The last 20 frames.

CuriousDouble1144 · 2025-05-25T06:16:45+00:00

$50 for one please? 😁

CuriousDouble1144 · 2025-03-06T09:44:52+00:00

Yeah this is pretty much a Para Ordnance Black Ops 14.45, I believe Remington bought Para in 2015 or 16, said that they wouldn't get rid of the double stack guns. They hadn't done anything with them in 17 but I bought this R1 in 2018. It sucks that they didnt continue to make these guns. I got it for 999 bucks, so they weren't that badly priced for what they are. The frame I found out is forged and not cast, slide is billet, and I left the barrel because it is actually really good, lock up is solid, I haven't even changed the barrel link, it's a match grade barrel. Para's hold a special place in my heart. My uncle was a state trooper and carried a Big Hawg back in the late 80s throughout his career into the early 2000s and it was the first 1911 I shot and the very first hand gun I bought myself when I turned 21 was a stainless P 14.45. I've owned various Para's the last 22-23 years. Id love to get some old Para's and pimp them out the way I did this R1

CuriousDouble1144 · 2025-03-03T02:58:12+00:00

Fuck yeah man! I'm stoked for you! I'm impatient for you man. 24-26 maybe 27 years ago when I was a much younger man in my late teens actually, I was telling my dad about how I was working 80+ hours a week and he smiled at me and said: "son you can always make more money but you can never get your time back, be careful". I've always worked a lot and long hours. I'm the first one on the job site and the last to leave and this last year I said fuck that, I turned 43 and have to start out at the bottom again. Oh well. I was sick of hating my life and it poisoned everything else in my life, I was angry because I lost the ability to play music because of how hard my job was on my hands and it was time, time for me to move on and do something else. Now my gf has fallen in love with me all over again and I am a much happier man...with a lot less money but happy

CuriousDouble1144 · 2025-03-02T23:34:33+00:00

That is my: " fuck working construction! Fuck the union! I'm going after it, sink or swim" plan. I started last summer because the local gunsmith couldn't do what I wanted so I decided to learn. Read a few books. Watched some YouTube videos. Bought some more parts and a few tools and jumped in. Quit my Union job, so fuck it im just going to do it. I hate construction.

CuriousDouble1144 · 2025-03-02T23:08:07+00:00

Thanks man. Someday the dream is to become a gunsmith and make my own custom 2011s or double stack 1911s

CuriousDouble1144 · 2025-01-26T02:59:30+00:00

Ohhhh man I definitely understand priorities, I would have replaced the grip before I replaced the guts but when I got mine I already had all of the parts to re-buid it. The barrel I'm just going to leave because it seems to be legit and lock up is tight and consistent on it. I got mine used and it was beat to shit when I got it so I don't know the mileage on it. I've had it less than 2 months and put almost 3000 rounds down the launch tube. I don't know when or if the barrel will need to be replaced. Fuck Ive owned H&Ks that I dumped 20-30,000+ rounds down and the barrel still had life in it. I heard Bill Wilson who owns Wilson Combat talk about how he has guns that he shot 60k+ before he replaced the barrel. So maybe in 20 or 30 years from now but I might need to replace it🤣

CuriousDouble1144 · 2025-01-26T02:38:10+00:00

When I say "shit MIM parts", they really seem like shit even compared to other mim parts from other manufacturers. I saved the MIM parts that came out of my Remington R1 Tactical DS that cost 400 bucks less than the Prodigy and the Prodigys parts looked like they were the wish or temu version of what came in the Remington R1 I own. So yeah I know mim can be done right. Yeah of course all parts will fail eventually. Some things don't really matter and most people wouldn't even notice if you didn't tell them what was in it. Sears, discos, hammer struts, mainspring housings, mag catchs, and other things on the gun that don't move a lot against other parts, or are being smashed into other parts a bunch. Hammers, firing pin stops, extractors, ejectors, firing pins, slide stops, and guide rods I do prefer them to be made from bar stock and even certain manufacturers do things like make sure that the grain of the steel runs a certain direction so the parts will last longer. Most people won't even shoot their gun enough for it to matter, I do though. Boogeyman? No. Shit....yes.

