WindsurferKaren Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 I just bought a used Smithfield Armory Prodigy DS for competitive shooting in USPSA events. I've shot in about ten events and really like the sport so I purchased the Prodigy to be my competition gun. I want to swap out a few items to make the gun easier to use and more ergonomic for my hands. I would like to change the ambidextrous thumb safety with one that is wider, lower or longer so I will feel comfortable riding my thumb on the safety while shooting. Right now it is a stretch to push the safety up and down. I see some folks also have a shield on their thumb safety which I believe protects from slide pinches. That sounds good. I also want an easier mag release and found a button at Dawson Precision that I think will work but not sure how it will screw into the gun. The gun is black so I prefer black/carbon parts, not silver/stainless steel parts. I would love to hear recommendations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALL_comped_EVERYTHING Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 Dawson mag release will be smoother but the stock one will also break in. EGW makes top of the line parts and they pretty much made an entire lineup of parts that were made specifically for the Prodigy. I swapped out the Ignition kit, slide stop, & thumb safety’s for EGW’s and then replaced the trigger with the Atlas geppert and the guide rod with Atlas’s tool-less guide rod. I would also recommend either staccato or atlas mags if you were thinking about purchasing more for competition and keep the Prodigy Dura Mags for practice and range Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chillywig Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 Smithfield? LOL https://www.shootersconnectionstore.com/Gun-Parts/1911-2011-Pistols/Thumb-Safeties I like wider. I don't think there is anything wrong with shielded but never used them and never pinched my thumbs or stopped a slide from recoiling from contact. 1911 safeties are not drop in and will need fit into the gun. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOGRIDER Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 1 hour ago, WindsurferKaren said: I just bought a used Smithfield Armory Prodigy DS for competitive shooting in USPSA events. I've shot in about ten events and really like the sport so I purchased the Prodigy to be my competition gun. I want to swap out a few items to make the gun easier to use and more ergonomic for my hands. I would like to change the ambidextrous thumb safety with one that is wider, lower or longer so I will feel comfortable riding my thumb on the safety while shooting. Right now it is a stretch to push the safety up and down. I see some folks also have a shield on their thumb safety which I believe protects from slide pinches. That sounds good. I also want an easier mag release and found a button at Dawson Precision that I think will work but not sure how it will screw into the gun. The gun is black so I prefer black/carbon parts, not silver/stainless steel parts. I would love to hear recommendations. There are TONS of posts about using the Prodigy for USPSA competition on this very site: https://forums.brianenos.com/search/?q=Prodigy&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=3 IMO, find a good 1911/2011 gunsmith near you or in your region that can help you decide and make the right choices based on your actual needs! It's a great platform to start with! Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WindsurferKaren Posted February 10 Author Share Posted February 10 Thank you. I was looking for a forum that specializes in the Prodigy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WindsurferKaren Posted February 10 Author Share Posted February 10 2 hours ago, Chillywig said: Smithfield? LOL https://www.shootersconnectionstore.com/Gun-Parts/1911-2011-Pistols/Thumb-Safeties I like wider. I don't think there is anything wrong with shielded but never used them and never pinched my thumbs or stopped a slide from recoiling from contact. 1911 safeties are not drop in and will need fit into the gun. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WindsurferKaren Posted February 10 Author Share Posted February 10 Oh I gotta spell check! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandflea316 Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 Get this for mag release https://dawsonprecision.com/search.php?search_query="519-1046"§ion=product Than get this button https://www.1911store.com/magreleasebuttonbcg-cyclone.aspx For a safety get an Atlas shielded ambi safety https://atlasgunworks.com/product/ambi-thumb-safety-dlc Safety is not drop in. You'll need to fit it. Best to find a gunsmith familiar with 1911/2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
392heminut Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 (edited) 55 minutes ago, WindsurferKaren said: Thank you. I was looking for a forum that specializes in the Prodigy There are a couple of Prodigy owners groups over on Facebook. Be warned though, a good share of the posters in them are changing all the internals just because that seems to be what the cool kids do! I've been shooting mine for about a year now in Limited Optics and I tuned the factory trigger parts to a very nice, reliable 2.5# pull. The only parts I've changed is the trigger, to an Atlas X-Line long flat trigger, the thumb safety to a wide ambi safety, and the recoil and mainsprings. Edited February 10 by 392heminut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 2 hours ago, WindsurferKaren said: Oh I gotta spell check! You can edit the post heading if you act soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckS Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 2 hours ago, WindsurferKaren said: Oh I gotta spell check! Fixed it for you (sort of ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WindsurferKaren Posted February 10 Author Share Posted February 10 As you can see I’m a beginner on this forum and couldn’t see how I could edit my post. Thanks for changing the headline! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckS Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 59 minutes ago, WindsurferKaren said: As you can see I’m a beginner on this forum and couldn’t see how I could edit my post. Thanks for changing the headline! Welcome to the forum! The ability to edit a post only lasts 48 hours. On a PC, just click and hold over the title and you should be able to edit it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
