Tag: 9mm

Categories
1911 2011 9mm

Fusion Firearms XP Pro Stainless is on the Way!

Yeah, I changed my plans, although this was an alternative plan.

The plan was to obtain a 5″ 1911 in 9mm. I’d chosen to purchase the Prodigy DS 5″, but since I’m (sort of) not satisfied with the Prodigy DS Compact that I received last week (heavy trigger, pinching thumb safety), I was sort of not wanting to commit to another Prodigy.

Another alternative plan was to obtain a 5″ Emissary AOS 9mm, but then started thinking that I’d want a double-stack 1911 if I this gun’s purpose was for training.

So, I decided to check pricing on what I’d been looking at a few weeks ago – the Fusion Firearms XP Pro Stainless 4″. Normally, it’s $1200+ for the stainless gun (and $100 less for the non-stainless version). I found a (new) stainless version for less than $1000 at KYGUNCO, so I bit on it.

I’m awaiting for KYGUNCO and my gun store/range to chat with one another, which they’ll probably do tomorrow or the day after.

I can’t remember if I’ve spoken about why I had the XP Pro on my list, but the reasons why I wanted it are:

  • There are no 2011-patterned guns under $2500 that have metal grips (although the grips don’t have the best texturing).
  • The gun has gotten great reviews.
  • The gun uses Glock 17 mags, which are far cheaper than 2011-pattern mags.
  • The gun includes several optic plate adapters (the Prodigy guns only come with an obsolete formatted plate and to switch plates, you’ve to pay $120).
  • Fusion Firearms have updates/upgrades in the works (grips, 5″ versions, comp barrels, etc).

This might also bump up my Youtube viewership count, too, as I’ve looked at what folks are searching on on both Youtube and my blog and there’s a LOT of folks looking for information on the XP Pro.

I’m not sure if the great characteristics of my Bul Armory Ultralight made my experience with the Prodigy DS a bit sour. Granted, I’ve the grip safety issue with my Ultralight, but the gun is outstanding to shoot. It has a great trigger, good finish and great fitment, and great performance in general. The things about the Prodigy that pissed me off were the trigger being heavy, the pinching safety, and the optics plate offering. The MSRP between my version of the Ultralight and the Prodigy DS Compact are almost the same, but the Prodigy Compact lacks when comparing the two.

Some folks might say, “Well, what did you expect?” I’m the type of guy that wants to experience things for myself. As well, there are many folks who shit on a gun they’ve never owned and parrot what they’ve heard other folks say. There have been plenty of times where I bought what folks think are shitty guns and those guns turned out to work as intended. I’m not a trusting person when it comes to information that resides on the internet. I’d rather find out on my own.

Folks say the Prodigy DS has reliability issues. I’ve not seen that yet with my example. It’s been dependable thus far. My issues are that I think Springfield Armory could’ve done better. The trigger is sloppy. The choice on optic plate is crappy. The safety lever pinching folks is something they should’ve caught — I’m not sure why this isn’t occurring with the larger Prodigy DS variants. So, all my issues have nothing to do with reliability/dependability.

I’m not sure when the XP Pro will be ready for me to pick up. If I’m lucky, it’ll be Friday or Saturday. If not, it’ll probably be early next week.

Once I know it’s coming, I’ll order some KCI G17 mags.

UPDATE (4/2/2025): The two gun stores have chatted to one another. The gun is in final processing now and I think it may ship tomorrow (4/3). If it does, I might have it by 4/5.

Categories
1911 2011 Springfield Armory

I’m The New Owner of a Prodigy DS Compact!

I neglected to update the blog to say that I have received the gun and have shot it.

This whole transfer experience was outstandingly great. The shipper, Gunprime, was quick in shipping the gun where I needed it to go. I’d never used my range as a receiving FFL, so I was anxious to see how that experience played out. My range received the gun and notified me within 2 hours that it was ready to be picked up, which was something I’ve never seen before. In my experience, receiving FFLs typically sit on the gun. In many cases, I’d wait 2-3 days in the past to get a call from receiving FFL that the gun was ready to be picked up, and in some cases, I had to make an appointment that was usually the week after it arrived to them.

