Battle of the Budget Wide Bodies. BUL vs Springfield Armory!

Yam doesn't really seem to like Commanders but maybe the 4.25 will change his mind. Then maybe he'll make this and an appropriate recoil spring guide:

https://www.10-8performance.com/reve...e-bull-barrel/

This is where you'll find comparability issues
Attachment 93882

You might just be able to reuse the Springfields like I did

Time for a little update on the Parody.

It was too windy to really do any accuracy testing. Gusts kept catching the edges of target paper and bowing my portable target stand. But I did shoot a couple groups at 15 and 25 just to see if the irons were regulated.

After this I spent a bit of time shooting slow fire and alternated between right and left hand only. I also fired ten rounds without a mag in the gun to check ejection. No problems were noted.

Afterwards I did a series of Bill Drills to get a general feel for the gun. It is fairly soft shooting and the fiber optic is easy to track. During the Bill Drill phase I did have three instances where a round fed but failed to go into battery.

I finished with shooting by B/C zone steel from 50 yards. This included 15 rounds of 147 HST. I had three instances, all almost right in a row of the HSTs stalling out on the feed ramp. This could be a maintenance issue as the gun was feeling pretty gummy and sluggish at this point.

Total of 250 rounds fired.

No issues with mags failing to lock back. And I wasn't able to identify one mag giving me at feed or chamber issues over the other. Hopefully this is all "normal" break in that will clear up especially after the gun is cleaned and oiled.

Probably not surprisingly, the Springfield is a noticeably softer shooter than the BUL. I assume this is due to the weight difference primarily.

I did note the two piece guide rod was loose at about the halfway through mark. Not an unusual thing but it does remind me what a general poor design these are.

The Nightstick mounting screw can't be tightened sufficiently with just a coin. I tightened the screw pretty much every fifty rounds. The slot is curved to accept a coin and isn't really deep enough to work with a screwdriver.

I lost one of the little cap screws for the trigger guard bushing. Annoying but also not too unusual for these types of frames.





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I'll never not be able to call it the "Parody" now.

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Originally Posted by BK14

Interesting. I think that part of why my 9mm 5” gun had feeding issues was the recoil spring not having enough force, which I think when it hit the disconnector at partial compression slowed it down enough that it then lurched forward while feeding a round. Again, seems to be fixed with a heavier spring. However, not a gunsmith or 1911 expert, but I wonder if part of the lack of issues reported so far on the 4.25” has anything to do with there being more spring compression at the time the commander slide encounters the disconnector.

Someone that’s not making up theories should hopefully be along to tell me I’m wrong. Just an idea though.

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That is the guess as to why so many of the 5 inch Springfield guns are having feeding issues. Although that doesn't explain why a number of reviewers fixed the issue by switching to Staccato mags.

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Originally Posted by Tokarev

So I just picked up a new Springfield Parody DS Commander. The shop had both versions. The Government felt solid. Sort of beefy and heavy. It also has a very cool sort of Robocop look about it. But I opted for the Commander because this length has always been one of my favorites.

Initial impressions of the SA are that they totally knocked it out of the park! If the gun functions properly I don't think you're likely to find a better value in the wide body 1911 market. A bold statement considering I just bought the gun and haven't even fired it yet.

The trigger is surprisingly good. Just a hint of take up with a very clean and crisp break. My fish scale trigger gauge says four and a half pounds. It is probably one of the nicest out of the box 1911 triggers I've felt in awhile. The BUL is lighter but it does have sort of a glitch about halfway through. It is more of a rolling break also. The Springfield is more of that "build pressure to snap" sort of feel.

The BUL is a 5" gun in stroke but a 4.25" in length. Essentially it is a Government Model with the last ¾" sawed off. The Parody is a true Commander in that it has shorter frame rails and a shorter slide stroke.

Both guns feel solid. Both have tight slide to frame fit and no spring in the barrel when in lock up. But for overall solid and tight I'd have to give the nod to the SA.

Add up the overall feel of both and the price plus the fact that one uses more common mags and comes optics ready and I think I'd have to go with the Springfield.

If the Prodigy doesn't run I will be singing a different tune.

I like the gun. I don't think I like the name. Springfield 1911DS or 1911HC or even 2022 or something would have been better.

Anyway, pics:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...1d64a8f5e7.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...97adab6ae9.jpg

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I know the Springfield DS 1911 is not quite on par with Stacatto but I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a Parody …

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Originally Posted by MVS

That is the guess as to why so many of the 5 inch Springfield guns are having feeding issues. Although that doesn't explain why a number of reviewers fixed the issue by switching to Staccato mags.

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True. I know QVO said it fixed the issue, but I’m curious how many rounds he shot with factory vs staccato mags. I’d be interested to see a direct side by side with measurements of the mag bodies. Maybe the springs of the mags are at play too.

Either way, interested to see if a “break in” to deal with cerakote on the rails, mixed with a stronger recoil spring will fix everything.

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Originally Posted by BK14

I’d be interested to see a direct side by side with measurements of the mag bodies. Maybe the springs of the mags are at play too.

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Just a guess but I'm wondering if the rounds sit fractionally higher in the Staccato mags vs Dura Mag mags.

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Originally Posted by HCM

I know the Springfield DS 1911 is not quite on par with Stacatto but I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a Parody …

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Originally Posted by shakazulu12

I'll never not be able to call it the "Parody" now.

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That's just me being silly. More a jab at the name than the gun itself.

No worse than naming a firearms company after a musical note. Maybe they should have just used one letter. Like a Q or a Z or something. Or just used a punctuation mark for the company. I'd suggest a "!"


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Another 50 rounds through the BUL today as well. This gun has been reliable from Day One. What am I at now? 200 rounds I think.

I do note that one of the original two mags that came with the gun will no longer lock the slide open. The follower is getting underneath the lobe on the slide stop but isn't pushing it up enough to lock the slide open. I assume I'm seeing some spring fatigue.

One other comment on mags. The top round doesn't slide forward as far in the BUL as it does in the Prodigy. Not a big deal either way. Just something I've noticed.

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