Wow. That is the word that comes to mind when describing the Springfield Armory 1911 DS Prodigy. As a big fan of 1911's and of Holosun optics I was pleasantly surprised to find this gun.
If you have the Prodigy or are thinking of purchasing one and are wondering some of the best optics you can put on it, then keep reading.
The optics we cover will fit on both the 5" and 4.25" barrel versions.
With this 1911 being a duty weapon I'm sure you will come across the Trijicon RMR. The Trijicon RMR is hard to beat in terms of durability and reliability but there are alternatives. Read our RMR vs Holosun article to learn more about our opinion on the two brands.
With that being said we are going to cover all the optics you can put on the 1911 Prodigy, which Agency Optics mounts you need for each, and we will also recommend what we personally would run on this.
What Footprint is the 1911 DS Prodigy and How does the Agency Optic System work?
We're pretty glad the 1911 Prodigy uses the Agency Optic System (AOS). In the pistol optic world figuring out what optics fit which plate is tricky. The AOS system is easy to understand and also thoughtfully manufactured.
The AOS for the Prodigy uses six different mounting plates. Each plate accepts different optics. Here is a link to order the plate you need and also has a reference guide.
The optics we are going to cover will use either the A19B, A14B, or A12B Plate.
Here's a quick breakdown of each plate.
A19B Plate Optics - This is for the beefy Holosun 509T with a clamp mounting system, this will overhang on the slide.
A14B Plate Optics - This is for Holosun's RMR Footprint optics, any of these optics will have an overhang on the slide.
A12B Plate Optics - This is for Holosun's smaller/sleeker K Series footprint micro optics, these optics be close to the same width as your slide.
What are the best Holosun Duty Optics?
Before we get into the entire list, we want to mention that the Holosun 509T is going to be the best duty optic for this pistol. That's because it's an enclosed emitter and made out of titanium. This is going to make it the most durable and the most reliable in varying weather conditions due to it's closed emitter design and nitrogen filled housing.
To mount this you would want plate A19B.
The second best duty optic would be the Holosun 508T. The reason again being that it's made out of titanium. Titanium plus it's square shape make it ultra durable. It's second to the 509T just for the fact it is an open emitter, which is still extremely reliable, but an enclosed emitter offers that extra level of protection by guaranteeing nothing can come between the emitter and the lens.
This uses plate A14B.
Top Holosun Optics for the Springfield 1911 DS Prodigy.
Ok so without further adieu we are going to cover each Holosun Optic you can put on your 1911 Prodigy and we are going to break it down by AOS plate. We will give you our comments on each one.
1. Holosun 509T Green & Red Dot - A19B Plate
Buy the 509T At The Best Price
As we mentioned above, this is going to be the most heavy duty pistol optic you can buy from Holosun. It's an enclosed emitter and made with a titanium housing. The titanium is not to make it lightweight, it's to make it more durable.
The enclosed emitter ensures that nothing can obstruct the view of the emitter and the lens, meaning water, dirt, lint or any other molecule will not get inside the optic. It will also make the optic easier to wipe off if it were to drop in mud or something like that.
The 509T is not going to be the lightest optic, but it will be the toughest.
It also has a nice big FOV and is filled with nitrogen which will help with fog-mitigation, just like a scope.
It's available in Red or Green reticles and they come with Holosun's Multi Reticle System, which is a 32 MOA ring + 2 MOA dot, and can be toggled to show only the 32 MOA Ring or just the 2 MOA dot by holding down the "-" button for 3 seconds.
It has shake awake, a side removable battery, solar failsafe with auto brightness or manual brightness modes, 10 daylight and 2 nightvision settings, and is IP67 waterproof.
Read our full 509T review here.
2. Holosun 508T Green & Red Dot - A14B Plate
Buy the 508T At The Best Price
Next on the list is the Holosun 508T. This is very similar to the 509T except it has a different way of mounting and is an open reflex sight instead of an enclosed emitter.
The 508T has a square titanium housing which is made to give it extra durability.
It's available in Red or Green reticles and they come with Holosun's Multi Reticle System, which is a 32 MOA ring + 2 MOA dot, and can be toggled to show only the 32 MOA Ring or just the 2 MOA dot by holding down the "-" button for 3 seconds.
