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Springfield Prodigy Torture Test: Did It Survive 10K Rounds?

Hello all, here is today's article posted on TheArmoryLife.com. It is titled “Springfield Prodigy Torture Test: Did It Survive 10K Rounds?” and can be found at https://www.thearmorylife.com/springfield-prodigy-torture-test-review/.

This is hardly a torture test. Torture tests typically include minimal maintenance in the form of occasional lubrication. When you are doing routine cleaning and replacing parts halfway through, you are just shooting the gun like a normal person in a compressed time period.
 
Im pretty sure the industry has enough 9mms. Wish they'd pull their heads out and build in real cartridge. Once they build a 10mm or 45 ill buy it. I quit shooting BB guns 30 yrs ago.
9mm is the industry standard for duty carry and self defense. 10mm and 45 are novelty rounds in 2023. You’re gonna wait a long time of this is what you are waiting for.
 
I love the idea of the Prodigy and I was thinking that it would be my first 1911 in 9mm. However, nearly every gun store I visit has stated that the Prodigys have been problematic and that I should wait for the next "batch". That does not seem to be the case with the tested gun. Thoughts? I'm really itching to buy one and this testing makes me want to pull the trigger (pun intended). Thanks!
I can confirm they aren’t ready for prime time yet. My office ordered three to TandE and they weren’t very impressive. We put them in the hands of multiple shooters and put probably 500 rounds through each at this point. We have had dozens of malfunctions with each. Some shooters couldn’t get through a full mag without a stoppage or two. This is unacceptable in my view for a self defense/ duty weapon which they are marketed as.
 
I trust opinions from gun store employees maybe only slightly more than YouTube reviewers.

My 4.25" Prodigy has been excellent and trouble-free.
Why would you not trust the guy trying to sell you a gun? We ordered three and they have been a mess.
 
"At 5,000 rounds, the gun received another solid fieldstrip cleaning and lubrication, and I also replaced the recoil spring"
Why was the recoil spring replaced at 5,000 rds? Is this something that we as shooters need to expect to do if we have a Prodigy?
Thanks
That’s pretty standard for the 2011 platform. The owners manual says so. It’s one of the trade offs for this platform. Having said that, it’s hardly a torture test if you are constantly cleaning the gun and replacing parts.
 
I'm far from the exception. Check out the 'Prodigy' thread on here for a deeper dive into the topic. Not denying that some folks had legit issues when they were first released. And some had minor issues that were easily fixed with a stronger recoil spring, etc. But I'd also say some of the reported "issues" were clearly user-induced. And many, myself included, have had no problems at all.

For those who have had experienced any real issues they couldn't resolve on their own, all the reports I've seen are that Springfield made it right, and that their Prodigies came back running perfectly.
You’re the exception not the norm. My department bought three and all three have had extensive issues in our testing. This is the problem with Springfield. They fire out products and let the early end users find the problems rather than iron them out themselves. I couldn’t get through three mags with any of the guns without at least one stoppage. That’s unacceptable for a gun marketed as for duty. Before anyone tries the operator error narrative, know that I have been carrying a Staccato P for over two years so I’m very familiar with the platform. The Staccato has never failed to go bang, not once, even brand new. While I don’t expect the same performance from a hun that costs 1k less, I expect reliability.
 
I think hardly a day goes by…someone doesn’t have something bad or negative so say about something on the interwebs.
I read the reviews, I knew the issues.
Bought one anyways, I’ve always had really good luck with stuff like this.
Luck ran out, issue after issue, SA took outstanding care of me.
Issue free since.

I’ve got a newer Harley M8 motor’s touring bike. You can read hundreds upon hundreds of stories of issues with them since introduced.

You know what you barely read? Thousands upon thousands of zero issues…

My Prodigy is 22K in serial number, I’ve read a couple dozen different reports of issues.
What makes me laugh each time is… buy a brand new gun…then Macguyver it yourself, get new mags, get new spring, get new this and that… instead of use the warranty as intended.
I’m not opposed to any of my own work…but damn, give the manufacturer a chance to make it right.
There shouldn’t be widespread issues coming from the factory that have to be made right.
 
This gun is going to revolutionize the 2011 market . Plus it's a Gun , not an Eco-auto with computers and such . If the thing fell completely apart . You could replace all the eternals for under $400. People seem to be afraid of this gun because of the Internet Hype . Or that 1911 parts aren't drop in . Aaah yeah they are . It's just a light filing here and there on parts that don't go in perfect . It's even easier with the Videos Atlas puts out .
It's using MIM parts : Take it apart -find the tiny burrs and polish them off . I don't see what a 2nd generation is going to cure . There's nothing to fix . It's a steel framed heavy 2011 that when it cycles shoots lights out . For 1300.00 It's possible that the next batch they will have moved to a tool-less guide rod . Which you can do yourself . If SA does it the prices go up. .
There’s dozens of 2011’s on the market. Making one cheaper than most other manufacturers isn’t revolutionary. For 1500 bucks, the hun should come out of the box ready to go.
 
