Springfield Prodigy Compact Review

In today’s article, the author reviews the Springfield Armory 1911 DS Prodigy Compact 9mm pistol. The pistol was loaned to the author for evaluation by the company.

We waited in anticipation for the Prodigy Compact with 4.25” length barrel from Springfield Armory to arrive for testing and evaluation. It’s the compact version of the full-size Prodigy, with the major differences being a shorter grip, a short barrel length of 4.25” or 3.5”, and a lighter aluminum frame as opposed to the steel frame of the full-size model.

This would be the first Double Stack (DS) 1911 that we had reviewed and put to the test. We weren’t sure we would like the feel of this pistol, primarily because I grew up with the original single-stack 1911. An acquaintance of roughly the same age (read: old, or Baby-boomer) recently shared that the younger generations somewhat, unaffectionately call us older gun nuts “1911 guys (similar to “Fudds”), because we are beholden to the original 1911 design and aren’t necessarily as thrilled as they are by the each new polymer, double-stack handgun to come down the line.

They aren’t entirely wrong in that assumption. The truth is, though, there would not be any 1911 DS pistols if John Moses Browning hadn’t developed the original single-stack 1911, by which all other pistols are now measured and judged. So, when the package arrived from Springfield, we were thrilled and anxious as we opened it and held it for the first time (of course, after removing the mag and ensuring it was empty).

First Impressions of the Prodigy Compact

As it turns out, we didn’t need to be anxious at all. It felt great in the hand; weighty and solid, our hands loved the grip size. It came naturally to point of aim as it was raised. The black DLC-treated bull barrel looked like it was built for accuracy. The grip stippling was fantastic, giving us confidence we could maintain a firm grip under any conditions, without wearing the skin off our hands during extended range sessions. We should also mention the ambidextrous safety. They were positive, but not too stiff.

While the Prodigy Compact 4.25” comes with great metal sights that include a tritium front sight, our test specimen also sported a Vortex Defender-ST red dot, which was already installed and co-witnessed nicely with the high iron sights.

Well, it is one thing to like the feel of a pistol and quite another to see how it does when you shoot it and run through practical drills. But before we get to the range sessions, let’s talk about why we think Springfield tweaked the design of the original Prodigy and why that makes it a great fit for the needs of many gun enthusiasts.

The Goldilocks Gun?

It isn’t the smallest compact on the market, but it isn’t the largest either. It is, I think, Springfield Armory’s successful attempt at providing a “Goldilocks gun.” For those not familiar with this often-overused term, it is an attempt to provide a pistol that is “just right,” meeting every handgun need in one optimally sized firearm.

This is a natural evolution undertaken by gun manufacturers who are responding to consumer input. In other words, consumers want a really small pistol for concealed carry, but then they want more capacity, a longer sight radius and a larger frame so they can shoot it more comfortably and hit their intended target easier, etc.

Those buying large service and competition guns begin to want a smaller, lighter, easier to carry pistol without any loss of capacity, accuracy or reliability. So the small guns get larger, while the large guns get smaller, and finally you have the optimal.

I am not saying that the Prodigy Compact with 4.25” length barrel will fit everyone perfectly and perform every task that every shooter needs without having to buy another firearm. There really is no perfectly sized or perfectly designed pistol capable of meeting everyone’s needs. What I am saying is that it will meet most handgun needs and fit a large percentage of shooters reasonably or very well. And if it does not, Springfield has other options for you like the 3.5” barreled version.

The Right Role

The Prodigy Compact’s primary role is as an Everyday Carry (EDC) pistol, but it is also designed to serve well as a service arm, in competition, or for home defense and plinking. And as you will see, it performed admirably in all these roles!

First, let’s cover its EDC role. Springfield Armory provided me with an excellent Rouge IWB/OWB kydex holster from Crossbreed. It was left-handed since I am a southpaw and also fit one of our left-handed testers! We wore it in both configurations and practiced drawing as part of several drills and ringing steel and it did an excellent job of retention with the ability to draw the Prodigy Compact swiftly and seamlessly. It also felt great, concealed well and held the gun tight against our bodies. It is important to be able to draw a pistol quickly and consistently when needed and this combo just worked.