It has shake awake, a side removable battery, solar failsafe with auto brightness or manual brightness modes, 10 daylight and 2 nightvision settings, and is IP67 waterproof.
Read our full 508T review here.
3. Holosun 507C Green & Red Dot - A14B Plate
Buy the 507C At The Best Price
The Holosun 507C is very similar to the 508T except it's made out of 7075 Aluminum and it has a more rounded housing shape. If you plan on smashing your optic against the ground a lot then this will probably not withstand that abuse as much as the titanium models, but it is still very durable.
Aside from the housing material and shape, everything on the 507C is exactly like the 508T.
It's available in Red or Green reticles and they come with Holosun's Multi Reticle System, which is a 32 MOA ring + 2 MOA dot, and can be toggled to show only the 32 MOA Ring or just the 2 MOA dot by holding down the "-" button for 3 seconds.
It has shake awake, a side removable battery, solar failsafe with auto brightness or manual brightness modes, 10 daylight and 2 nightvision settings, and is IP67 waterproof.
Read our full 507C review here.
4. Holosun 507C ACSS Vulcan Green & Red Dot - A14B Plate
Buy the 507C ACSS Vulcan At The Best Price
The 507C ACSS Vulcan may pique your interest. It's just like the 507C except is has the ACSS Vulcan reticle. This reticle features a 250 MOA Ring and a 10 MOA chevron - sounds crazy right? Well it's crazy awesome! It helps new red dot shooter and experts alike, and allows for the most precision out of all optics mentioned here.
You can learn more about the ACSS reticle here but to summarize, the 250 MOA Ring helps you find the center dot quickly if you are off center and the 10 MOA chevron acts like a BDC reticle and also has a very precise point for precision work.
It's available in Red or Green reticles and if you wanted to turn the outside ring off you can by holding down the "-" button for 3 seconds.
It has shake awake, a side removable battery, solar failsafe with auto brightness or manual brightness modes, 10 daylight and 2 nightvision settings, and is IP67 waterproof.
Read our full 507C ACSS review here.
5. Holosun 407C Green & Red Dot - A14B Plate
Buy the 407C At The Best Price
The most budget friendly option is going to be the 407C. The 407C is exactly like the 507C except it has a 2 MOA dot only. The housing is aluminum, and the shape is the same as the 507C. It just lacks the MRS reticle.
If you are ok with having just a 2 MOA dot all the time, then the 407C is a great option.
It has shake awake, a side removable battery, solar failsafe with auto brightness or manual brightness modes, 10 daylight and 2 nightvision settings, and is IP67 waterproof.
Read our full 407C review here.
6. Holosun EPS & EPS Carry Green & Red Dot - A12B Plate
Buy the EPS Carry At The Best Price
The EPS and EPS carry could also make nice duty optics due to their closed emitter. However they will not be as durable as the 509T since their housing is made out of aluminum. They are still plenty durable though.
I'm throwing the EPS & EPS carry together because they both have the same "K series" footprint so they will both mount onto the A12B Plate.
The only difference between the EPS and EPS carry, is that the EPS is bigger.
The EPS is very similar to the 509T in that it's an enclosed emitter optic, but the main difference is that it's made out of aluminum.
Both the EPS and EPS Carry's come in 6 MOA, 2 MOA, or MRS reticles and are available in Red or Green.
Both EPS and EPS Carry's have shake awake and side removable batteries and manual brightness modes.
The MRS versions come with the additional solar failsafe and auto brightness mode features.
The EPS and EPS carry are also IPX8 waterproof vs IP67 like other optics mentioned here and they have 8 daylight and 4 nightvision settings.
Read our full EPS Full Size review here.
Read our full EPS Carry review here.
7. Holosun 507 Comp Green & Red Dot - A14B Plate - Largest Window Competition Reticle
Buy the 507 Comp At The Best Price
Next on the list is the Holosun 507 Comp. This is one of the newest and most sought after optics from Holosun. Comp stands for "Competition" because this optic features a VERY large window, meant for competition shooting. It's the largest window in the industry.
