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Prodigy makes most unreliable list

R

RLB

Elite
I don't know how many of you watch the honest outlaw on YouTube, but IMO he gives some of the most honest and straightforward reviews on the net. If the gun is good he'll tell you, and if the gun is no good he'll tell you that too. He doesn't hold back and at the same time he doesn't suck up to gun manufactures and give them a good review if they don't deserve it.

He just came out with a video on what he thinks are the 10 most unreliable pistols out there. He based his assessment on actual reviews and tests that he's done himself of those firearms and also from other information that he has seen and heard from other sources.

Is latest video rates firearms from 10 to 1 with 10 being the most reliable on the unreliable firearm list, to 1 being the absolute worst on the list.

Based on his testing and his experience with the Springfield Prodigy he has listed the Prodigy as #6 on his unreliable firearms list. That's not good for us Prodigy owners.

I guess one thing to take into consideration is that unlike most of the other firearms on the list the Prodigy was a brand new offering. We've all seen it go through teething pains with its release but I think we've also seen huge improvements in quality.
Most of the quality reviews and problems we've seen were on some of the earliest released Prodigies. I think it's safe to say the worst is behind us.

Still, I hate seeing reviews like that.

 
The other thing he says in his reviews is that he loves the Prodigy and thinks it’s a great shooter WHEN it’s working. He had a handful of FTEs and based on that said he wouldn’t carry because of that reliability. I get where he is going with that and I put a lot of weight in his reviews. However, I am not the only member on this forum that has a Prodigy that runs like a freight train. We know the Prodigy has had reliability issues, that’s hardly breaking news. I had my Prodigy at the range today and it runs flawlessly. Maybe I should make a video of my Prodigy banging fist size holes in targets without a hiccup.
 
I think that Honest Outlaw's review of the Prodigy was made months ago when it was first introduced and was accurate at that time.

From all indications most of the problems have been resolved. My Prodigy has been error free for its entire 600+ rounds.

I would like to see him do a retake on his Prodigy review. I think he would be pleasantly surprised.
 
RLB said:
I think that Honest Outlaw's review of the Prodigy was made months ago when it was first introduced and was accurate at that time.

From all indications most of the problems have been resolved. My Prodigy has been error free for its entire 600+ rounds.

I would like to see him do a retake on his Prodigy review. I think he would be pleasantly surprised.
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You’re correct.
 
I like honest outlaw reviews, and I agree with him for the most part.
what could be a dislike for him…maybe not others, but that being said, i think it’s pretty well documented the growing pains of the pistol. I went through it too… and I actually have a 22K serial number. Less than 10 day turn around to SA and back…3K plus round through it since, it is a great shooter.
I did, about 300 to 500 rounds ago, upgrade the internals to EGW firing group (Sear, disconnector, hammer, sear spring and mainspring). Reliably and broken in/settled in nicely to a 2.25# trigger. Right where I wanted it…

Funny, just at the range yesterday doing double tap drills on an paper silhouette at 7 yards. My second shot was consistently closer than that of my Canik Rival S. Both great shooters…

My Prodigy feels like the slide is on ball bearings and it just eats.
I also, however, have a 20 round mag that froze up. Was loading it up at it just stuck…I couldn’t even tap it back into action. Had to remove the baseplate to empty the mag. Other 2 20 rounders ran just fine, so I’ll be taking a look at it, it’s why I number my mags…
 
I am sure this guy does a fine job . However having worked in manufacturing in IT and working close with QA. I put little weight in any reviews of a first generation of a brand new product. There are almost always growing pains that need to be worked out. I seldom buy something in the first year and if I do so knowing full well there is a good chance of issues.
 
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dajogejr said:
I like honest outlaw reviews, and I agree with him for the most part.
what could be a dislike for him…maybe not others, but that being said, i think it’s pretty well documented the growing pains of the pistol. I went through it too… and I actually have a 22K serial number. Less than 10 day turn around to SA and back…3K plus round through it since, it is a great shooter.
I did, about 300 to 500 rounds ago, upgrade the internals to EGW firing group (Sear, disconnector, hammer, sear spring and mainspring). Reliably and broken in/settled in nicely to a 2.25# trigger. Right where I wanted it…

Funny, just at the range yesterday doing double tap drills on an paper silhouette at 7 yards. My second shot was consistently closer than that of my Canik Rival S. Both great shooters…

My Prodigy feels like the slide is on ball bearings and it just eats.
I also, however, have a 20 round mag that froze up. Was loading it up at it just stuck…I couldn’t even tap it back into action. Had to remove the baseplate to empty the mag. Other 2 20 rounders ran just fine, so I’ll be taking a look at it, it’s why I number my mags…
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While I don't disagree with you, I think Outlaw was going on the premise that when you buy a new firearm, it should operate reliably from the git go. It shouldn't have to be sent back to the factory to be brought into perfect working condition. So in that sense, I think he was perfectly correct in putting the Prodigy on the list.