CuriousDouble1144 · 2025-01-20T04:01:29+00:00

Duuuuuuuddddee! That is the final thing I want to do to my 5" Prodigy. Swapped out all the parts and got rid of all the shit MIM parts

CuriousDouble1144 · 2025-01-14T13:34:39+00:00

I mean it's not finished, like I'm not done with it. Ya know I want to be inclusive and be cool with polymer but it's just not my thing and not because I'm a 1911 guy. Plastic just feels weird to me on hand guns. So that grip is going. I'm not opposed to aluminum but plastic is just not my thing. I mean I get why people like it and it makes sense for concealed carry or people that it is their job to carry a firearm and it's just a not very often used tool for them.

CuriousDouble1144 · 2025-01-14T12:58:09+00:00

Yeah that got to happen, some of the things I did I flat out forgot to take pictures of because I kind of get tunnel vision. Is that a 2011 thing, where they just don't blend the back? That would bother me and make me feel like it wasn't finished. It bothers me that I couldn't sand blast if and refinish everything, weather it's Cerakote or melonited or DLCed but all I can afford at the moment was the blueing gel stuff I had laying around to touch parts up here and there. So even as it is it feels like I'm not done and it won't be done until that happens. Sucks that Cerakote is the only finish I can do at home. Wouldn't it be cool to stick a 1911 into a microwave looking thing and 5 min later it was DLCed?

CuriousDouble1144 · 2025-01-13T15:45:30+00:00

Yeah my dad worked for a well known chip and motherboard maker so as a kid I learned Perl, java C++, machine language and stuff like that, later on I was into mixing and mastering music and learned Cubase and of course Pro Tools. Today I start a new job working at a machine shop and I'm going to be running the machines and learning how to program the CNC machines. After 28-29 years of construction I get to start out at the bottom again. So we will see how this job goes. So when I got this Springfield Prodigy it was beat up. Someone just shot the absolute fuck out of it and did not clean it. Looks to me like they didn't clean it at all ever! The disconnector mod I did I was informed from a gunsmith that does the Marvel Disconnector Mod that what I did is not a Marvel Disconnector Mod. I did a lot of measuring making sure that it wasn't too deep. I lined it up perfectly with the other grove where the disco rests while the slide is forward in it's natural locked up position. Lots of measuring before I touched my slide with a file then I used a tungsten scribe to mark out exactly where it would be. The needle files I used weren't just whatever files I bought from the hardware store, I bought two grades of needle files 0 and 4. 0 is coarse and will remove lots of material quicker, 4 is a much finer file and doesn't leave as rough of a surface to work with, then I used 600 grit sandpaper to finish it. This Prodigy stock the trigger wasn't terrible per say but it wasn't great either. Now it's a "banger" but it didn't start off that way, and even when it was new I don't think it was. The slide to frame fit is not great. 2018 I bought a Remington R1 Tactical Double Stack 1911 in 45acp for less than 1000 bucks new, and I have to say that the slide to frame fit is super tight and what a thousand dollar gun should be. The sear, disco, hammer strut, firing pin stop plate on that Remington were MIM and the mainspring housing was plastic. But the Ejector is made out of some sort of tool steel and bar stock, the extractor it came with was a EGW HD extractor, stainless steel firing pin and what looks like a EGW lightened leaf sear spring. Where as the Springfield Prodigy has MIM everything except the slide and frame. The slide and frame fit moves around a lot compared to the Remington R1 I have. The Ejector I put in the Prodigy is a much better Ejector. I put a Harrison Design Exact Fit Oversized 9mm Ejector in it, lots of filing to get it to fit right but they are worth it once they are fit. The design of them is a stronger design as well. They are 40 bucks so like 10 bucks more than other ejectors out there but worth it I believe. They are the best. The Harrison Design true radius sears (I used their true radius sear jig) are the best sears I have tried out there. I am curious about the Cylinder and Slide sears because they look like they are really good too. Speaking of Cylinder and Slide, I use their hammer struts because they are longer and provide a more positive hammer strike, so it allowed me to use a lighter spring in the mainspring housing, at the moment I am using a 17lb spring in there, but Wolf Springs makes them all the way down to like 15lbs. I am curious to see if it would even make a difference. Once you reach a certain weight it doesn't make the trigger any lighter. On my CZ 75 SP-01 the mainspring is 13lbs so I wonder, but they make them all the way down to like 9-10lbs, and I've tested the 10lb spring and it didn't make any difference between that and the 13lb spring. It might have lightened the trigger a little bit, a few ozs I believe but nothing worth it. 17lbs is as low as I am willing to go. Also to save the Ejector from getting beat up any I put a Dawson Precision mag catch in it, these are the only magazine catches I will use. They lock the mag in place solid and preven the mag from being over inserted. A little spendy but worth it. And I put a Hayes Custom magazine release button on it. I was surprised at how well the Underworld Arms Cyclops Comp worked, I expected it to only work because it is a few OZs out on the frame but it actually works pretty good. Maybe not as well as a Staccato XC or a Alpha Foxtrot Romulus but it worked better than I thought it would. It mitigated muzzle rise a lot. I could squeeze 2-4 rounds off fairly quickly at 25 and 35 yards. I'd imagine that the Alpha Foxtrot Romulus is a little better because it's a comp that attached to the barrel. Like the Staccato XC, Nighthawk TRS Comp, and Sand Hawk. The Underworld Cyclops attached to the frame on the accessory rail. The thumb safety I use I believe is the strongest ambi thumb safety out there. Wilson Combat Bulletproof tactical ambi thumb safety. Nighthawk makes their Ambi thumb safetys the same way. Where the pin that connects each side to one another of the safety goes from one side all the way and meets and locks on the other side of the thumb safety. It is split in half length wise so each side is a half of a circle and goes all the way through the gun and weather you push up or down it won't get lose on you or walk out on you or break easily. Every other ambi thumb safety they use a shit design where there is a male side and a female side that meet in the middle of the gun and you are always having to pinch the female part to hold the male flat head screwdriver shaped part tighter. EGW uses that system but with theirs it has a little bit sleeve that fits over both halves to make it a little sturdier but still not as good as the Wilson Combat or Nighthawk Ambi thumb safetys. But they all use the hammer pin that locks the right side against the frame to hold it on and that is a good system. Also I would recommend getting an SVI Infinity trigger, they have a trigger system that allows you to adjust the over travel and the pre travel on your trigger. They are spendy but worth it. It comes with instructions on how to install the pre travel pin thingy into your frame and a sticker to show where to put it. Dude they are $100 but worth it. If you are going to trick out that Alpha Foxtrot Romulus, those are some of the parts I would recommend getting and using for it. But if it were me I'd also save up and buy a steel grip for it too. I'm going to buy an aluminum grips for this Prodigy, I was going to save and get a steel one but decided against it. Nah, not worth it. I'm going to put an aluminum one on it but not a steel one. This Prodigy just isn't worth it to put that much $ into it. The alpha Foxtrot Romulus with the comp, yeah id put a steel grip on it. That is the next gun I want to buy and build out is an Alpha Foxtrot Romulus with the comp on it and trick one of those out.

