ddc

range equipment failure = reshoot

Breaking even? I think about saving money but... In this sport people will spend thousands for any advantage, perceived or otherwise, lol... I try to get sucked in to that mindset as little as possible... lately without much success! First world problem for sure...don't tell my wife.

near universal conversion... good to know, thanks.

There is no formal limit on mag length but... Your gun with any of your empty mags inserted must fit into the box appropriate for the division you are shooting. That pretty much rules out any mags in the 140mm category. Edited to add: And just because a mag is 126mm or thereabouts doesn't mean it will work. Some factory gun and mag combinations may not be legal but can be with aftermarket base pads. In particular 2011 patterned guns might need special base pads. Monthly matches typically do not do formal equipment checks but it is a good idea and being a good sport to be as compliant as possible. Also if you should decide to shoot an upper level match your gear will have to be legal. Ask around at your first match; let people know it is your first time; you will get all sorts of help and advice.

I agree but they seem to work. I'm curious how robust they will be over time compared to a more conventional construction.

I'm glad you are happy with yours. Obviously we've had vastly different experiences with Prodigy mags. You couldn't pay me to use them in a match as they come from the factory. And it would seem you agree given you replaced your springs with aftermarket. Perhaps not so much B.S. as you initially thought, eh?

Yes, it is a 2011 design so any 2011 mags should in theory work. Having said that guns can have their own idiosyncrasies. My Prodigy runs Atlas, MBX and some old STI mags without issue.

I agree 100%. Prodigy mags are only good for practice and taking stress off of your real mags. The factory spring and follower are low grade. The spring is wimpy and the follower is bulky, it takes up a lot of space. The action as the follower transitions through the tube is catchy. I spent some time trying to smooth things out but in the end they are not worth spending any time or money on. Get Atlas or MBX whichever turns you on.

I agree. There may be other vendors who supply equivalent service and performance that I am not familiar with. However if they did they would be pretty special.

LIkewise.

The symptoms you are seeing are similar to those that are experienced when people have problems setting up a combo seating/crimping die. That's just an FYI as much as anything... One thing I'm noticing is that your flare measurements are far in excess of any that I typically see mentioned. I have not done a lot of loading with coated bullets so maybe I'm out of the loop but my recollection is that a flare of .385 is more than I ever needed. For jacketed I'm down around .381/.382. To me a flare of .3930 seems way way big but maybe there is something about coated bullets that I'm not up to speed with.

I'd get something like a Red Hill Tactical and add a lever tensioner like this: https://www.fgsengineering.com/product/quick-lock-holster-lever/

It is interesting to see the differences in feed lip and follower design.

It is somewhat counterintuitive but cutting coils off of a spring increases the spring rate. Google "cutting coils off of spring" or some such search string; they'll explain it a lot better than I can.

What is the measured diameter of your bullets?