Performance of the Springfield Prodigy Compact

Once you draw a pistol it, has to function and it has to be able to hit its intended target. The Prodigy Compact 4.25” was both reliable and accurate. To test its reliability, our team shot it as it came right from the factory. No lubing before we tested it and we did not clean or lube the Prodigy Compact at any time throughout our testing. After putting in excess of 500 rounds through it there was not one failure of any kind.

At this point we should also talk very briefly about the take-down method for the Prodigy Compact so you can clean and lube it after running more than 500 rounds through it like we needed to do! It is very similar to taking down a 1911 with one exception being that you need a tool to loosen and remove the guide rod and recoil assembly. So, make sure you bring a 5/32” hex tool or Allen wrench (one is provided from Springfield with the pistol) with you to the range.

Okay, the Prodigy Compact is portable, and reliable, but how about capable? The best way to test the accuracy of a firearm is to take the element of human error out of the equation. So, we used a Ransom Masters Series mechanical rest with remote cable pull to test four different cartridges of differing weights, bullet shapes and manufacturers. We used The Armory Life protocol of three, five shot groups for each type of ammunition from 15 yards. The accompanying chart details the results, which showed just how inherently accurate the Prodigy Compact is.

The best single group was .66” from Federal’s Premium LE Tac HST with 147-gr. bullet, which also posted the best average of .93” for three groups. Black Hills 124-gr. JHP was right behind with a best group of .76” and average of 1.03”. Hornady’s 115-gr. Critical Defense had a best group of .98” and an average of 1.55” while Black Hills Honey Badger with its 100-gr. radically tipped bullet averaged 2” on the nose with a 1.93” best grouping. I would feel very adequately armed and confident using any one of these cartridges for daily carry and self-defense due to their excellent accuracy and rock-solid reliability in this firearm.

Although we wanted to test the inherent accuracy of the Prodigy Compact, we couldn’t help wanting to see how we would do with at least one of the cartridges. We chose what worked best in the mechanical rest and using a Ransom multi-cal rest, we shot three groups of five rounds each with the Federal Premium LE Tac HST 147-gr. ammo from 15 yards. Of course, the Vortex ST helped immensely.

We were not disappointed. We shot a best group of 1.19”, and our overall average was 1.35”. We’ll take that any day of the week. One of the most critical factors enabling great accuracy from any firearm is its trigger. The Prodigy Compact has one of the best we have felt in a long time. Besides being smooth, crisp and short, ten pulls on our Lyman digital trigger pull gauge gave an average 3 lbs., 11 oz.! This is a great pistol indeed!

We also ran drills on paper and rang steel from 20 yards inward to about 7 yards. Again, the Prodigy Compact just felt great in the hand and honestly, it was hard to miss our targets with that red dot. The grip circumference is large at 5.75” on top and 6” at the bottom of the grip, but it felt great to us. The stippling was perfect. It gave great purchase even with sweaty hands, but never created any hot spots or abrasion during our extended shooting sessions.

Since the Prodigy Compact comes with two 15 round magazines, but accepts longer ones, Springfield Armory sent us a 26 rounder to test. It was as reliable as the flush-fitting magazines and seated and dropped free with no issues. Given its accuracy, sweet, crisp trigger and ability to use higher capacity magazines, the Prodigy Compact would make a fine competition pistol that would work as well for you as many higher-priced double-stack 1911s. Just sayin’.

Final Thoughts

Finally, with its accessory rail that accepts most any weapon light or light/laser combination it could also serve admirably as a service firearm or bedside protection when something goes “bump in the night.” My Streamlight TLR-8 fit and functioned on it perfectly. In my humble opinion, with its portability, capability and reliability, this truly is a do-it-all “Goldilocks” gun with features and value well beyond its MSRP of $1,582.00.

I would like to thank Ransom International, Federal Ammunition, Black Hills, Hornady, Olight and Vanquest for allowing us to use and feature their products for this firearm evaluation.

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