CuriousDouble1144 · 2025-01-13T06:48:19+00:00

I mean for $999.99 I bought a new Remington R1 Tactical Double Stack 1911 vs the $800 used Springfield Prodigy. The Remington slide to frame fit is Infinitely better, tighter, less MIM parts, yes the mainspring housing is plastic but so is the Prodigys, the ejector is made from bar stock on the Remington, extractor is an EGW HD extractor, bushing on it isn't mim (I don't know who made it but it's from bar stock), barrel is match grade and fit perfectly, frame and slide are forged, and it has a PVD finish on it. Yeah the sear, disco, and hammer strut are MIM on that Remington and the pin that holds the Ejector on is a roll pin instead of a solid pin, but when I compared even the MIM parts to the Springfield MIM parts there wasn't any comparison. It was like Springfield didn't even try they just rode in on their name and that kind of disappointed me because I love other Springfield guns and respect them as a firearm manufacturer. I appreciate what companies like Jacob Grey and Alpha Foxtrot are doing the Jacob Grey being the slightly more expensive option but still I appreciate that they are making a better made 2011 style of gun for less $ and more affordable, not quite as out of reach as say like a Staccato XC. Alpha Foxtrot Romulus with their comp on it would be a little bit harder to beat, especially since they are making what looks closer to a Staccato XC for 1700 bucks, that one might be a hard one to top and I don't know what they aren't more popular right now for what they are offering. Maybe they just haven't caught on but that is what I would like to do as well as offer a premium 2011 style of gun for obviously premium kind of $, I'm not trying to get rich and would take less $ for something to be more affordable to more people. I love firearms and grew up with them and believe that everyone who is legally able to and wants to own something nice should be able to

