only complaints we heard from the test team.

The pistol came out of the box very well adjusted, that is, the ambidextrous thumb safety had just the right amount of positive resistance both on and off. The team unanimously liked the subtle grip stippling. Springfield Armory’s design team includes 1911 guru Dave Williams and multi-time world champion 1911 shooter Rob Leatham, so this was no surprise.

Its integral compensator vents burning gases straight up, the “compensate” element, to hold the muzzle down and keep it on target, and it also has an expansion chamber element which reduces rearward recoil. The upward venting contraindicates some commonly-taught retention hold shooting, since the upward-vented hot gases and hot powder particles are directed toward the shooter’s face and eyes. With this particular model, however, we found that turning the gun over 90 degrees and putting the butt against the rib cage vented the gas safely sideways when “shooting from retention.”

On the Range

The Prodigy DS Comp easily met the prevailing standard of “adequate service pistol accuracy” in 25-yard bench rest testing. Inexpensive Remington-UMC 115 grain FMJ put five shots into 3.40” with four of them in an inch and a half and the tightest three in 95/100ths of one inch. SIG V-Crown 124 grain JHP and 147 grain Winchester subsonic 9mm came close to that.

This pistol can be had in “government model” length with a 5″ barrel or “commander” format with 4.25″ breech to muzzle length. We tested the latter and were happy with how it handled.

As you might imagine, that many testers put a lot of ammo through it, mild range loads to screaming +P+, and round nose ball, flat nose ball, and jacketed hollow point configurations. There were no malfunctions.

Prodigy pistols come with two magazines, a 17-round and a 20-round with an extended floorplate. Each was easy to fill all the way up without an UPLULA tool, and even with the slide forward, each full magazine was easy to lock into place. They inserted easily into the wide mag well and fell out cleanly when ejected. The Prodigy has Springfield’s AOS (Agency Optic System), which uses a plate expressly designed to fit a given optic mounting footprint.

Finding Its Place

This big-butt pistol isn’t for appendix carry under a T-shirt, though I suppose it could be done. In a state where more than a ten-round capacity is legal, it comes into its own as a home defense pistol with a weapon-mounted light or light/laser combo on its rail and the extended magazine in place. When someone is kicking down your door, it may be all you can do to reach the gun, and grabbing spare ammo will probably be out of the question. The provision for an optical sight of choice is icing on the cake. The big backup iron sights with Tritium front dot were sighted in for point-of-aim/point-of-impact at the factory.

In the competition arena, I’ve heard from multiple Grandmaster shooters who have been delighted with the Prodigy series. The minimized recoil of this Comp variation is simply more icing on the cake. At $1599 MSRP, it’s less than half the price of some of its most touted competition, a value level that definitely earns it a 2024 On Target Editors’ Choice Award. Check out the Prodigy DS Comp at your nearest dealer, or for more information, contact Springfield Armory; Tel.: (800) 680-6866; Web: www.springfield-armory.com — Massad Ayoob

Specifications:

Caliber:                                  9mm

Barrel Length:                        4.25 Inches

Slide:                                      Steel

Frame:                                   Steel

OAL:                                      7.8 inches

Weight:                                  32.50 Ounces

Capacity:                               20+1

MSRP:                                   $1,599