Category: Springfield Armory

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1911 2011 9mm Fusion Firearms Springfield Armory

I Have Received The New Guns!

The gun store called me yesterday afternoon and told me that the guns were ready to be picked up. They must’ve been super busy with tracking inventory because it took them a day to call me. I was pretty wasted from a week of hard work, so I opted to not pick up the guns yesterday.

I went with my wife and son to pick them up today.

The shop was packed, but I was in and out in 30-40 minutes.

The associate showed me the XP Comp first. The guy was surprised when I saw Glock mags in a 2011 case. He asked me twice, “this thing actually takes Glock mags?” LOL!

The gun was beautiful, as expected. It looks….different. More serious? Yeah, that’s it! It looks all business when compared to the hard chrome version.

The second thing I noticed was that the grip texturing was serious. That’s exactly what it needed. I’m now wondering if I can get that exact same grip for my XP Pro…it won’t help the slide, but that’s OK. As well, the grip is more slim and has less angles than the XP Pro…I like it better just for that alone. The most important thing is, the texturing goes from the top of the side panels to the bottom! That’s a huge deal and is a definite improvement.

The third thing I noticed was that the recoil spring weight…light AF. I’m now wondering if it’s going to have issues as I stack up the round count. I’ve seen more than a few folks say that they needed a stronger spring when breaking in the gun – we’ll see.

I’ve ordered a Holosun 407C for that gun. I found one for $160. I wanted a big window but also wanted something cheap but tested.

He also showed me the Kuna.

My very first impression of the Kuna was, “tiny!” That gun is small AF! And light, too. The trigger is OK, but I’ve the feeling that I’ll have a better impression of the trigger once I’ve shot rounds though it.

The safety is stiff as hell – I hope it’ll loosen a bit with time. The folding brace mechanism is stiff, too. It took me a bit to determine how to fold/unfold it. The flip-up sights are great – I love that option.

I’ve a TruGlo Dual Color cheap-ass optic that I bought from Walmart like 11 years ago that I’ve never used. I’ve heard other folks say that, while that optic looks and feels cheap, it works well enough for range use, so I installed it on the Kuna. If fits well and will co-witness the irons perfectly. The optic glass is big, and it sits high enough to where I don’t need a riser. Eventually, I’ll find something better for it, or, just scavenge from my other rifles. I’ve a Romeo MSR that’s on my Ruger AR-556 – that would be a great fit for the Kuna, but I really don’t want to be messing with risers, and I think that optic will need a riser when mounted to the Kuna. I can test it tomorrow since I’ve not zero’d that optic to the AR-556 yet.

I’m not sure how folks are using the non-flip-up sights, though…they’re super low and I can’t get a good sight picture unless I remove my prescription glasses.

I also received my 5 extra Kuna mags today, which is great! With 30-round mags, though, the two that came with the Kuna are good enough for immediate range use.

I need to study up on where to lube the Kuna in preparation for a first outing at the range. I’m totally unfamiliar with MP5-types of guns. I’m unsure if I should move the charging handle to the right-hand side so that I can charge the gun as if it were an AK…I should probably leave it as-is for now, though.

Many folks have been SBR-ing their Kunas. I’m not sure I want to do that. Yeah, it’ll be great to have a short barreled PCC with an actual stock, but I HATE asking for permission for simple shit like that, and I do plan to eventually to a different state (would have to ask for permission to transfer the SBR out of state, too).

I’ve never bought a supressor, but I’m super-curious now, with the Kuna, so that may be in my (next year?) future.

The next gun is due to arrive on Tuesday. If they call me that day, I’ll go pick it up that evening after work. That one will be the Alpha Foxtrot Attila, and will be my second comp’d 2011. The goal for that gun is to carry it, but I also am super fussy about flashbang. That comp may cause a lot of flashes, which isn’t optimal for me. I can always opt to continue carrying the Prodigy (there’s no real need to replace it as my carry gun at the moment), or I can get the S15 cut for an optic so that I can carry that. Another option would be to sell the S15 to fund the next purchase. (XP 3C????)

I’ll start planning out the next few reviews and will probably begin to shoot/review the XP Comp first.

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1911 2011 carbine Fusion Firearms Springfield Armory

Springfield Armory Kuna and Fusion Firearms XP Comp Are Inbound!

Today, I bought a Springfield Armory Kuna. It is the folding brace version. I bought it online, from Gunprime. That’s the same dealer I bought my Prodigy DS from, so I’ve some history with that dealer My prior purchase and shipping experience was good.