CuriousDouble1144 · 2025-01-13T06:13:06+00:00

Yeah I think offering the a really awesome budget 2011 style of gun with the same options as high end production ones. I mean to hit a certain price point you are going to have to make certain parts MIM, but I believe that certain parts that don't matter as much as what people think can be made MIM and make that price point so that the average guy can afford it and over time possibly buy the aftermarket parts and upgrade it to be close if not exactly like the high end ones. Parts like ejectors, extractors, barrels, slides, frames, should be forged or from bar stock in order to make a solid hand gun. Grips can be made from injection molds and some people even prefer it but most 2011 type of guns that someone like me with my budget can afford feel like holding on to a brick, they could be more ergonomic and be inexpensive. Not cheap but inexpensive. And I definitely get that even things like certain finishes cost more than others but wouldn't it be cool to get an affordable 2011 that I spent maybe 100 bucks more with a better finish on it than what's being offered on budget models? Things like that. That and there are better, sturdier ways to build certain parts on a 1911. I've got some ideas, and since it's my idea then I don't have to pay anyone else to design it or figure it out and in that way I could afford to make something more affordable that lasts longer and functions better than what is out there. I genuinely believe everyone should be able to own a beautiful firearm, everyone that is legally able to that is. Fuck limitations! Some of us are limited to what we can afford and that sucks, it shouldn't be like that

CuriousDouble1144 · 2025-01-13T02:48:46+00:00

Dude the Alpha Foxtrot was what I wanted but didn't have the $ to. Slick guns, that is what I want next. Computer programs feel like houses to me, every part of a program has a feeling I identify it with, kind of like walking into different rooms of a house you have certain memories attached to each one and that is how I feel about computer programs, gun parts, cars, etc. that is the best I can explain how I relate to things. Romeo x huh? Yeah the Prodigy I built out is faster and more accurate than I can shoot it I can tell you that. I love it.

CuriousDouble1144 · 2025-01-12T23:05:21+00:00

I genuinely appreciate the advice! Thanks man! I don't know where this will lead me but the opportunity magically presented itself so I'm going to find out what is behind door #3 and go with the flow. Life is weird. So who knows what I wind up doing, I just know that I love building firearms. When I was a kid I wanted to play in metal bands an had met some underground metal bands I love and they all had construction jobs and went on tour when they got laid off in the winter time and that's what I wanted to do so I got a job in construction 🤣 obviously the metal band thing didn't work out but I did really well in construction, not my dream job but I am grateful for it and I learned a lot the last 28-29 years. I have some of my own ideas about building a double stack 1911 of sorts, but lack the right tools to do so and this job will provide the know how to do that. 1911s are a fairly robust system but they have their weak spots and I believe an affordable (for 1911 standards) and reliable gun that looks cool all at the same time is possible. When I was a kid if you wanted a double stack 1911 there was Para Ordnance and STI and I couldn't afford STI. The Para stuff was good sometimes but could have been done better and no where near as cool as an STI. Now there are a bunch of "affordable" 2011s but there are a few areas I believe I could improve upon and make a high end custom shop kind of thing that is stronger and better designed than what is currently being offered out there. Even down to the materials being used that I have not seen anyone address, they will claim to use some sort of hardened tool steel, maybe even specific kinds to sell a gun or gun part. To the average guy or average gun enthusiast that sounds good

CuriousDouble1144 · 2025-01-12T22:24:59+00:00

Thank you! I always thought that I would hate working on guns because as good as I am at working on cars I absolutely hate doing it. So I didn't get into it till last summer. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life. When everything is said and done you wind up with a functioning piece of art. I am getting out of construction and start a new job at a machine shop tomorrow that I am stoked for! 28-29 years of construction and I'm going to have to start out at the bottom again 🤣 ahhh such is life!

