The Springfield Prodigy isn’t brand new, in fact it hit the gun world about nine months ago. Until recently, it was tough to find a Prodigy stocked at your local gun shop. We at Shoot Center have been lucky enough to keep them in stock for a couple of weeks so we figured why not write about them!
For those completely unfamiliar to a Prodigy, or a 2011 in general, this is essentially a 1911 chambered in 9mm with a double stacked magazine. For the most part, this market segment has been dominated by big name manufacturers like Staccato 2011 (formally STI), Infinity, and Atlas . Go to any IDPA or IPSC competition and the folks running around like John Wick are likely shooting one of those. These are the Ferraris of the gun world, and if you can’t shoot with one of these you may want to pick another sport. But with great performance comes a big price tag. A Staccato 2011 will start at $1999 for the base model and go up to $4500 for one fully loaded. And up until Staccato proved everyone wrong, 2011 pistols weren’t known for their reliability in the field. Springfield saw a chance to break into the market and we think they’ve got a real contender!
First impression of the Prodigy is that it’s a really sharp looking pistol. It has a cocking serrations on the front and rear of the pistol, ambidextrous safety selector, and grip texture that looks like fine sandpaper give a really clean look to the firearm. The Prodigy has a high gloss black Cerakote on both the frame and slide, but like most 2011 pistols the grip is made entirely of polymer that terminates where it meets the frame. It’s a heavy gun, the 4.24″ barrel models weighs in at 32.5 oz unloaded. This is due to it’s carbon steel construction. Unlike Staccato 2011, Springfield Armory does not offer a lighter weight aluminum frame option. The Prodigy is equipped with a stainless steel match bull barrel that dominated the front profile of the gun. All Prodigies come equipped with an accessory rail, and the Agency Optic System slide. This is a really great option that Springfield elected to make standard across their line-up of Prodigy pistols. It comes standard with one 17 round magazine and a 20 round magazine that protrudes comfortably past the integrated magwell. Springfield has an available 26 round extended mag as well!
Shooting the Prodigy is a pleasure! The added weight of the frame and keep the gun well balanced through the shot. The slide has a slow cyclic rate and cycles extremely smooth even when compared to the Staccato. Even novice shooters can obtain very impressive shot groups with this barrel. Where the Prodigy falls noticeably short is in the trigger pull and reset. It has a pretty significant break on the pull, and the reset is short but granular. To be fair, there is the ability to adjust travel, and we have not played with it. The polymer grip is large, and when compared to a Staccato, the mag release took a little fidgeting to get to. One might want to do a little shaving around the grip to best manipulate the controls one handed.
So, is it worth it? The Prodigy retails at $1499. When compared to an optic ready Staccato C2 or P at $2399 plus add-ons for DLC, threaded barrel, etcetera, the Prodigy is at least a hell of a deal. It’s not finished as well as a Staccato or Nighthawk, but it comes at such an attractive price point for what you get. While the Staccato might be the Ferrari with the Ferrari price tag the Prodigy might compare as a Mustang GT.
Try it out for yourself. Shoot Center has Prodigies and Staccatos for comparison, so let us know what you think!