I guess I got an influencer gun then. Other than a handful of FTFs on my first range session mine has run like a freight train from the get go. No trips to SA, no polishing of parts, it runs SA mags without complaint and the only mod was to get rid of the two piece recoil rod. I do think a lot of the problems were inexperience with a 1911 based platform. I read comments from a lot of noobs on many forums who were just unfamiliar with the peculiarities of the 1911. Not saying experienced people didn’t have issues. And of course everyone was crowing that they would never buy a brand new production gun, they’d let others work the bugs out and then when people had bugs people were shocked. And of course most of the people we heard from were the ones having problems, not the tens of thousand who just got on with it. I personally don’t think the Prodigy was the debacle it was made out to be.
Malfunctions out of the box and needing to replace parts isn’t illustrative of a quality product. I personally had a lot of problems with the T and E models I was sent. Many stoppages mag issues. I have been running 2011’s in competition and on duty for years so the operator error narrative is just that. If I can’t make it run, it’s because it doesn’t run.
 
In what way?
In the way that some reviews started with, "I'm just taking this Prodigy out of the box, I haven't done anything to it, and let's see how it runs." This, to me, indicates cluelessness of the basics of a 1911 platform. In my experience, you should always thoroughly clean a 1911 that is new from the factory and properly lube it. If a reviewer doesn't that, and then reports problems as a result, I have little respect for their credibility. They should stick to reviewing Glocks.

Why would you not trust the guy trying to sell you a gun?
Seriously? 🤣

You’re the exception not the norm....
Yeah. I seem to get that a lot. 😉

But it isn't really relevant. My experience with the Prodigy has been excellent, yes. And some people have had legit issues, which by all accounts were quickly addressed and fixed by Springfield. And some of those issues were very minor and could have easily been addressed, but people chose to send it in anyway, which is their prerogative. And some people clearly had issues because of operator error, or operator cluelessness.

I will also say, I find it interesting that we have had a number of people join, just in the last few days, only to post their negative experience with the Prodigy. Duly noted.
 
In the way that some reviews started with, "I'm just taking this Prodigy out of the box, I haven't done anything to it, and let's see how it runs." This, to me, indicates cluelessness of the basics of a 1911 platform. In my experience, you should always thoroughly clean a 1911 that is new from the factory and properly lube it. If a reviewer doesn't that, and then reports problems as a result, I have little respect for their credibility. They should stick to reviewing Glocks.


Seriously? 🤣


Yeah. I seem to get that a lot. 😉

But it isn't really relevant. My experience with the Prodigy has been excellent, yes. And some people have had legit issues, which by all accounts were quickly addressed and fixed by Springfield. And some of those issues were very minor and could have easily been addressed, but people chose to send it in anyway, which is their prerogative. And some people clearly had issues because of operator error, or operator cluelessness.

I will also say, I find it interesting that we have had a number of people join, just in the last few days, only to post their negative experience with the Prodigy. Duly noted.
Oh boy, here we go. I own nine Springfield handguns and rifles. I have a Saint Victor riding in my gun rack to my right as I write this, so your thinly veiled implication that I joined just to trash this gun or this company is nonsense. I joined because my entire agency is looking at going to this platform and I want to see what people on this forum have to say because I want both sides. This gun is being dragged everywhere else on the web and is literally being called the Springfield Apology in other 1911/2011 forums and based on my experience, that seems warranted. When Springfield sends me three and not one of the three can run right out of the box, that’s a failure in my view and the “it needs a break in period, it needs a different spring, it needs etc” narrative is fanboy BS perpetrated by people who have a hard time admitting they bought something that wasn’t the best. Springfield has been making 1911’s for decades. I know because I own four, so the idea that they turned out yet another gun knowing it had problems is unacceptable to me. I’m neither a fan boy nor a detractor for Springfield. I’m a firearms instructor and armorer responsible for the guns that 60 plus guys put in their holsters every day. Sorry, but send it in and they will make it right, or fix it yourself is utter BS for a gun costing three times the price of a Glock and being marketed as a duty weapon. It should come out of the box, take a little lube and easily handle hundreds of rounds without a hiccup. Thats the standard for a modern pistol marketed for duty and CCW carry. That’s what guns costing a third as much do and that’s what the 3k Staccato on my hip as we speak does. Springfield needs to make this right and stop shipping under sprung crap guns. They need accountability, not special pleaders like you sir.
 
