Looking at a Prodigy

[71Commander]

Gonna shoot LO. As it will have a SRO attached, what importance would be between the 5" and the 4.25"?  My thinking is that with the 4.25, it could be carried outside of the games arena.

[robchavous]

It'll mostly just boil down to preference.  They'll handle slightly different, but the shorter one shouldn't put you at any sort of disadvantage.  I've recently picked up one of each to play around with.

 

 

[Stuey]

I have shot both and I like them.  They do shoot differently.  I used the same ammo in both and there was a noticeable difference.   I went with 4.25 because I wanted something more compact.

[71Commander]

1 hour ago, Stuey said:

  I went with 4.25 because I wanted something more compact.

As Jeff Cooper once said about a Commander:" They do clear the holster a little faster."

[71Commander]

1 hour ago, robchavous said:

They'll handle slightly different,

 

 

How so?

[shred]

I find the 4.25" flippier than the 5".  Not noticeably slower on the clock, but it moves more.  Kind of like the difference between 125gr bullets and 147gr bullets in minor loads, some people like one much more over the other, some people don't care much.

 

 

 

[CavReconScout]

I just started using a 5” Prodigy and really like it. Original plan was to use it at work, but then I retired . I haven’t used it for any matches yet, and only have around 700rds through it, but so far it’s been GTG. I am running a SRO, and using 3.3grs of Sport Pistol under a 147 BB I am getting a 133 PF average. Only change I made was replacing the recoil spring with a DPM kit as it felt undersprung to me. It shoots really flat and stays on target, even with my meager shooting skills.

[mikeg1005]

3/4" of barrel isn't going to change how the gun carries considering the frame/grip is the same.  I'd go with the full length   

[Racinready300ex]

It'd be best to shoot both lengths a little. I typically prefer the way a 4" gun cycles a little better in 9mm. The slide is lighter, the stroke is shorter and you'll probably need a little more powder to make PF. So the gun is going to have a faster, sharper recoil. Once I got used to shooting a short gun, my 5" guns feel sluggish.

 

Will either really change your score? No. 

[71Commander]

4 hours ago, Racinready300ex said:

Will either really change your score? No. 

This is what I'm driving at. Given that both would have a dot, would the 5" perform better accurate wise? I just don't see it.

[RangerTrace]

1 hour ago, 71Commander said:

This is what I'm driving at. Given that both would have a dot, would the 5" perform better accurate wise? I just don't see it.

Agreed.  I love 4.5"ish guns.

[Racinready300ex]

12 hours ago, 71Commander said:

This is what I'm driving at. Given that both would have a dot, would the 5" perform better accurate wise? I just don't see it.

 

I think it just depends what you like, you're certainly not giving anything up either way. My pick is the shorter gun, I really like how they shoot. 

[beltfedgoodness]

I think it 100% is just what you prefer. i have a 5" but i love the balance and feel of a longer barrel. (I also prefer SS 1911's in 6") 

[sharko]

Having both they do shoot differently. The 4.25 shoots pretty nice but the 5 is kind of slow and sluggish, think the slide it too heavy. Since you're going optics no need for longer anyway.

[rpm8300]

I shoot a 5" DS in LO; it's a great value but required a little bit of tweaking.  With 147s and medium burn rate velocity, the 5" is just about right for timing and dot recovery.  I haven't shot the 4.25 but generally I think for competition the 5 is the best bet.  Try different recoil spring weights starting with 8 lbs, and tune the extractor for sure.

[tt350z]

On 7/17/2023 at 8:22 AM, 71Commander said:

As Jeff Cooper once said about a Commander:" They do clear the holster a little faster."

It’s a non-factor in LO if you use a race holster.

[71Commander]

5 hours ago, tt350z said:

It’s a non-factor in LO if you use a race holster.

I thinking of carrying it concealed as well. 4-1/4 is ideal. 5" is a little too long.

 

I shoot  3 gun as well. Don't use a race holster in 3 gun.

Edited July 23, 2023 by 71Commander

[Stuey]

1 hour ago, 71Commander said:

I thinking of carrying it concealed as well. 4-1/4 is ideal. 5" is a little too long.

That was my thinking when I got mine.  I wanted to carry it concealed and the 4.25” was more ideal.

[0099]

Pretty big for a CCW, but you probably know that.

my 4.25 was painful for a while.  They did so much ceracoat on the rails it was turning into sludge and putting the slide in slow motion.  Had me chasing all kinds of stuff down.  About 750 rounds in and a bit of rail polishing it’s now flawless.  Very accurate.

 

 

Edited August 2, 2023 by 0099

[Chillywig]

On 8/1/2023 at 7:14 PM, 0099 said:

 Very accurate.

 

 

Is that snow on the ground? As hot as it has been I kinda miss snow

[GunBugBit]

I would think tuning the load and recoil spring for 4.25” vs 5” to get the flattest shooting would be a little different.  Some guys have such good grips that they shoot most everything flat once they get a feel for their gun/load combo.  But it’s nice to make it as easy as possible.

[sharko]

On 8/1/2023 at 4:14 PM, 0099 said:

Pretty big for a CCW, but you probably know that.

my 4.25 was painful for a while.  They did so much ceracoat on the rails it was turning into sludge and putting the slide in slow motion.  Had me chasing all kinds of stuff down.  About 750 rounds in and a bit of rail polishing it’s now flawless.  Very accurate.

 

 

Yah both mine were a mess with that cerakoat, the 5" was the worst, finally cleaned, oiled and racked the slide for a hour or so cleaning the black grunge and re-oiling. Now at least it works but I like the feel of the 4.25 better.

[GunBugBit]

I watched a video of a guy smoothing up his buddy’s new 4.25” Prodigy.  The frame-slide and barrel-slide fit seemed ok.  There was a lot of plastic flashing to clean up, plus grip screws and plate screws too long.  The trigger didn’t ride smoothly in its channel and shoe opening.  The mag release was rubbing on the untrimmed plastic. The grip screws were leaving marks on the mags and a plate screw was pressing on the extractor.  The Prodigy seems like a project gun but that’s not a bad thing if you know how to deal with the issues and understand what you’re getting.

[EvilNuff]

10 hours ago, GunBugBit said:

I watched a video of a guy smoothing up his buddy’s new 4.25” Prodigy.  ...

That sounds like an interesting video to watch, got a link?

[GunBugBit]

Here you go.