I wanted to see how far we could push the pistol, from performance to cosmetics.
The Foundation
I am truly smitten with the Prodigy pistol from Springfield Armory.
But of all those, one stands out from the pack.
What can a high-end custom shop do with the Springfield 1911 DS Prodigy? As the author shows us, quite a bit.
The result was nothing less than stunning.
I asked them to do something similar this go around, but with a twist.
Matt Allred and Kevin Hermanson at Mk3 Firearms are truly great craftsmen and gunsmiths.
The finished Springfield 1911 DS Prodigy from Mk3 Firearms is a winner from the finish to its accuracy.
These guys are old school; there are no CNC machines and everything is done by hand.
We discussed a few things like a custom trigger, ported slide and barrel, Cerakote, etc.
But I told them to take the project where they felt, based on their experience and knowledge.
Mk3 Firearms started with a stock Springfield 1911 DS Prodigy. With input from the author, the skilled craftsmen at Mk3 Firearms turned out this beauty.
To say this finished Mk3 5 Prodigy is a one-of-a-kind would be an understatement.
This really makes the pistol stand out as a custom project with a nod toward legends of the past.
The ports are a slightly larger diameter with a recessed radial angle cut for style points.
Porting is a time-tested method to counter muzzle rise. For competition or self-defense, a ported pistol can help to get you back on target quickly.
The barrel was given a 45-degree crown and the front of the slide was blocked off.
The Cerakote is a custom blend that almost changes its tone depending on the lighting conditions.
Its a kind of gold/titanium look with graphite black controls.
The custom grip texturing was done by Brian Lack over at LV Laser Engraving.
The idea was to simulate the old wooden double diamond grips of the past.
They then painted the grip graphite black to make it really stand out against the rest of the frame.
Mk3 Firearms gave the Springfield 1911 DS Prodigy a 45˚ crown and blocked off the front of the slide.
The grips are super comfortable, while also still having plenty of texture to control the pistol.
Also, the internal trigger job they did on this Prodigy was stunning.
With a short 3.5-lb.
For porting, Mk3 Firearms used V6-type porting, which is an homage to the V10 and V12 ported models from Springfield Armory’s past.
pull with very little take-up and a short, positive reset, the trigger feels spectacular.
I am going to be completely spoiled by this pistol.
The hammer was replaced with a ring commander style for that classic restomod look.
Brian Lack of LV Laser Engraving completed the laser engraved grip texture. It proved to be the perfect match for the custom Cerakote finish.
The backplate and rear sight were then serrated at 30 lines per inch to eliminate any glare.
Hands-On
On the range, the Mk3 Prodigy shoots even better than it looks.
The porting and trigger job make this pistol in a class of its own versus my stock 4.25 Prodigy.
The custom Cerakote finish has elements of titanium and gold colors that seem to change color under different lighting sources. Note theSA-35-style “steps”.
This is a premium pistol.
The return to zero is stellar, and the trigger makes it nearly impossible to miss your shots.
Line up the sights, press, smile.
The completed Mk3 Firearms custom Springfield 1911 DS Prodigy is more than a good-looking pistol, which the author thoroughly proved on the range.
Along with testing the pistol with the factory iron sights, I added a Leupold DeltaPoint Pro.
The classy nature and premium performance of the DPP really lends itself perfectly to the Mk3 Prodigy.
I cant recommend both the base pistol and their work enough.
It’s no safe queen. The author wasted no time in getting the custom Mk3 Firearms Springfield 1911 DS Prodigy onto the range for testing.
With both the stock sights and the Leupold DeltaPoint Pro, the Springfield 1911 DS Prodigy turned in an impressive performance on the range.
