Tag: 9mm

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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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1911 2011 9mm double-stack Fusion Firearms

Pre-order of the Fusion Firearms XP 3C Is Now Available

Yeaaahhhhhh. I’m buying it.

I’ll be watching upcoming reviews of this gun. I’ve some extra G19 mags, too.

I can either preorder or wait until it’s readily available and pull the trigger then. I think I’ll wait until it’s readily available and buy from KY Gun Co, like I did with the XP Pro.

I’ll be focusing on a purely black gun this time around.

I’m excited!

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1911 2011

Initially, I Thought This Was Fake AI Junk! This is the XP 3C!

Source link is here.

Another Instagram post is here. And another. And another. There are actually quite a few Instagram reels on this particular gun, going back the past two weeks! I got caught out!

Fusion Firearms is naming it the XP 3C.

FF also posted about it on their YouTube channel:

The initial image appears to be heavily edited, to the point that I thought it was AI-generated.

I was shown the picture but was given no context. I thought I recognized the slide serrations and texturing (from the new XP Comp).

Later, someone mentioned that it was something that Fusion Firearms was developing and they provided the above photo.

Yes, it appears that an Officer-sized 2011 is in the works, and that this 2011 will take Glock mags. The barrel is also shorter than 3.5″, per Fusion Firearms.

They’ll be sharing more information during SHOT Show this year.

I’m all-in, but not sure when this will hit the market. I may focus on the XP Comp and be ready to purchase the XP 3C next year (or just have the funds ready in case they release this year).

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1911 9mm

I’ve Really Been Curious About Taurus 1911s

Initially, I was avoiding Taurus 1911s, as I considered them to be not much better than Girsan 1911s (next level from disposable). That is based on watching reviews and seeing folks that owned them share not-so-good experiences with Taurus 1911s.

I’m really curious though, because there have been more than a few guns that I bought that had similar stories, yet turned out to be free of problems – the Bersa Thunder, for example, or the Springfield Armory XD.

I think I’m going to buy two of them this coming spring. I don’t have a 5″ 9mm 1911, nor do I have an Officer-sized 1911. I can buy both for under $900 if I buy Tauruses. Or, I can buy one next year and one the year after that (because I still want a 2011 and a Kuna next year, too).

The Taurus 1911s have some features that you don’t normally see with guns under $1500. When was the last time you saw a $400 1911 that has checkering on the front strap? The last gun I saw that was under $1000 that had front checkering was a Tisas 10mm 1911, and that was priced at $800. Magnum Research and Bul Armory has them but those are usually $1000. Many $1000+ 1911s do not have front strap checkering.

Taurus 1911s are not all that pretty, either, but I’ve a few 1911s that are parkerized and look to be chiseled. I just need it to work – I’m not really looking for a sub-$400 masterpiece (those don’t exist).

I also do not have any Series-80 1911s. All Taurus 1911s are Series-80. The most voiced complaint of Taurus 1911s is that they’ve bad triggers – bad as in heavy and/or mushy. Part of those issues are almost certainly attributed to the guns being Series-80 1911s. The firing pin safety makes the gun drop-safe, which greatly benefits folks who will carry the firearm. The con is that the safety mechanism will make the trigger less crisp. The trigger will be less crisp than a 1911 that doesn’t have a firing pin safety, but still better than most striker-fired triggers.

For some reason, Taurus’ Officer-sized 9mm 1911 is $100 more than the Taurus 4.25″ and 5″ variants – I’m not sure why. I also don’t have any Officer mags, but I’m sure I can find some good quality ones that aren’t expensive.

I do wish they sold them with rails and also wish they had optics-ready versions. Then again, optics-ready will raise the price.

What I’ll do is watch as many Taurus 1911 videos as possible, focusing on both the 5″ and 3.5″ 9mm variants.

I guess it’s time to study up!

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1911 2011 9mm Fusion Firearms handgun XP Pro

The Fusion Firearms XP Pro Has Finally Surpassed 1000 Rounds!

We’re currently at 1011 rounds, all FMJ.

There have been no failures to feed or extract. Hell, I don’t remember the last time the gun was cleaned or lubed, but it’s doing fine, so far!

The gun is supremely controllable. I was able to do some really nice double taps tonight, without scattering rounds on paper. I’ve looked at the video footage and I’m able to easily control recoil, shoot quickly, and also simultaneously shoot accurately.

We actually shot 217 rouds tonight, which is a lot of ammo for me in one range session, especially out of one gun. The gun was actually pretty hot after maybe 20 minutes of shooting (because I wasn’t giving it a break).

So, what next? I’ll be working on a 1000 round review of this gun. I’ll give myself two weeks to create a script and record footage, as well as hunt for lots of B roll footage. If I struggle, it’ll take longer, but I want this done well since I’ve noticed that a lot of my visitors have been gravitating toward my XP Pro blog posts and XP Pro videos.

I’ll post the resulting review on both Rumble and YouTube, but I’m wanting to give up on Rumble. That platform just doesn’t get the a lot of traffic/views. I want to stay away from YouTube but Rumble is NOT a good replacement. I was trying to make an effort to use Rumble but every time I look at my channel stats, I get discouraged. I suppose whenever I post to YouTube, I can also post to Rumble and hope that my Rumble channel gains some views.

UPDATE – the 1000 round review video was published during the weekend of 10/18/2025.

For those of you that prefer YouTube:

For those of you that prefer Rumble:

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1911 2011 9mm Fusion Firearms XP Pro

Have A Look At This!

This range session was the Sunday before Labor Day 2025.