The 507 Comp has some key differences vs the other optics listed here. First it has the C.R.S. which is the Complete Reticle System. This gives it many reticle configurations like a 2 MOA Dot only or a 2 MOA dot + 8 or 20 or 32 MOA Circle or just a 8 or 20 or 32 MOA Circle.
The 507 Comp also does not have a solar panel on it which means there is also no auto brightness setting.
It has a 7075 aluminum housing, shake awake, a side removable battery, manual brightness modes, 10 daylight and 2 nightvision settings, and is IP67 waterproof.
This is a large optic.
Read our full 507 Comp review here.
8. Holosun 507K Green & Red Dot - A12B Plate
Buy the 507K At The Best Price
The 507K is one of Holosun's best open reflex micro optics. It's made out of 7075 Aluminum, has the MRS reticle and is available in both red and green. It has shake awake, a side removable battery, long battery life, and is IP67 waterproof.
It does not have a solar failsafe or auto brightness modes.
If you are looking for a sleeker smaller optic with minimal overhang on your slide then this is a great option.
Read our full 507K review here.
9. Holosun 507K ACSS Vulcan Green & Red Dot - A12B Plate
Buy the 507K ACSS Vulcan At The Best Price
The 507K ACSS Vulcan is exactly like the 507K except is has the ACSS Vulcan reticle. This reticle has a 230 MOA dotted outer ring and a 3 MOA center dot.
The purpose of this reticle is to help you find the center dot quickly if you are off center. To learn more about the ACSS Vulcan check out our article here.
The dotted outer ring can be turned off by holding down the "-" button for 3 seconds.
The main advantage of the ACSS Vulcan reticle is to be able to find the center dot quickly when drawing the pistol.
All the features are the same as the 507K except for the reticle, and this is available in both red & green.
Read our full 507K ACSS review here.
10. Holosun 407K Green & Red Dot - A12B Plate
Buy the 407K At The Best Price
Last but not least is the Holosun 407K. This is the most affordable micro optic Holosun makes and is available in a 6 MOA green or red dot.
The 6 MOA dot is a really nice size. It's big enough to pick up rather easily, but still small enough to be precise with.
It has all the same features as the 507K like side removable battery, shake awake, except is just has a 6 MOA dot instead of the MRS reticle.
Read our full 407K review here.
Choosing between Red or Green Reticles
You may be wondering if you should get a red or green dot reticle. We get this question a lot so I am going to list a few bullet points for you to consider.
- Green reticles are less straining for the eye to see.
- Green reticles can help with astigmatism. If you have astigmatism you will see a blurry dot, we have been told by a few customers that Green dots help with their astigmatism, making the dot look more crisp than the red version.
- Green will not washout on backdrops like green grass, foliage, or green colors.
- In theory Green dots can have a longer battery life because Green is brighter, so for example a green dot on brightness setting 6 may be the same brightness as a red dot on setting 7 - which would save battery life.
If you want to learn more check out our full article about Red vs Green Dot Pros & Cons here.
Choosing between Open vs Closed Emitters
The simplest way we can break down open vs closed emitters is to look at how you plan on carrying the pistol. If you plan on being outdoors in the elements with rain, snow, sleet, then a closed emitter will be beneficial.
If you plan on carrying OWB most of the time and plan on being outside then closed emitter would be beneficial.
If you plan on carrying IWB or don't plan on being outside using your red dot in the pouring rain or heavy snow then an open reflex is fine.
Open reflexes will still work in the rain or snow but the closed emitter will give you extra peace of mind.
An open reflex can collect dust and debris on the inside of the reticle over time, so you'll want to clean it out from time to time. An enclosed emitter is easier to clean in this aspect.
To learn more about Open vs Closed emitters you can check out our Open vs Closed Emitter Guide here.
How to decide which reticle style is best for you
In this guide we covered a few different reticle options. If you need some help deciding which is best for you here are some of our thoughts on each.
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Conclusion
As mentioned above, we are really happy the Springfield 1911 DS Prodigy uses the AOS system. This makes it very easy to understand the type of optics you can put on it.
As you can see there are many options available. Each one has it's own pros and cons.
With the AOS system the optic options are endless. You can get heavy duty optics, large optics, and micro optics.
We hope you found this information helpful and if you have any other questions please reach out to us on chat.
Thanks for reading!