I also bought a Fusion Firearms XP Comp. This time around, I went with their black version. I bought it online, as well, from White Birch Armory in New Hampshire. I also have bought from them in the past (I bought the Tisas Duty through them). The shipping and purchasing experience was good, as well.

I expect to have both in my hands by next Monday or Tuesday.

For some reason, the Kuna was hard to find. Most places don’t have them. In fact, I need to buy more mags and those are hard to find, as well.

I already have some G17 mags for the XP Comp. I’ve 4 KCI mags and the two that came with the XP Pro. I’ll have 8 when I get the XP Comp. I should probably order more, though, especially with those bad gun laws that are inbound to VA.

I’m not sure if I’ll buy another RMR optic specifically for the XP Comp or just use the Cyelee Chameleon that’s currently mounted on the XP Pro. I suppose I can look for a cheap Holosun 407C.

I’m not done with the purchases, either.

I’ve a Ruger Mark IV 22/45 on my list of things to obtain. I also have the Alpha Foxtrot Attila on my list – it’s not on the market yet, but I’ve heard through the grapevine that it should be available sometime in April.

I had two options for this year’s buying spree: to buy the above listed guns, or buy the Kuna, the Ruger Mark IV, and a Staccato HD P4. I flipped a coin – tails for the guns I listed up above, or heads for the group with the Staccato. The coin landed on it’s face, and here we are!

No worries, though…the Staccato is carrying over to next year’s list. And, since the Staccato is so expensive, it’ll be a short list.

UPDATE (3/31/2026): Both guns have shipped….wow! Both were picked up already and have estimated delivery dates of 2 April (Thursday)! I’m super surprised that they were both processed were out the door today! I’ll either have them in hand Thursday or Friday, then!

UPDATE (4/2/2026): Both guns arrived to the FFL, around noon-time. I’m just awaiting a call to pick them up. Would be nice to be able to shoot them after picking them up, but I’m not feeling well today, so I’ll have to visit the range this weekend to shoot them. I also bought 5 additional Kuna mags. I’ll probably also need to order more G17 mags (I’ve a few but between two 2011s that use Glock-pattern mags, I probably need more).

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2011 AF1911-S15 Alpha Foxtrot Prodigy DS Springfield Armory Weapon-Mounted Light

Streamlight TLR-7 Variants – Which Keys Work With The AF-1911 S15?

I’ve had issues getting my Streamlight TLR-7X to sit well (not too far from the trigger) on my Alpha Foxtrot S15. I’ve also seen folks experiencing the same issue.

I saw a guy posting in the Alpha Foxtrot subreddit a few days ago, sharing several 2011 pictures. I saw that he had a TLR-7X installed and it was sitting perfectly on his S15 rail. I asked him what key he was using.

He first explained that the -7 kit that he bought was for the Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro. He said that he was using the #5 key.

I looked at the keys that came with my -7 and didn’t see any labeled as #5. I then realized that I didn’t have the same -7 kit that he had.

My kit is the 1913 kit. They base the kits on rails of specific guns. 1913 is generic.

I took my light off of my carry gun and remove the key that I was using for it (I put it to the side with the gun, so I wouldn’t get it mixed up with the other keys). I then grabbed the S15 and began testing fitment to see which keys would fit.

My kit came with a “universal” key, and four “1913-” keys, suffixed as 1 through 4.

The “universal key wouldn’t fit on the S15.

The 1913-1, -2, and -3 fit onto the S-15. We’ll talk more of these in a second.

I was already using 1913-4 for my Prodigy DS.

Of 1913-1, 1913-2, and 1913-3, only 1913-3 fit perfectly on the S15. It fits so that the front of the light is flush with the gun’s muzzle, but also close enough to reach the light’s controls. -1 and -2 were sitting too far from the trigger: -1 sat furthest, and -2 sat a bit closer but was still a distance from the trigger guard.

So, here are the keys that I know will fit the AF-1911-S15:

If you’ve the Hellcat kit, use the #5 key.

If you’ve the 1913 kit, use 1913-1, 1913-2, or 1913-3. This a subjective thing, IMO, as each person’s hands/fingers are different, but I chose the #3 key. If the light’s controls are too far from your trigger finger, you’re going to struggle to reach it.

Another thing: almost all TLR-7 lights share the same footprint, so what I mention up above about key fitment applies to other TLR-7 variants, such as the TLR-7 HL-X, or the TLR-7 Sub (for example). They all share the same keys.

Also, if you’ve a TLR-7 variant and have the Prodigy DS Compact, the 1913 kit’s 1913-4 key will fit the DS Compact.