Granted, SA did back up their product and it seems that the many people who did send their Prodigy back for work have gotten their firearm back and are now well pleased with it's operation, but it's something that never should have happened, at least not as often as it apparently did.

What strikes me odd is that there are a group of Youtubers who regularly test firearms and seem to be on a manufacturer's list of sorts to receive these new firearms on loan from the manufacturer before they are released to the general public. It seems that everyone that I have seen on that "list" have gotten Prodigies that have worked perfectly, while other Youtubers who had to obtain their sample Prodigy by other means or by buying it themselves, were the ones reporting the vast majority of the problems. When Outlaw did his initial test of the Prodigy about 6 months ago, he said that he did not get his from SA but instead it was loaned to him from a gun shop that he does business with. He clearly acknowledge that and also mentioned that even before he received his that the internet was a buzz over the numerous people reporting problems with their Prodigies. So when a lot of people respond by saying that Outlaw was reporting his opinion based on his experience with just one Prodigy they are correct, but forget that the problem had been widespread before he did his test.

So the Prodigy that he tested was representative of the many Prodigies that the average shooter would have spent their hard earned money on. All of the Youtubers that received their Prodigies directly from SA, it seems received pistols that had been gone over and were working perfectly, or at least that's what it looks like to me. To me that is what is especially irritating. If you were one of the handpicked Youtubers who SA counts on for reviews then you got a "special" Prodigy that worked perfectly. If you were a poor slob who had to buy his Prodigy with his hard earned money, then you took your chances. SA had to know that their were problems, but kept on selling anyway. It appears that SA fell short on their testing before the final release to the public and relied on buyers to do the final testing, which unfortunately also describes what a lot of other manufacturers also do.

I do give SA credit for standing up behind their product but it should have been debugged before it was introduced. That said, it appears that the problems have been resolved and the Prodigy has turned out to be a fine shooting pistol. It allows people to get into a 2011 for about a thousand dollars less than what it costs for other brands. Time will tell just how well the Prodigy holds up, but for now it's looking good. I commend SA for coming out with a 2011 style pistol that most people can afford. I just wish they would do a better job of debugging their new products before they go on sale.

Now I would love to see Outlaw do a follow up test on the Prodigy. I think it would show a big improvement. After all he did really like the Prodigy, WHEN it worked.
 
RLB said:
While I don't disagree with you, I think Outlaw was going on the premise that when you buy a new firearm, it should operate reliably from the git go. It shouldn't have to be sent back to the factory to be brought into perfect working condition. So in that sense, I think he was perfectly correct in putting the Prodigy on the list.

Granted, SA did back up their product and it seems that the many people who did send their Prodigy back for work have gotten their firearm back and are now well pleased with it's operation, but it's something that never should have happened, at least not as often as it apparently did.

What strikes me odd is that there are a group of Youtubers who regularly test firearms and seem to be on a manufacturer's list of sorts to receive these new firearms on loan from the manufacturer before they are released to the general public. It seems that everyone that I have seen on that "list" have gotten Prodigies that have worked perfectly, while other Youtubers who had to obtain their sample Prodigy by other means or by buying it themselves, were the ones reporting the vast majority of the problems. When Outlaw did his initial test of the Prodigy about 6 months ago, he said that he did not get his from SA but instead it was loaned to him from a gun shop that he does business with. He clearly acknowledge that and also mentioned that even before he received his that the internet was a buzz over the numerous people reporting problems with their Prodigies. So when a lot of people respond by saying that Outlaw was reporting his opinion based on his experience with just one Prodigy they are correct, but forget that the problem had been widespread before he did his test.