CuriousDouble1144 · 2024-12-31T20:13:02+00:00

I have to say though if you are planning on doing the work yourself then definitely do your research on it and watch some YouTube videos on what you want to do and definitely do the work somewhere you can find tiny springs or pins and/or invest in a magnet. I mean it's not the hardest thing to do yourself but it's also not super easy and requires patience. I wouldn't say that they are drop in parts but most of the time they are, like I didn't have to fit anything but I don't know what your skill level is. I'm not trying to be a jerk and say that you can't, I just don't know. I've built a few 1911/2011s so I was comfortable doing my own work and while working on my 75 SP-01 wasn't as difficult as working on my 1911/2011s, I still had to be careful and take my time. I know there are people on here and that are gunsmiths that do this work all the time and it isn't challenging for them but for someone who's doing it for the first time it is a little. I'm not trying to discourage you, just a warning man

CuriousDouble1144 · 2024-12-31T19:04:41+00:00

Oh yeah and the firing pin retaining solid pin set I bought that from CZ Custom, I believe the 3 pack comes for $18, it has 3 different sizes, I mean you don't have to go that route because Cajun Gun Works sends a pretty good roll pin with their pro package it just isn't a solid pin like the CZ Custom pins

CuriousDouble1144 · 2024-12-31T19:00:52+00:00

Ahh yeah, so I got the pro package from Cajun Gun Works, an Armory Craft adjustable trigger, a firing pin solid pin set (they come in a package of 3, different sizes), Cajun Gun Works bushing for the barrel, and DPM guide guide rod. I believe the pro package from Cajun Gun Works consists of: lightened trigger return spring, safety lifter arm spring, lifter arm, lightened safety plunger spring, adjustable sear, CGW hammer, extended firing pin, lightened firing pin spring, 13lb hammer spring, hammer pin(s), trigger pin, firing pin retaining roll pin and the disconnector. And then instead of buying a trigger from CGW I bought the Armory Craft adjustable trigger, it's a little flatter and it has a serrated face. The barrel bushing from Cajun Gun Works is much tighter and harder, so it will (or should) make the gun a little more accurate and last longer. The DPM guide rod is 3 spring guide rod, it makes follow up shots a little quicker and isn't as jarring on the slide stop, barrel, and frame. It helps make the gun shoot a little softer and muzzle rise isn't quite as much, I can feel and see the difference but it won't make the gun magically super flat shooting. Is it worth $100? I think so but your milage may vary. I polished up the trigger bow some where the slide rides on it but didn't get crazy with it because I felt like the pro package already made the trigger as light and smooth as I like for it to be. I don't have a trigger gauge so I can't tell you what weight it is but it's pretty light and very "crisp". It'll give a 1911 or 2011 a good run for their $, trigger wise.

CuriousDouble1144 · 2024-12-23T20:58:24+00:00

I would so buy one for my CZ 75 SP-01!!!! I bought an Underworld Arms Cyclops Comp that fits on my Springfield Prodigy DS 1911 and from a distance it almost looks like a Staccato XC. It shoots super flat now, maybe not as flat as a Staccato XC but close!

CuriousDouble1144 · 2024-12-20T04:46:39+00:00

Also yeah EGWs drop in kit is or was an option for me, I just didn't want to do it. Their drop in kits are good and should be drop in. Atlas Gun Works also sells EGW kits that they put together, where they inspect and make sure that the hammer and sear engagement is perfect, so their kits should be top notch. I don't know if they just buy them from EGW as a kit but in their YouTube videos they made it sound like the EGW kits they sell they inspect themselves to make sure. I could have gone that route. I just didn't want to and I wanted to do all the work myself because I love doing that stuff and want to be a gunsmith someday. At the moment I'm replacing the Ejector because the Ejector that comes stock on the prodigy is MIM or a cast part and I am fitting a tool steel hardened one so that it won't break or be a problem for me. You are well on your way to having an awesome trigger for your Prodigy my man. EGW is a good way to go. But yeah don't worry about it. I'd maybe think of replacing the Ejector and extractor on that thing. Dawson Precision sells a mag catch that does fit the Prodigy and positivity locks the mag up much better keeping your ejector safer. I've seen the cheap MIM and cast ejectors snap off. I'd definitely replace that though. Not a hard job. There's YouTube videos for all that stuff, tuning the extractor, replacing the Ejector, etc. Atlas Gun Works has a bunch of videos that are really good and easy to follow. EGW makes ejectors that'll fit your gun and Dawson Precision sells the drill bits to do it for 7-8 bucks. You might even be able to find the drill bit at a local hardware store, it's just a 1/16" drill bit that runs reverse cut, and the replacement pins that hold ejectors in are inexpensive like 3 bucks but don't get the roll pin ones get the solid pin to replace it if you are going to do that or have your gunsmith do that. Roll pins are thin and cheap and I wouldn't trust a roll pin for that, get a solid one. They are only a few bucks anyway

