Madcap_Magician
Member
THANK YOU SO MUCH for this hope. I don't know what the default spring was, but I was hoping that switching to a 12# one would fix it.
First 250 rounds: Springfield Armory 1911DS Prodigy, 4.25"
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THANK YOU SO MUCH for this hope. I don't know what the default spring was, but I was hoping that switching to a 12# one would fix it.
Madcap_Magician
Member
FYI for anyone wondering, I spoke to Springfield Armory customer service this morning - if you have a Prodigy, the factory recoil spring is 9# for the Government model and 12# for the Commander model. So if you think your Commander is under-sprung, try 13# or 14#+. I had to cancel a MidwayUSA order because I thought the Commander was <12# from the factory and I ordered some 12# springs, but again, it turns out that's the factory spring weight.
Madcap_Magician
Member
Also today Springfield Armory said my dealer could send the gun back to them, but my dealer's gunsmith wanted to take a crack at it first, so he adjusted the disconnector and lightly polished the feed ramp. Between us we then got a total of four malfunction-free magazines through the gun, but then the same failures to feed recurred, plus one stellar failure to extract/double feed combination. Right now I'm sitting at 43 malfunctions of 487 rounds fired.
Here are some pictures of the typical failure to feed:
Here is a picture of the double feed:
Here is the picture of how the cartridge that fails to feed sits in the magazine after the magazine is dropped.
Here are some pictures of the typical failure to feed:
Here is a picture of the double feed:
Here is the picture of how the cartridge that fails to feed sits in the magazine after the magazine is dropped.
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sevt_chevelle
Member
Went to my LGS to do some paperwork on my new suppressor, they just got the 5in model in.
After handing it, I canceled my order, gonna stick with my original plan of getting a staccato.
The slide to frame fit was tight but when racking the slide it felt very gritty. Several times I racked the slide back let it go and the slide stayed in place. Once you shook the pistol the slide would retract back but very sluggish.
Trigger was OK, grip texture was good, overall grip was fatter than the staccato and altas..
Hopefully they work the bugs out of this thing.
After handing it, I canceled my order, gonna stick with my original plan of getting a staccato.
The slide to frame fit was tight but when racking the slide it felt very gritty. Several times I racked the slide back let it go and the slide stayed in place. Once you shook the pistol the slide would retract back but very sluggish.
Trigger was OK, grip texture was good, overall grip was fatter than the staccato and altas..
Hopefully they work the bugs out of this thing.
Madcap_Magician
Member
Many of them seem to hang up on the disconnector when cycling by hand. I've seen one that was bad enough that it would actually hold open on the disconnector. It also makes locking the slide open with the slide stop harder.
Jim Watson
Member
BTDT except a SA single stack.
Put in a Colt sear spring and polish out the gouges the saw-edged factory thing left in the bevel of the disconnector.
Put in a Colt sear spring and polish out the gouges the saw-edged factory thing left in the bevel of the disconnector.
Got word today from Springfield that the factory springs are 9lbs in the 5 in and 12lbs in the 4.25.
Madcap_Magician
Member
Yep they told me that, too. Mine is going back to the mother ship.
Buzznrose
Member
Reading through this thread, that is what I was thinking would make sense for folks needing this type of firearm for a duty gun.
I had a P DUO and it ran flawlessly. Grip was just too large for me to be comfortable so I sold to a buddy, but they are excellent guns.
I hope SA gets this gun right. It is a much easier price point…but my Staccato came with 5 mags vs the 2 SA ships.
OP, looking forward to see how this evolves.
Madcap_Magician
Member
If they can get it right, an $800+ price difference is a big deal.
Jim Watson
Member
Except for the magazine tuning - which was a cottage industry until the 2011 gen 2 clips came out - seems like SA ought to have the rest of that stuff straight by now.
Buzznrose
Member
Yes and no. Staccato changed their name to try and drop some baggage they were carrying from STI issues, especially magazines. I heard that in a podcast about Staccato by Vickers Tactical. Good rundown of the evolution of the company.