When I went to pick up the gun, the transfer experience was pretty cool. There was no paper involved. Everything was done on e-forms, on a laptop. I’d fill out the e-form, and the range employee would look it over and ask me to make any corrections (or not). I did both forms in that manner and process took the same amount of time as if I’d done it on paper. And the background check results were done 5 minutes after submittal.

To top all that off, the transfer fee was a total of $17!

So, I got home and ended up racking the gun maybe 100-130 times while watching TV with my wife. The gun is stiff AF.

As it is my first Springfield Armory 1911/2011, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The gun is clean. Fitment and finish is good. Grip texture is great. Both mags are good. I ended up ordering three more, for $37 each – note that MSRP on those mags are $60 apiece.

The gun fits in my current 2011 holsters (but I haven’t tested the QVO IWB holster since it keys off the gun light and the only gun light that I have is currently on the Ultralight).

Some things I don’t like:

The optics plate adapter that comes with the gun — I’m not sure why they insist on sticking with including the Docter plate with Prodigy handguns…IMO, that’s a seriously stupid choice of footprint, especially when most folks are going to end up having to buy another (they’re not cheap, either – $120). When I went to the SA page to order one in RMSc footprint, they were out of stock (WTF). In fact, they’re kinda scarce. I ended up ordering one from eBay (for $119).

Also, the right thumb safety is pinching the hell out of my hand when disabling the safety, unless I purposely shift my hand a certain way. I will either have to try to swap in a single sided safety, grind the stock right-side lever so that it won’t pinch me, or pay a gunsmith to sort it out for me.

The trigger measures at (an average of 5 pulls) 3 lb 8 oz but feels heavier. As with my experience with my Tisas DS, the trigger wall feels heavy.

Lastly, the gun feels seriously oversprung. I don’t want to mess with swapping springs, as I just received the gun and I don’t want to start swapping parts so soon. It may break in.

How does it shoot? I’m shooting left of most of my bullseyes – 1 inch left at 7 yards and 2-3 at 10 yards. I think it’s due to the trigger wall…as I’m negotiating the trigger, I’m inadvertently pulling my point of aim. With the Tisas DS, I waited until 500 rounds before I lost my patience and swapped in a different sear spring. I will do the same with the Prodigy, although I could just tweak the OEM spring, which may help.

The gun doesn’t feel snappy, probably due to the great grip textures – the Bul Armory Ultralight feels a lot snappier (probably due to lack of good grip texturing).

I shot 120 rounds through the gun before I ran out of range time. The gun didn’t choke or misfeed and the gun was dirty – I didn’t clean it, as I was working with limited time.

At some point, I need to try JHP through the gun, as I keep seeing folks saying that their Prodigy Compacts are experiencing feeding issues. I think that I should wait until maybe 500 rounds before I try JHP, as that will give the gun’s parts time to wear in.

Categories
1911 2011 9mm double-stack Springfield Armory

Will Be Picking Up Prodigy DS Compact This Evening

This gun came to my FFL in record time.

I ordered it from Gunprime LATE Thursday night. Gunprime processed it Friday around noon-ish and UPS picked it up that afteroon. UPS usually processes gun on a 2-day timeline, so, Monday and Tuesday were the transport days and they delivered it today (Tuesday around noon).

I was ready to wait for XCal to take a day or two to process it, but they sent me a text a few minutes ago saying it was ready for pickup. Wow! That’s exceptional, time-wise.

So, I’ll be heading out to XCal after work (maybe 6 or 6:30 PM) to do the background check, which shouldn’t take all that long to do.

As I’ve never used XCal as an FFL, I’m not sure what to expect. One thing that annoys me about FFLs is that I’ve been to more than a few that want you to process the background check without even looking at the gun. The problem with that is that the gun could have flaws (gun won’t cycle, or gun has massive scratches, for example) or might not have what was purchased (a mag, for example)…if they won’t let you see it and you do the paperwork first, it’s your gun, literally sight unseen. The gun isn’t yours until you perform the transfer (from FFL to you). Prior to that, the gun is being transferred from FFL (store) to FFL (store).

So, yeah, I’m excited. I also ordered three more mags from LockedLoaded.com, as they had them on sale for $37, vs the MSRP cost of $60 each.