So the Prodigy that he tested was representative of the many Prodigies that the average shooter would have spent their hard earned money on. All of the Youtubers that received their Prodigies directly from SA, it seems received pistols that had been gone over and were working perfectly, or at least that's what it looks like to me. To me that is what is especially irritating. If you were one of the handpicked Youtubers who SA counts on for reviews then you got a "special" Prodigy that worked perfectly. If you were a poor slob who had to buy his Prodigy with his hard earned money, then you took your chances. SA had to know that their were problems, but kept on selling anyway. It appears that SA fell short on their testing before the final release to the public and relied on buyers to do the final testing, which unfortunately also describes what a lot of other manufacturers also do.

I do give SA credit for standing up behind their product but it should have been debugged before it was introduced. That said, it appears that the problems have been resolved and the Prodigy has turned out to be a fine shooting pistol. It allows people to get into a 2011 for about a thousand dollars less than what it costs for other brands. Time will tell just how well the Prodigy holds up, but for now it's looking good. I commend SA for coming out with a 2011 style pistol that most people can afford. I just wish they would do a better job of debugging their new products before they go on sale.

Now I would love to see Outlaw do a follow up test on the Prodigy. I think it would show a big improvement. After all he did really like the Prodigy, WHEN it worked.
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People always assume that issues mean that companies do not test thier products well. Such is not the case, most companies put thier products through rigorous testing. I worked in manufacturing in IT for 20 years and worked close with both engineers and Quality Control.

During that time I worked in several facilities which were producing entirely new product lines. Even with the best of testing issues occur. It is practically impossible to entirely duplicate issues that will occur upon full scale production. Issues with purchased components that were not encountered are common, as are worker related issues and others. Then there is a matter of creativity. Seldom will even the most creative and abusive testers abuse and misuse a product like the general public so things happen they do not even imagine.

Issues will always be common with new product lines, it's just a matter of doing business. And in a nass production line every single example cannot be tested entirely, so they will and do slip through quality control
The difference is in how a company responds to and fixes issues.
 
RLB said:
While I don't disagree with you, I think Outlaw was going on the premise that when you buy a new firearm, it should operate reliably from the git go. It shouldn't have to be sent back to the factory to be brought into perfect working condition. So in that sense, I think he was perfectly correct in putting the Prodigy on the list.
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I think that’s beyond fair. I also like his transparency of how/where he acquired the gun.

But, I’ll stand by this as well. Yes, plenty of problems out there that are noted. However, you hardly see all the pistols that operated fine from day one that were not handpicked for YouTubers…. And that didn’t comment on forums, Reddit, etc.

Owning a 2019 Harley touring bike…. If you read the forums you’ll hear all about sumping, issues, etc. However, there are thousands upon thousands out there that are tens of thousands of miles, problem free, mine included.

Just food for thought, but I don’t disagree with you, and having had the issues first hand myself, you’re not wrong. But, as said, I knew what I was getting into should I have issues, as others have reported. Should I have had to send it back? No. Of course not. But did SA do me right and very quickly? Yes, sure did. You and I will never know how many were actually produced, sent in for warranty vs. those that are still in customers hands From day 1 without issue. We’re both left guessing.

Good points all around RLB, well said.
 
I do gotta say…more surprising than the prodigy is the P320.
I’ve had 3, down to 2…an X5 legion and a 320X Compact and they’ve been amazing.
My x5 had a few FTE in the first couple hundred rounds, probably close to 5K later, no issues.
My 320X compact, 1000 rounds, zero issues, not even taking it to the range day of purchase and putting 100 down range without even a field strip and clean.
 
I was surprised with the P320 too. I know there were some problems and numerous reported accidental discharges in the beginning, but that was what, 6 or 8 years ago, and I'm not sure if that was ever determined to be Sig's fault or not. Sig did do the voluntary recall thing and I haven't heard too much about that lately. Every once in a while it does pop up in the news however.

As far as reliability, I've had no problems with my two P320s. I have an original P320 X5 and also a P320 X-Carry and both have been flawless, although I have to admit I don't have many rounds through them. They seem to be pretty good firearms, just OK not perfect, but for some reason I'm just not too enthused with them any more and they don't get shot all that often. I have to admit, I do like that new P320 Legion AXG Comp that is coming out soon. I may have to look at possibly getting one. You gotta give credit to Sig. They have a different flavor of P320 for every occasion and they don't show any signs of slowing down with new models coming out. I'm hoping that SA follows their lead and starts coming out with different versions/calibers of the Prodigy.

I have to say it, after getting the Prodigy there are a lot of firearms in my safe that don't get out as often as they used to. I'm really impressed with the Prodigy and imagine that I'd be even more impressed with a BUL Tac II or Staccato P.
 