This was at 10 yards, shooting at a 1″ orange dot, at a semi-rapid pace while still trying to be as accurate as possible.

I think this is the tightest grouping I’ve ever shot quickly at 10 yards. It’s tight enough to where you can pick any of 5 and they’ll be close to one another. Most of those are stacked on top of each other. I’m becoming super familiar with the gun – there’s not all that much recoiling in the footage, I’ve been working on my grip discipline, and I’ve been experimenting with trigger finger placement and trigger pull. As well, due to the minute recoil, and new grip texturing, I’m able to get quick and accurate follow-on shots.

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1911 2011 9mm double-stack double-stacked Fusion Firearms XP Pro

I’m Still Evaluating the XP Pro, But Here Are A Few Video Snippets!

I’m just under 700 rounds through it. At the 1000-round mark, I’ll collect my thoughts and conduct a 1000-round assessment.

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1911 2011 Fusion Firearms XP Pro

Extra Parts For the Fusion XP Pro Are Inbound!

I frequently monitor the Fusion Firearms pages to see if new parts are being stocked.

When checking earlier in the week, I saw that Fusion Firearms had a single sided thumb safety in stock. Sadly, they had none in hard chrome, so I bought the tennifer (black) one. If I find I don’t like the black one, I’ll buy the hard chrome one when it comes back in stock.

Note that this part is $50.

As well, they’ve a new grip module. It’s aluminum and it’s called the Prickle Dot V1. It’s not cheap, at $250. In looking at the pictures and comparing the pictures to my gun’s grip, I feel that FF could’ve done better. They made the side texturing more aggressive, but didn’t put that same texturing on the front or back strap. This is a common thing with gun manufacturers. They always overlook the front and back strap texturing or make it odd (the trend is that they tend to add vertical strips instead of horizontal – horizontal will be better for gripping). I decided to pass on buying the Prickle Dot grip.

Since I passed on buying the new grip module, I went ahead and bought the HandleIt grip enhancement tape for my current grip module. I’d rather not have to tape up the grip, but I want better texturing. While the grip isn’t slippery when I shoot it, if my hands ever get sweaty or dirty, that grip will surely be a challenge to control.

I ordered on 8/12/2025. The parts are on their way but will not arrive until 8/18/2025 (this coming Monday). This weekend, I’ll probably take apart the gun so that it’ll be ready for me to install the thumb safety.

I’m still considering buying the ported barrel but I really think that they missed the mark on that one…the ports are small and more along the sides of the barrel, not the top.

UPDATE (8/19/2025): Below are pictures of the upgrades…

HandleIt Grips, single sided thumb safety, no magwell
HandleIt Grips, single sided thumb safety, no magwell
Single sided thumb safety, no magwell
Single sided thumb safety, no magwell
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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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1911 2011 9mm double-stack Fusion Firearms XP Pro

The Platypus Isn’t the first to use Glock Mags!

One thing I folks keep saying when I’m reading discussions about the Fusion Firearms XP Pro is that it’s a copy of (or is similar to) the Platypus 1911.

It is not a copy nor is it similar.

Firstly, the XP Pro is actually 2011-patterned. The Platypus is not – it is Para-patterned and is actually a 1911.

Stacatto trademarking only applies to companies that manufacture guns, but I can call it a 2011 because I’m not a gun maker and it IS essentially a 2011. Just as a Ruger AR-556 is considered an AR, although it isn’t branded by Armalite (it is), the XP Pro is considered a 2011, because it is.

Some folks also use the argument that 2011s that use Glock mags aren’t really 2011s. The mags do not define the pattern. What defines the pattern is that 2011s consist of a frame and a grip module.

As well, the Platypus isn’t the first 1911/2011 to use Glock mags. The Alpha Foxtrot S15 holds that trophy. No, the S15 isn’t a 2011, but neither is the Platypus, right? 🙂 The Platypus is the first to use Glock 17 mags…not Glock mags outright, though. The first 1911/2011 to use Glock mags IS the S15.

The Platypus and XP Pro are nothing alike. The only thing they have in common is that they use G17 mags and are chambered in 9mm.

Using Glock mags is besides the point. Anyone hanging onto that gimmicky “It takes Glock mags!” mantra doesn’t know WTF they’re talking about. You’ll see a shitload of folks on YouTube titling their videos with “It takes Glock mags!”, and many of those folks are competent, but they’re also purposely titling their videos that way so that they can gain views.

Yes, there’s a purpose to using Glock mags – they’re super cheap while also being durable. As well, most folks own Glocks and many folks have lots of Glock mags, so they can reuse those mags with this gun instead of having to buy 2011 mags, which usually are priced in the $60+ range.

The XP Pro is more attainable than the Platypus, as there’s a LONG wait list for them at Stealth Arms. As well, the XP Pro is arguably the better gun. Yeah, the Platypus has many custom options and a fancy customization page, but again, it’s not actually 2011-patterned and Fusion Firearms is also ramping up lots of custom options (they only just started making the XP Pros).

I’ve seen videos of folks attempting to compare the Platypus with the XP Pro and they NEVER compare an XP Pro (straight from the factory – no mods) with a base Platypus (straight from the factory with no mods). IMO, the best thing to do (if forced to compare them – again, they’re not on equal footing, so I think the comparision is unrealistic) is to compare a BASE Platypus with an XP Pro. I’ve yet to see anyone do that, but they’ll sure as hell compare the XP to a built Platypus.

I’m not trying to take away anything from folks who may desire a Platypus, but I’m all about fair comparisons and know enough of things to realize that by the time you customize a Platypus with desireable parts, it is no longer an equal comparison with an XP Pro.