I also scheduled a range visit for Wednesday evening…I’ll perform an initial assessment of the Prodigy DS then.

Categories
1911 2011 9mm Springfield Armory

I’ve a Prodigy DS Compact on the way to me!

So, I just completed the order of the next gun.

I had a seriously bad time trying to determine what guns I wanted this year.

I’ll be buying two within the next 30 days.

I just bought a Springfield Armory Prodigy DS Compact 3.5″, from Gunprime. I’d initially planned on buying the 4.25″ Compact but I do a lot of bending and squatting and when carrying AIWB, tasks such as tying shoes is sometimes difficult. I’ve carried Commander 1911s AIWB in the past, but it’s been a while. I was about to order the 4.25″ when I decided to keep it short, since I plan to replace my Bul Armory SAS II Ultralight with the Prodigy Compact.

I’m 100% sure the next gun that I’m buying is another Springfield Armory – I just don’t know which one I’m buying. It’s either the Prodigy 5″ (maybe Comp) or the 5″ Emissary AOS in 9mm. As I don’t have a full-size 1911/2011 in 9mm, I’d initially wanted a full sized prodigy, but the 5″ Emissary is BEAUTIFUL! I was locked onto a 5″ Prodigy Comp until I remembered the Emissary. There’s a very high chance I’ll end up getting the Emissary.

So, the wait is on. I’ve never ordered from Gunprime before, but I’ve been aware of them and have looked at their stock of guns in the past. I’m not sure how prompt they are in processing and shipping guns. There are several popular gun stores that I avoided because they insist on a 5-10 day processing regimen…that’s BS…yeah, I know they’re busy but waiting 10 days to have a gun processed is quite lame. What the hell – that’s like two business weeks!

Knowing my luck, this gun will come when I’m away. I’ve business in CA and will be gone week after next. I ordered this gun late Thursday night (3/20). It might not even be looked at until mid-week next week, and I fly out 3/29 and will be away a full week. That’s how my Ultralight came in – I got a call when I was fishing 300+ miles away. We’ll see how this plays out.

I’m excited but not excited. I know the Prodigy will be good, but it’s probably going to be similar to the Ultralight (not a bad thing exactly). Really, I just need it to be dependable and for ALL the controls to work – the Ultralight’s grip saftey doesn’t function properly (trigger can be dropped without touching the grip safety, although I’ve to hulk up a bit on the trigger). Bul Armory has had the UL twice but can’t (or won’t) fix the grip safety. I think they fucked up the gun when hand-fitting the grip safety – I think they may’ve removed too much material. When metal is removed, it can’t be returned (unless you weld more metal onto the part), which is probably why they’ve had a hard time fixing the issue, although I asked them to replace the part before I returned it the 2nd time, which they did not. I’m not even sure what they did to “repair” it, as the grip safety looked the same as before I sent it back to them, and the saftey was functioning for maye a month before it stopped working again. This is why I won’t buy another Bul Armory – they won’t stand by their own workmanship. I’ve never heard of Springfield Armory doing such a thing, and I’ve never owned a higher end Springfield Armory gun (I’ve two XD9 Mod 2 guns, though).

Of course, I’ll post here with initial thoughts and pics/videos once I’ve received the Prodigy Compact.

UPDATE (3/21/2025): It’s already shipped…Gunprime FTW! It’s supposed to be delivered early morning on Tuesday, via UPS. This is good. I do not know the receiving FFL’s policy on transfers (not sure how long I’ll have to wait for them to process it). They receive it on 3/25. I fly out on 3/29. That’ll leave 3/25 – 3/28 for them to process it. The earlier the better, so that I can have a day or 3 with the gun before I fly out. I’ve not used my range for a transfer since I’ve been a member (2+ years). I’ve been using a different store for that, but my range’s transfer fees are cheap, and I get a discount as a member. I’m curious how this will go, and excited, as well.

Categories
1911 9mm Commander firearms Rock Island Armory Rock Ultra Tac Ultra

The Rock Island Armory Tac Ultra MS 9mm Is Now Dialed In!

I went to the range maybe two weeks ago and my main goal was to dial in the sights on a particular 1911. Instead of spending a significant amount of range time zero’ing the gun, what I’d been doing was shooting 1-2 mags every range visit, bringing the targets home, and making sight adjustments at home. I’d then bring the gun when next visiting the range and testing the sights to determine if further adjustments were necessary. I did this maybe 3 times before I was satisfied.