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.223 5.56 Ruger Springfield Armory

I’ve Been Conducting Research on the Ruger Mini-14

I’m trying to refine the list of guns that I’m considering purchasing in 2026.

I’m currently considering the Springfield Armory Kuna. Also on my list is either a Springfield Armory Prodigy 5″ Comp or a Ruger Mini-14.

I immediately focused on the Mini-14 Tactical 5.56 Stainless. That gun looks nice! It’s the gun that Hannibal uses in the A-Team TV series of the 1980s.

Although I love the looks of the gun, it does look somewhat gaudy. Sadly, Ruger doesn’t sell a blued version of this gun with the folding stock, and if I’m going to get the Mini-14, I want a folding stock. I did look to see if they sell blued stocks separately – they do, but they’ve been out of stock for a long while. The folding stocks are also far from cheap, at $300+.

There are blued folding stocks being sold by 3rd parties, so that’s an option (prices are similar to Ruger’s pricing, though). For example, Samson Manufacturing has a blued version of the folding stock for $347 – the stainless one is $320. If I buy a blued non-folding stock version, I can find them for approximately $980. That’s approximately $1300 for both, which is around the same price as a folding stock stainless Mini-14, which is good, because I can customize a blued Mini-14 for the same price as an upper-class stainless Mini-14.

Also, the magazines are $45 each! I do not think aftermarket mags are an option, because research tells me that anything other than Ruger-sourced magazines will cause malfunctions. It appears that Ruger mags are pretty much mandatory.

One thing I’m wary of is accuracy. Lucky Gunner stated and showed that his Mini-14 isn’t really accurate. He said that the gun has a habit of throwing flyers at range. That’s something I do not want to deal with, and that’s a serious downer. All of my guns have to be accurate. I’d hate to spend the money (they aren’t exactly cheap) on a Mini-14 only to have accuracy issues.

This post is just me thinking out loud. I also wanted to share my thoughts in case others are considering the Mini-14.

UPDATE (11/2/2025): I checked themagshack.com and saw factory 20-rnd mags for $29 (and 30 round mags for $39).

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AK-P AK-V CNC Warrior Palmetto State Armory Prodigy DS PSA Springfield Armory

I’ve Revisited the PSA AK-V and AK-P

Last week, I decided to take the PSA AK-P to the range, as I’ve plenty of 7.62 x 39 ammo.

I shot 30 rounds before I quit (LOL)…the gun is loud AF! Even with the 4-pc flash hider installed, it is still loud. Yeah, it’s a flash hider, but it’s also redirecting the bang down range, and I shoot indoors.

As well, the flash hider was generating sparks that I thought would be an issue, and I was waiting for the RSOs to say something. When I got home I looked at the footage and didn’t see the sparks in the footage. I also checked the flash hider to see if there were strikes within it’s internals – I didn’t see any damage.

I researched and saw that this is sometimes common and also saw video footage where many hiders/brakes generated sparks. This is probably a normal thing.

Also, after taking a shower, I was applying deodorant and and was surprised to have a bit of pain near my armpit. I looked in the mirror and there was a large bruise where I’d placed the brace of the AK-P. I may need to change the brace to something less damaging, but it could be the flash hider that’s making the pistol shoot more harshly (the hider also generate more recoil and back pressure, but so does the OEM booster that this gun came with).

A few days later, I was going to take the AK-P to the range again, but kept shuddering when thinking about shooting that gun indoors, so I switched to the AK-V.

I loaded up 4 mags of 9mm (those mags hold 35 rounds, so that was 140 rounds of Blazer 124-gr FMJ) and headed to the range.

I had fun!

I ended up having to zero the optic that was mounted on the AK-V. I thought I’d zeroed it a long time ago, but the zero was WAY off – at 25 yards, I was at the top of the man-sized target and many rounds were off-paper. The optic is a Vortex Sparc II red dot.

I zeroed at 10 yards (as I do my handguns) using the range’s bench rest and then, once I had a good zero, tested it at 25 yards. I was still shooting high, but was on the man-sized silhouette and only 2-3″ higher than where I was aiming. I may revisit the zeroing and do it at 25 yards instead – this means I’ll have to remember to aim a bit high when shooting at around 10 yards. I tested at 12 yards and was satisfied with the zero.

The 140 rounds disappeared quickly, as I expected. The only thing I don’t like about the AK-V is that the ammo goes quickly. I was shooting semi-rapidly and practiced quick pairs of rounds.