Oh boy, here we go. I own nine Springfield handguns and rifles. I have a Saint Victor riding in my gun rack to my right as I write this, so your thinly veiled implication that I joined just to trash this gun or this company is nonsense. I joined because my entire agency is looking at going to this platform and I want to see what people on this forum have to say because I want both sides. This gun is being dragged everywhere else on the web and is literally being called the Springfield Apology in other 1911/2011 forums and based on my experience, that seems warranted. When Springfield sends me three and not one of the three can run right out of the box, that’s a failure in my view and the “it needs a break in period, it needs a different spring, it needs etc” narrative is fanboy BS perpetrated by people who have a hard time admitting they bought something that wasn’t the best. Springfield has been making 1911’s for decades. I know because I own four, so the idea that they turned out yet another gun knowing it had problems is unacceptable to me. I’m neither a fan boy nor a detractor for Springfield. I’m a firearms instructor and armorer responsible for the guns that 60 plus guys put in their holsters every day. Sorry, but send it in and they will make it right, or fix it yourself is utter BS for a gun costing three times the price of a Glock and being marketed as a duty weapon. It should come out of the box, take a little lube and easily handle hundreds of rounds without a hiccup. Thats the standard for a modern pistol marketed for duty and CCW carry. That’s what guns costing a third as much do and that’s what the 3k Staccato on my hip as we speak does. Springfield needs to make this right and stop shipping under sprung crap guns. They need accountability, not special pleaders like you sir.
If you came here looking for people’s opinions why is it you seemed determined to disregard those who have had no problems? Why is it always the guys who claim to have a lifetime of experience and own this gun and that gun who come on here and get butthurt when people don’t buy into their cause? Nobody is saying the Prodigy hasn’t had problems, which you clearly have, but instead of getting into it with people on this forum call SA, go to the source and tell them your issues. BTW, 2000 flawless rounds through mine. Karma. Know what I mean?
 
Luckily I didn't buy the Prodigy for a CCW or for duty but only for running in the tactical games or similar competition. I received the pistol and immediately field stripped and cleaned the factory "whatever" they put on the gun because it was slow to cycle out of the box just manually racking the slide. After cleaning and properly lubing the gun I put three magazines through the pistol and was pleasantly surprised how good it shot. Then it stopped running and since the majority of people online in the forms said that theirs ran better after "breaking it in", I went through about 200 more rounds trying every type of ammo we had on hand. It just would not run through an entire mag without some sort of stoppage. Just to be clear I have years of 1911 experience and have never had one of my other 1911s do this. The next day I shipped it back to Springfield. Since it was going to be a month before I got my Prodigy back I went ahead and ordered another popular DS 1911 and ran it the same way I tried the Prodigy. I have put about 400 rounds through the other pistol with not one failure. I understand an occasional hiccup, especially with all of the underperforming ammo that is on the shelf now and cheap "target reloads" that are available, but it should run. I just got notice last night that my Prodigy is on the way back to me. They sent a list of everything they did to make it run. Hopefully, it runs as good as some of yours when I get it. I didn't join to beat up on the Springfield or attack anybody in this forum, I just wanted to comment on the torture test and give a voice to the people that got a lemon out of the box.
 
I agree that calling it a "torture test" is an exaggeration. I'd also agree with the point above that over the course of 10k rounds, some variation in ammo would have been good.

But pro-actively swapping the recoil spring at 5k is a complete non-issue for me.
I'm not a pistol smith so unsure of spring dynamics in this realm. Still, to me, if you leave the original spring in place throughout the test, I'm guessing it may be possible that spring-induced instability could show up once higher round counts are reached. For me, that would just be another data point in a long-term test. It all depends on what the goals of the test are. If the general rule of thumb is to replace a spring after 5K rounds - and that applies across all (or most) modern platforms - then have at it (y)
 
I know this is a point of contention for some people, but a new spring costs peanuts. I keeps spares just in case. Who cares if SA says replace it every 5k rounds?
 
I know this is a point of contention for some people, but a new spring costs peanuts. I keeps spares just in case. Who cares if SA says replace it every 5k rounds?
Most manufacturers recommend recoil spring replacement at 5k rounds. That was emphasized for me at SIG, Glock, and SA1911 armorer courses. The loadings of your ammo is also a factor for recoil spring replacement.
 
Most manufacturers recommend recoil spring replacement at 5k rounds. That was emphasized for me at SIG, Glock, and SA1911 armorer courses. The loadings of your ammo is also a factor for recoil spring replacement.
Exactly. I don't even know why this is such a topic of concern.
 
Spring metal fatigue occurs from repeated compression and decompression. If you shoot 100 rounds per week, you will fire 5200 rounds in one year. It is prudent to change the recoil spring at that point due to tremendous forces on the spring that you cannot see. At current ammo prices that is a lot of ammo down the tube. If you are shooting that much or more you need a robust maintenance program. The fact is, most people will not fire 5k rounds from a single pistol in a lifetime. If you are a high volume shooter you know the importance of preventive maintenance to keep them running.
 
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