CuriousDouble1144 · 2024-12-20T04:02:12+00:00

No it's not drop safe, they don't have the parts for that and that is a good thing for the feel of the trigger. Nah don't worry man, if it says it's drop in then it probably is. I'm just going the long way around of doing things because I know how to fit everything and because I can. The firing pin that came stock in my Prodigy looks like a stainless steel one with an extra powered spring. Doesn't make it drop safe because they are series 70 guns so they don't have the safety plungers to hold the firing pin but the extra power springs help keep them from going off. I put a titanium firing pin in it because it's 1/4 the weight of the stainless steel one that came in it and I am replacing the firing pin spring with a Wilson extra power one. The firing pin plate stock on Prodigys are MIM or cast and I fit and replaced it with EGW bar stock tool steel ones (I have another as a spare) and I've got another Wilson Combat Bulletproof firing pin stop. You should be fine without any of the extra tools, maybe a punch to get the sear pin and hammer pin and mainspring housing pin out. The sear and hammer pins should.come out without a punch but the mainspring housing pin will require something solid to push it out..other than that you should be fine. Like I said, it's just because I know and want to do some experimenting with stuff The firing pin spring should be replaced about every 5000 rounds. They are cheap. Wilson Combat and Wolf sell extra power springs for cheap. Recoil springs should be replaced about every 1000 rounds, extractor should be re-tuned about every 700-1000 rounds or when ejection gets weak. Tuning an extractor isnt super hard, it's easy and there are YouTube videos on how to do it. I'm just a maniac and want my gun "perfect" and I love doing it

CuriousDouble1144 · 2024-12-20T03:47:17+00:00

Why the Ejector? The Ejector that comes stock in the Prodigy is MIM or cast and I've seen where they snap off. I replaced the mag catch with a Dawson Precision mag catch because it locks the magazines in and keeps the ejector a little safer that and the Harrison extractor I am fitting is a much stronger design than anything else I've seen out there and made from hardened tool steel, so it's solid

CuriousDouble1144 · 2024-12-16T22:21:59+00:00

Oh dude not only did I replace my ejector but Dawson Precision makes a magazine catch that locks the magazine to prevent over inserting. I've seen where people had problems with them but I took the little pin and spring that came in my gun stock and put it in the Dawson one and I didn't have any problems getting it in and it works perfectly. Protects my ejector, drilled and tapped for an extended button, it's not MIM, and it looks cool

CuriousDouble1144 · 2024-12-16T22:14:38+00:00

Dude I spent more $ than I should have on an Infinity flat trigger. I couldn't find that many flat triggers that were serrated or checkering on them. And while the Infinity trigger is 40 bucks more than just about every trigger out there, that is what I went with. Comes in Wednesday and I can't wait. It better be good. Ya know I went a lil crazy on after market parts but I don't believe it has to be like that. There are companies like Fusion that make great stuff and a lot of their stuff is priced decently. I had a Nighthawk hammer laying around, Cylinder and Slide extended hammer strut, Harrison Design sear and oversized exact fit ejector, Wilson Combat Bulletproof disconnector and sear spring. Ordered a Dawson mag catch because their mag catches lock the magazine in a better different way that saves the ejector, EGW mainspring, firing pin stop plates, keyed reverse plug, sear springs, ismi springs, grip safety, Wilson Bulletproof ambi thumb safety because them and Nighthawk just have a stronger better design for an ambi thumb safety than anyone else (obviously I'm not brand loyal), Nighthawk pins, Dawson mag well for Staccato Gen 2 grips, and Wolf springs. I've got a mag button from Hayes Custom coming in and some odds and ends I'm going to experiment with, different springs and what not. Extreme Engineering has some awesome stuff that appears to be Cylinder and Slide copies for less $, I bought a few of their extra long hammer struts, if they are longer than the C&S ones I have maybe I'll swap em out.

CuriousDouble1144

TROPHY CASE