I’m at 710 rounds through the gun now. I like this gun so much, it got me thinking of purchasing the PSA Jakl (MP5-like 9mm blow-back PCC), especially since it uses AK-V mags, and I’ve maybe 10 of those. But the Jakl is like $1000 and I already have a $1000 blow-back PCC (the AK-V). If I’m going to get another PCC, it’ll be the Springfield Armory Kuna in 9mm – and the mags for that gun are cheap, at approximately $25 each. Plus, the Kuna is the same price as the Jakl, and has a better internal (roller-delayed) system.

As with most range visits, I also shoot my carry gun, so I shot two mags through the Prodigy DS Compact, which isn’t a huge deal, but I spent time zeroing the gun again, as I had problems with the optic (Viridian RFX45 closed emitter green dot) the last visit. In fact, I’d forgotten that I’d removed the optic to work on the adapter plate (doing this messed up my zero, which is what caused all my issues the last range visit). As well, the optic was loose, too. I re-tightened it, and then quickly got it zero’d again…was super easy and quick, especially with the bench rest. I had it surpremely zeroed within 15 rounds and then validated the zero at 15 yards. It was good. I’ve 300+ rounds through the gun with that optic now. The optic hasn’t died and is playing nice with the Prodigy DS.

The adapter plate that I’m using with the optic and Prodigy is the Springfield Armory Aimpoint Acro plate. When installing the optic, the optic is loose enough that it rattles. I’m not sure if it’s the optic that’s the issue or the plate. I used two layers of electrical tape on the adapter plate and then mounted the optic – the optic is now snug on the gun. It’s definitely wierd that I have to do that and I can’t place full blame (yet) on either part.

The optic is blocky and big but carries (and conceals) well. This is more of an experiment than anything else, but since I’m having no issues, I’ll continue to use it on the Prodigy DS Compact.

The DS Compact now has 1226 rounds through it.

Life is good!

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1911 2011 9mm Prodigy DS Springfield Armory

I Now Have 1000 Rounds Through the Prodigy DS Compact!

I’ve now 1072 rounds through the Prodigy DS Compact 3.5″

The 1000-round review is below.

The lower video is hosted on Rumble – I’m trying to migrate my videos to Rumble now.

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1911 2011 double-stack double-stacked Prodigy DS Springfield Armory

Shooting Self Defense Ammo From The Prodigy DS Compact

I visited the range yesterday with several goals in mind.

I wanted to test other self defense (SD) ammo from the Prodigy DS Compact so that I can know of other JHP options.

I also wanted to zero the Holosun 507K that is now attached to the gun (removed it from the Ultralight since I’ve stopped carrying it).

I also wanted to shoot the gun with the Streamlight TLR-7X attached.

As well, I wanted to see if I could finaly use the SIG Connect OHD training app at the range.

For ammo, I brought

  • 25 rounds of Barnes Vor-TX 115-gr JHP
  • 25 rounds of Federal Premium HST 124-gr JHP
  • 50 rounds of Speer Gold Dot 124-gr JHP (I only shot 15 rounds of this)
  • I also shot 50 rounds of Blazer 124-gr FMJ.

I ended up shooting more SD ammo than I did range ammo.

There were no failures to feed or extract.

I can’t remember the last time I’ve cleaned the gun (I usually run a bore snake through the barrel, though). I’ll maybe clean the gun tomorrow.

I’m currently at 771 rounds.

I spent half the range session zeroing the 507K optic to the Prodigy DS Compact. I think I like the Cyelee optic better – I’ve grown used to the green dot. If I end up not adjusting well to the 507K, I can always switch to something else…I’ve been eyeing the Cyelee Wolf EDG. I’ve also been thinking of the Viridian RFX-44 (which is an RMSc-footprinted and closed emitter optic). We’ll see.

I finally got the OHD training app to work. I’ve been trying to get it to work the past 6 or so months. It’s been requiring a network connection to work, but the firing line at the range doesn’t have Wifi or network connectivity. After testing a week ago, I decided to let the app developers know of the issue. At first, they insisted that there was an issue on my end, but after showing them that I could reproduce the issue and that it was an app issue, they backtracked and said it was a bug within the app. They said they’re fixing the bug.

They gave me free 30 days of premium access to the app. I’m not sure I’m going to continue to use it, as it has limitations. One limitation is that it won’t register impacts when the impact lands on a prior impact point. As well, the targets I printed are 8.5 x 11 and at 15+ yards, those are difficult to use if firing quickly – I’m used to shooting at man-sized targets when shooting afar. I suppose I can try to shoot printer paper up close, but even then, that’s rather small when shooting quickly, no matter the distance.