Why not just spend a whole range session to do this? I’ve other guns that I want to shoot (to work out similar issues in adjustment)…timesharing guns can sometimes be problematic and I don’t have my own range or know of anyone that does.

The below video highlights the culmination of properly adjusting the sights on this gun.

The gun is a Rock Island Armory Tac Ultra MS with the 9mm barrel (it came with two). I’ve never shot this gun well, accuracy-wise, and I’d thought it was due to it being bushing-barreled. I’ve another RIA MS 9mm gun and it is bull-barreled – that gun is a low-effort gun as far as accuracy is concerned. I’ve always been accurate with that gun and I always thought it was mainly due to the bull barrel.

Both of those guns lack front strap checkering, and I sometimes struggle with maintaining a proper grip on those two guns. I added a strip of Talon Grips tape on each on their front straps. I think that is why I had such a great session with the Tac Ultra.

Note that I’m shooting at 15 yards, at 2″ sticky bullseyes. I could barely see those sticky targets at that range, but tried to just aim as best I could and tried to maintain proper grip and trigger discipline. I think it worked out well!

Categories
9mm range ammo

One Thousand Rounds of 115-gr 9mm

I’d been lacking 9mm ammunition a while now and had been buying it from either Cabelas or the range when I needed it.

I just received a batch of 1000 rounds from Bereli Inc. I’ve never bought from them before but saw a posting at r/InStockAmmo for 1000 rounds of ammo for $239, SHIPPED. Bereli adds the shipping to the cost of the ammo. I ordered it on a Monday and received it by Friday (it was during the holiday season, so shipping companies were probably overwhelmed).

Now, what’s cool is not only that shipping costs weren’t all that bad, but that you’re given a choice of 5 different ammo manufacturers to choose from – Remington, Magtech, Winchester, Browning, and Blazer. I chose Magtech this go around.

They even included a free metal ammo can.

This is the URL to the online deal: https://www.bereli.com/ammo-mdp-m19a1-1/. Note that this is 115-gr ammo.

The only negative I experienced was that I never got an invoice from Bereli…no emails whatsoever, so I couldn’t check on the order. I’d created an account too, but the website never registered me as having an account after creating it. Odd.

I will order my bulk range ammo from them from now on.

Categories
1911 2011 double-stacked subcompact

Girsan Witness2311® Brat Is Now Released for Purchase

I talked about the EAA Girsan Witness 2311 Brat a few days ago. Well, it is now released for consumption (meaning that it is now actually being sold).

I’ve checked the street pricing and, as of 11/11/2024, it is showing as $540 as a lowest-price (see pricing here). That’s not a bad price for such a gun, but I’m suspecting that it will have QC issues, as the other EAA Girsan Witness 2311 variants have all had issues when being reviewed by independent YouTube channels. I’d be very surprised if the gun actually does well, especially with it being a smaller 1911/2011, as the smaller versions can sometimes be difficult to develop.

We’ll see how well it does, but I’m not holding my breath for a good review.

Categories
2011

The Fusion Firearms Ermox XP Pro 2011 Reviews are Trickling In

I’ve been seeing a few YouTubers posting about the new 2011 from the collaboration between Fusion Firearms and Ermox, called the XP Pro.

Usually, the first thing out of someone’s mouth is, “It’s a Turkish import that Fusion put their name on” or some crap like that. This is a true collaboration. Just as when SDS Imports worked with Tisas to up their specification standards, Fusion Firearms did the same. If it weren’t for SDS Imports showing Tisas how to make the parts in the proper fashion using the proper specs, recent Tisas products would’ve been shitty. Fusion Firearms did the same thing. The CEO of Fusion Firearms used to own Dan Wesson and he later sold DW to CZ. He’s been working with Ermox, providing them with the proper specs for the parts and advising them on how the parts need to be made.