Yes, they were a top competitor choice, but they were like race cars and often needed tuning to run well. And the had a bit of an evolution to get their magazines right for mass manufacturing. They had to sort out their problems. Now they have and are focused on the duty and defensive carry market. And doing pretty well.
I am surprised by the issues being reported since Springfield launched this gun. I suspect they will get it right in time, but this isn’t good and may have lingering questions beyond when they fix it. Time will tell.
Personally, I really wanted a Staccato but as I said, I sold mine and have no regrets. I decided I am not proficient on the 1911 platform and can live with it. I can shoot it fine, but I am not very skilled at running one effectively. Not going to try again with this new Springfield.
I will stick to my striker fired Tupperware. After many thousand rounds and drills, it’s just natural for me.
WVsig
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Do not send any accessories with it. Just the vinyl pouch and the mag. I sent in everything with my SA 35 and they pitched it. Only sent the gun back in the pouch. Everything I send was listed on the invoice as accepted and returned but nothing else came back. I was a bit pissed off.
Madcap_Magician
Member
Thanks, fortunately with me being a beta tester and all I don't own any accessories for it yet! I don't even own any spare magazines by which I could find out if it was a magazine issue!
Madcap_Magician
Member
I sent it in by FedEx prepaid label from SA, and dodged the first bullet of FedEx not having a fit over it. I called their Hazardous Goods customer service line and was told since it was a return package that I could just drop it off for shipping.
Here's hoping it comes back reliable. I included a pretty detailed letter outlining the malfunctions and what I thought was wrong and what I'd been told were potential fixes or things to check.
WVsig
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They will send you an invoice that tells you what parts were replaced and what work was done.
Dang, I sent my SA-35 back in the pouch, in the box, with everything and everything came back.
Smaug
Member
You mentioned reliability.
IMO, every 1911 owner should watch this video by Bill Wilson and Ken Hackathorn.
If you follow The Rules, 1911s can be reliable.
IMO, every 1911 owner should watch this video by Bill Wilson and Ken Hackathorn.
If you follow The Rules, 1911s can be reliable.
Madcap_Magician
Member
A bit of an update:
1. My Prodigy Commander went back to the mothership, where they reamed and polished the barrel. My guess is while it was there, they simply checked to see if anything was out of factory spec, and then corrected it if it was. I also think that this had nothing to do with my malfunctions, since none of my failures to feed managed to get the round chambered. It does make me wonder if they even bothered to test fire it, though. Still, it was nice to have that fixed as a known issue.
2. I think I managed to fix it entirely on my own. Once it came back, I replaced the recoil spring with a 14-lb. Wolff spring and then fired 345 of the same three ammunition types (Norma 124-gr. FMJ, Speer 147-gr. FMJ FP, and Federal 147-gr. HST) without a single malfunction.
3. The magazines seem fine - I invested in a pair of matching Staccato 17- and 20-round magazines in case it was bad magazines. There was some suspicion about the Duratech OEM magazines perhaps not being good quality, and some people indeed have had issues with them. However, after replacing the recoil spring, all four magazines fed perfectly. The Staccato mags feel nicer and rattle less than the Duratechs, but the Duratechs fit the gun a little better.
On some additional shooting, it continues to be an extremely ergonomic, pleasant, mild-recoiling shooter that is quite accurate. Only two new-ish observations are that it seems to shoot fairly high, which may just be normal because I was shooting at IDPA targets at 25 yards and not for tiny groups at 10 yards. I'm not an amazing shot, but in a hundred or so rounds at 25 yards, I only dropped maybe 15 points on the IDPA target, and none outside the -1 border. At 10-20 yards, it will shoot out the black of any target I had.
The other new-ish observation is that the gun shoots differently with the 20-round magazines. Can't really describe it, it's not really milder, but it does seem to come back on target a little faster.
The extractor is also not great and it really needs replacement and tuning. I think the recoil spring fix, while making the reliability much improved, also changed the cycling rate enough that the ejection is weaker and it's getting perilously close to brass-to-face.