My next goal is to research how to easily carry an extra magazine. I’d recently bought the QVO Tactical Flex Connector, which is a side car for use with their More Discreet holster. The side car contains a mag holder. I tried to carry using that holster and didn’t like the side car at all…it’s extra bulky, which I don’t like. It makes me feel pregnant, as the attachment portion of the side car pushes out further than the actual holster itself. So, for now, I’m back to carrying an extra mag in my cargo pocket.

I’ll need to order more range ammo soon, as I’m quickly burning through the 1000 rounds I recently bought. One thing: I’m not sure if I like the Blazer 124-gr ammo that I recently purchased – it doesn’t seem to be as accurate as the Magtech 115-gr ammo I’d used prior to the last purchase. Yes, I know that the point of impact will change between the two weights of ammo, but I think I prefer the Magtech better, as it generally hits where I’m aiming (which isn’t always the case with this batch of Blazer).

I’ll continue to post updates.

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1911 2011 Bul Armory Prodigy DS SAS II Ultralight Springfield Armory

I’m now 100% carrying the Prodigy DS Compact!

I installed the Streamlight WML to the Prodigy DS tonight, then removed the 507K from the Ultralight and installed it on the Prodigy too.

I’m now carrying the Prodigy DS, in the QVO Tactical More Discreet holster. I haven’t left the house with it yet, though…I’ll do that tomorrow.

I’ve installed the irons back on the Ultralight. I might start looking for a place that can fix the grip safety. It is now a safe queen until I get the gun fixed – it’s a pity.

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1911 2011 Bul Armory double-stack Prodigy DS SAS II Ultralight Springfield Armory

Current Status of Assessing The Prodigy DS Compact

I believe I’m ready to switch over to carrying the Prodigy DS Compact. Right now, I’ve begun to use the Tenicor Certum to carry the gun, but will eventually remove the Streamlight from the Ultralight so that I can install it onto the Prodigy DS – I’ll need to do that to use the More Discreet holster.

I might remove the HS507K from the Ultralight, as well, and install it onto the Prodigy DS, but that would mean that I’d have to re-zero the optic for use on the Prodigy.

I also tested more Hornady Custom XTP 124-gr ammo with the gun. The gun has shot 49 rounds of that ammo. One round of that ammo didn’t feed. I unsuccessfully tried 3 times to get it to feed. When I looked at the round (I still have it), it appears that the projectile has a defect that is making the round out of spec. There are also barbs on the case lip. This is not an issue with the gun. This is also not an issue with that particular box of ammo. Sometimes things aren’t perfect, manufacturing-wise – shit happens. As long as the whole box of ammo wasn’t flawed, it’s OK.

I also bought another box of Speer Gold Dot 124-gr (we now have 2 boxes of that) and a box of Federal HST 124-gr – I’d been using Federal Hydra-Shok but my ammo store was out of that model of ammo. I have not yet tested the Speer GD and the Federal (Hydra-Shok OR HST) through the Prodigy DS, but at least we know that the Hornady Custom XTP works.

I now have 656 rounds thorugh the gun. There have been no feed or extraction issues. The gun is accurate. The trigger has lightened but I also slightly tuned the sear spring (although I did that after the trigger felt that it lightented a bit). Still, the trigger is nowhere as good as the trigger on the Ultralight. The springs are heavier in the Prodigy than the Ultralight, too. I’ll address that after I’ve reached 1000 rounds (will probably add lighter springs, although this is probably a mainspring issue).

Once I’ve begun to carry the Prodigy, I’ll begin the process of finding a gunsmith that can fix the grip safety issue on my Ultralight. I think I might have to send it somewhere reputable, though…there aren’t all that many 1911 gunsmiths around here, and I’m not willing to muck with the gun since I don’t know where to begin.

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Fusion Firearms holster Prodigy DS Springfield Armory XP Pro

I’ve Ordered the QVO Flex Connector and Magazine Carrier!

Yeah, I’ve been ordering a lot of holster equipment from QVO Tactical – Today, I ordered their flex connector and magazine carrier, too.

I’ve never tried a side car holster and this will bolt onto my More Discreet holster.

I ordered it in carbon fiber OD green, to match my holster. The connector is black, though (there weren’t a lot of color options for this piece).

For those that are interested, the flex connector product page is here.

On another note, I’ve actually tested fitment of my More Discreet holster with the XP Pro and Prodigy DS Compact. They both fit without issue, although I had to install the TLR-7X to both guns when testing fitment (the holster is light-bearing).

As well, the XP Pro will fit in the Secondary OWB holster (it is a tight fit, though, and I had to loosen the retention screws quite a bit).