Yeah, heard. I’m torn between a P, a C2 and getting that cam and Dyno tune for my Harley.. LOL.
I was originally leaning towards the P. But, the C2 would probably make it into my EDC routine, whereas the P…just target/range.
And I already have my prodigy, X5 and Canik that fit that bill nicely.
What irks me about Staccato, and make no mistake, they’re damn fine pistols, is the up charge not only for optic ready but for the plates on top of that. In the P model anyways, you’re out another 400ish for optic ready and the plate.
Meanwhile, X series Sigs are optic ready out of the box for DPP style, my Canik and my previously owned S&W Competitor came with about every plate you’d need. Just kinda a head scratcher.
 
RLB said:
I don't know how many of you watch the honest outlaw on YouTube, but IMO he gives some of the most honest and straightforward reviews on the net. If the gun is good he'll tell you, and if the gun is no good he'll tell you that too. He doesn't hold back and at the same time he doesn't suck up to gun manufactures and give them a good review if they don't deserve it.

He just came out with a video on what he thinks are the 10 most unreliable pistols out there. He based his assessment on actual reviews and tests that he's done himself of those firearms and also from other information that he has seen and heard from other sources.

Is latest video rates firearms from 10 to 1 with 10 being the most reliable on the unreliable firearm list, to 1 being the absolute worst on the list.

Based on his testing and his experience with the Springfield Prodigy he has listed the Prodigy as #6 on his unreliable firearms list. That's not good for us Prodigy owners.

I guess one thing to take into consideration is that unlike most of the other firearms on the list the Prodigy was a brand new offering. We've all seen it go through teething pains with its release but I think we've also seen huge improvements in quality.
Most of the quality reviews and problems we've seen were on some of the earliest released Prodigies. I think it's safe to say the worst is behind us.

Still, I hate seeing reviews like that.

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Well, to me they missed a few other current Springfield guns that should have made this list, 911, SA-35........the Prodigy had fewer issues then some other ones, just sayin
 
I'm not going to question his experience with the Prodigy. Some people clearly had some issues with them.

But the P320?! I've owned a handful of P320s, different models, different sizes. I can't recall ever having a malfunction of any kind, with any of them.

I generally like HO, but for whatever reason, P320s are clearly not his jam.
 
Hammer67 said:
I'm not going to question his experience with the Prodigy. Some people clearly had some issues with them.

But the P320?! I've owned a handful of P320s, different models, different sizes. I can't recall ever having a malfunction of any kind, with any of them.

I generally like HO, but for whatever reason, P320s are clearly not his jam.
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All my Sigs function fine, so does my Glocks……
 
Both of my P320's operate fine, along with my 365XL, and my M400 Tread. As a matter of fact the only issue I've had across the 4 of them was the front sight dying on the 365xl which sig replaced and shipped back to me in 2 business days.
 
Annihilator said:
Well, to me they missed a few other current Springfield guns that should have made this list, 911, SA-35........the Prodigy had fewer issues then some other ones, just sayin
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My god the problems with the 911 lol. Before the 3 original mods got involved here we ran several FB groups including the only 911 group. We got very good at explaining the problem and multiple solutions. But man...I had to throw almost 500 rounds down range, then send it off to SA repair. Some folks sent theirs back 3 times. That's a lot a lot. But it was a low SN for a brand new gun, so gotta expect some problems. Maybe not 90k units before it got sorted out worth.

With all that said, I'd love for them to resume production on the 911. Now that it's working right it's just a blast to shoot.
 
OkiePewPew said:
My god the problems with the 911 lol. Before the 3 original mods got involved here we ran several FB groups including the only 911 group. We got very good at explaining the problem and multiple solutions. But man...I had to throw almost 500 rounds down range, then send it off to SA repair. Some folks sent theirs back 3 times. That's a lot a lot. But it was a low SN for a brand new gun, so gotta expect some problems. Maybe not 90k units before it got sorted out worth.

With all that said, I'd love for them to resume production on the 911. Now that it's working right it's just a blast to shoot.
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I had one and it worked fine, few of my friends at my sportsman club had many issues with there’s, only reason I got rid of mine was the ambi safety, it kept digging into my hand, I contacted Springfield to see if I could send it back and have the ambi removed, there answer….no! So I got rid of it, problem solved!
 
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