Truthfully, if you're looking at getting into 2011s, you can do worse. It's a great entry-level gun, and therere are a couple features on it that are honestly nicer than Staccato. The grip is much nicer than the Gen 2 Staccato grip and on par with their Gen 3 Tac grip. It's an attractive gun. And while it's bobbling out of the box for a lot of people, switching from a 9- to a 12-pound recoil spring in the 5" model and from a 12- to a 14-pound recoil spring in the Commander seem to resolve problems for most people. That being said, if you're thinking of getting into 2011s... saving a bit more for a Staccato is also not a bad decision.
1. My Prodigy Commander went back to the mothership, where they reamed and polished the barrel. My guess is while it was there, they simply checked to see if anything was out of factory spec, and then corrected it if it was. I also think that this had nothing to do with my malfunctions, since none of my failures to feed managed to get the round chambered. It does make me wonder if they even bothered to test fire it, though. Still, it was nice to have that fixed as a known issue.
2. I think I managed to fix it entirely on my own. Once it came back, I replaced the recoil spring with a 14-lb. Wolff spring and then fired 345 of the same three ammunition types (Norma 124-gr. FMJ, Speer 147-gr. FMJ FP, and Federal 147-gr. HST) without a single malfunction.
3. The magazines seem fine - I invested in a pair of matching Staccato 17- and 20-round magazines in case it was bad magazines. There was some suspicion about the Duratech OEM magazines perhaps not being good quality, and some people indeed have had issues with them. However, after replacing the recoil spring, all four magazines fed perfectly. The Staccato mags feel nicer and rattle less than the Duratechs, but the Duratechs fit the gun a little better.
On some additional shooting, it continues to be an extremely ergonomic, pleasant, mild-recoiling shooter that is quite accurate. Only two new-ish observations are that it seems to shoot fairly high, which may just be normal because I was shooting at IDPA targets at 25 yards and not for tiny groups at 10 yards. I'm not an amazing shot, but in a hundred or so rounds at 25 yards, I only dropped maybe 15 points on the IDPA target, and none outside the -1 border. At 10-20 yards, it will shoot out the black of any target I had.
The other new-ish observation is that the gun shoots differently with the 20-round magazines. Can't really describe it, it's not really milder, but it does seem to come back on target a little faster.
The extractor is also not great and it really needs replacement and tuning. I think the recoil spring fix, while making the reliability much improved, also changed the cycling rate enough that the ejection is weaker and it's getting perilously close to brass-to-face.
Truthfully, if you're looking at getting into 2011s, you can do worse. It's a great entry-level gun, and therere are a couple features on it that are honestly nicer than Staccato. The grip is much nicer than the Gen 2 Staccato grip and on par with their Gen 3 Tac grip. It's an attractive gun. And while it's bobbling out of the box for a lot of people, switching from a 9- to a 12-pound recoil spring in the 5" model and from a 12- to a 14-pound recoil spring in the Commander seem to resolve problems for most people. That being said, if you're thinking of getting into 2011s... saving a bit more for a Staccato is also not a bad decision.
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My 5in Prodigy now has 1500 rounds through it and runs like a scalded dog. I’ve bought several additional 17 rd Duramag mags without any problems. I added a Dawson Precision toolless guide rod, which is a Godsend compared to the stock two-piecer. And today added a Burris Fastfire 4 red dot, which replaces the Viper Vortex I had installed. Took it to the range this afternoon to zero. The Prodigy with a red dot is just ridiculously good - like owning your own HIMARS! This beta tester could not be happier.
JCooperfan1911
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Springfield makes a tremendous product and they back their customer 100%.
Glad they made it right for you OP. The 2011 guns are gorgeous and far better combat pistols than the Blocks and other plastic fantastics. I’d love a Stacatto myself.
Glad they made it right for you OP. The 2011 guns are gorgeous and far better combat pistols than the Blocks and other plastic fantastics. I’d love a Stacatto myself.
Madcap_Magician
Member
That exact thing was my next upgrade. The two-piece guide rod was a trash idea from Springfield.
They didn't really, I'm pretty sure the recoil spring change is what fixed it, and I did that myself even though I told them that's what I thought the problem was. Still, I guess I'd rather have the chamber finish reamed and polished than not, and I wasn't equipped for that, so it wasn't a total waste sending it back.
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