I’ve already seen the table-top video of the XP Pro by Graham Baates. This gun looks to be well-made. Yes, there are machine marks, but that doesn’t outright define a bad 1911/2011. The culmination of parts, fitment, and finish is what makes the gun a well-received product. My first thought was that the gun looks to punch way above it’s level, similar to how $400 Tisas 1911s match a gun twice their price. I think this gun is equivalent to a Prodigy. Many folks think that Apollo 11s are equivalent to Prodigies. They are not. From what I’ve seen, the XP Pro looks to be over-built, which means it’s probably going to make a great 2011.

Some things that stood out to me were the fact that the gun comes with two optics plates – one for RMSc and equivalent footprints and one for 507C and equivalent footprints. The plates have irons built into them.

Another thing is that the gun is all bar stock. There is no MIM at all.

Almost all the parts are interchangeable with other 1911s/2011s. About the only parts that are proprietary (by necessity) are the slide catch, the mag catch, and the beavertail, and those proprietary parts are necessary due to gun being built around Glock mags.

Additionally, the grip module (yes, this is a 2011) is all-metal. The gun is heavy, which means that this gun will probably be a recoil sponge.

There will be a comped version later on.

There will be a 45ACP version later on.

The grip angle is good – it’s not Glock-like, but not quite 1911-like, either, due to accommodating Glock mags.

The controls appear to cater to concealed carry.

TheHumbleMarksman has one, as well…he’s just waiting for time to begin conducting the review. [UPDATE – the video is here and his example appears to be well-engineered.]

GBGun has his but he’s leaving the country for 2 weeks, so the range portion of his review will be on-hold until he returns. [UPDATE – his write-up is here, his tabletop video is here and his range footage is here; his example appears to be well-engineered.]

I’d talked myself into not settling for another budget 2011, but I might have to buy this one this coming spring. I’ve another 4-5 months for the kinks to be worked out and for the major channels to review the gun. If things are favorable by March/April, I’ll be grabbing the XP Pro (and possible another higher-end 2011 too).

We’ll see how things play out.

Categories
double-stack double-stacked

New 2011-esque Handgun: Kimber CDS9

There was a quiet release of the Kimber CDS9, which appears to be a smaller Kimber KDS9C.

This is not a 2011, though. As with the KDS9C, it is a double-stacked handgun that is very similar to a 1911. The biggest differences are that the barrel link is more similar to a CZ handgun, and the trigger is entirely different than a typical 1911, as it is hinged. This gun is more like a Kimber Micro 9 or S&W CSX.

There is no grip safety, either, which the KDS9C also doesn’t have.

The gun is optics-ready and the barrel length is 3.19″. The gun comes with 13- and 15-round mags. There’s also a version that has a threaded barrel, which also has a reverse two-tone color scheme.

The CDS9 has an MSRP of $1075, although I’ve seen street prices of $917.

As well, the KDS9C has no MIM. I believe the CDS9 will also be MIM-less, although I’ve seen nothing supporting that claim. It would be stupid of Kimber to have no MIM in the CDS9 when the KDS9C is MIM-less.

The Humble Marksman has a great review of this handgun. It shoots well and appears to be just as reliable as the KDS9C, of which I’ve never seen a video that shows unreliability. Most folks hang onto older opinions that Kimbers are not dependable. Again, I’ve seen no videos showing bad reliability with either the KDS9C or R7 Mako variants.

I will add this to my list of To-Get guns for 2025 and will watch as others review this gun.

Categories
2011 subcompact

Girsan Witness2311® Brat – 45ACP Officer-sized Offering

A while back (maybe a year ago or close to it), I’d posted about the EAA Girsan Witness 2311 Subcompact. Well, that gun still isn’t yet for sale, but there are some changes.

Firstly, the gun will be sold as UPC 741566907081.

The gun will also be sold in two calibers – 9mm and 45ACP. The 9mm will hold 17 rounds, and the 45ACP will hold 11 rounds.

It’s barrel will be 3.4″ in length (that’s an odd length – not sure why both LFA and EAA sell odd-sized 1911s/2011s).

It will be optics-ready and will have a bull barrel.

Lastly, MSRP dropped significantly, to $679.

It’s called the 2311 Brat!

What is this gun bringing that the other 2011 variants aren’t? Well, You don’t see all that many 2011s chambered in 45ACP, especially in Officer size and while having a bull barrel.

That price is definitely attractive and offsets the fact that it’s an EAA/Girsan offering.