Springfield Armory's "AOS" optic plate system for the Prodigy 1911DS has a lot of options for mounting a wide variety of different optics, but the factory plates fit a little loose on the slide and the mounting screws are very small, which can cause issues with the screws coming loose or shearing off. There are several companies that make aftermarket mounting plates for the Prodigy that fit better and use stronger screws, but the screws are still very small for the task.
We've experienced loose or broken screws on multiple 1911DS guns that we've mounted optics for on customer guns as well as our personal guns, so we came up with a fix that should keep the screws from backing out or shearing off. We use a 1-minute epoxy gel to help secure the plate to the slide. The epoxy is applied to the bottom of the plate as small dabs in specific spots so that it fills up any gaps when the plate is screwed down.
Before mixing and applying the epoxy, make sure that the screws that secure the optic to the plate don't protrude through the bottom of the plate. If they do, you'll need to trim the screws down so that they are completely flush with the bottom of the plate. You should also make sure that the mounting plate screws don't contact the extractor inside the slide, which could cause feeding/extraction issues.
The 1-minute epoxy cures fast, so you'll need to be ready to install the plate onto the slide quickly once you mix the epoxy up. Once the plate is secured to the slide, the rest of the optic installation process is normal. Since this epoxy has such a quick cure time, it doesn't have a very high tensile strength, so the plate can still be removed from the slide at a later date. We've done this to all of our personal guns as well as several customer guns and the plates and screws all continue to remain secure.
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