392heminut Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 Welcome to the forum WindsurferKaren! Glad to have you here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcc7x7 Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 You can also change the spring in the mag release to lessen the weight and make is easier to release. The Dawson with the tapped hole will allow you to put an extended pad/paddle on it so it doesn't require as much hand movement to release. Most clubs have a go to gunsmith. ask around and find him. He probably has a bunch of old safeties he can let you get a feel of to make your choice easier. Obviously he should be able to fit your new one also. you can shape them to fit your hands but hey will need to be re blued or at least cold blued for esthetic appeal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJH Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 Can also cut a coil or 2 off of the mag release spring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe4d Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 1 hour ago, RJH said: Can also cut a coil or 2 off of the mag release spring which will probably cause you to over push the release and end up binding the mag,,, that or dropping a mag while you are shooting because you bumped release with heal of left hand. And yep done both and yep always use Plus XP mag release springs and dress the release. My best suggestion to the Op is this manual... While a couple arts are wide body specific the principles are the same and most parts will fit the same way.. Keep in mind 1911's/2011's are not modular.. They are made by many MFG, with tooling of various wear level and quality.. Almost all after market parts will be over sized and need to be hand fit. Its not just gonna go in and work like parts for many plastic guns. https://www.amazon.com/Automatic-M1911-M1911A1-Pistols-Kuhnhausen/dp/B01896004C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJH Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 1 hour ago, Joe4d said: which will probably cause you to over push the release and end up binding the mag,,, that or dropping a mag while you are shooting because you bumped release with heal of left hand. And yep done both and yep always use Plus XP mag release springs and dress the release. My best suggestion to the Op is this manual... While a couple arts are wide body specific the principles are the same and most parts will fit the same way.. Keep in mind 1911's/2011's are not modular.. They are made by many MFG, with tooling of various wear level and quality.. Almost all after market parts will be over sized and need to be hand fit. Its not just gonna go in and work like parts for many plastic guns. https://www.amazon.com/Automatic-M1911-M1911A1-Pistols-Kuhnhausen/dp/B01896004C I cut pretty much all my 1911 mag release springs and never an issue. But I am a lefty and so that may be why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XDman Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 So the Prodigy is really a limited division only gun? What do you all think about the Briley package upgrades? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
392heminut Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 1 minute ago, XDman said: So the Prodigy is really a limited division only gun? What do you all think about the Briley package upgrades? I've never heard anyone refer to it as a Limited only gun. There is absolutely no reason it can't be used as a base gun for an open build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XDman Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 Guess I should have said as it is produced. It's not on the production list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stmark73 Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 Single Action pistols are not allowed in Production Division. Mark S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WindsurferKaren Posted February 12 Author Share Posted February 12 I’ll be putting on a Holosun Vulcan optic and using the gun in the limited optics division Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WindsurferKaren Posted February 12 Author Share Posted February 12 On 2/9/2024 at 8:22 PM, 392heminut said: There are a couple of Prodigy owners groups over on Facebook. Be warned though, a good share of the posters in them are changing all the internals just because that seems to be what the cool kids do! I've been shooting mine for about a year now in Limited Optics and I tuned the factory trigger parts to a very nice, reliable 2.5# pull. The only parts I've changed is the trigger, to an Atlas X-Line long flat trigger, the thumb safety to a wide ambi safety, and the recoil and mainsprings. What brand of wide ambi safety did you get? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandflea316 Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 I have the Atlas one that i posted. Wasn't hard to fit if you're mechanically inclined and know where to remove metal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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