The Springfield Saint and Saint Victor line represent value-packed AR pattern rifles from one of America’s best known rifle companies. The original 2016 Saint was a radical departure for a company best well-known for their wood-and-steel M1A platform. That was followed up with the next step up with the Saint Victor in 2019. Now in 2025, the Saint Victor is up and out with more upgrades to aid in the shooting experience.
Features A Plenty
The New Springfield Saint Victor is a direct-gas AR chambered in 5.56mm NATO, not too unlike the previous Saint Victor. Features in common include a free-floated aluminum M-LOK handguard, flip-up iron sights, and a five-position B5 Systems SOPMOD stock and Type 23 pistol grip. A roomy B5 Systems winter trigger guard also comes standard. The rifle also a nickel-boron coated GI trigger and fire control group.
Right Side Receiver showing Trigger Guard
The standard Saint Victor comes with a 16 inch barrel and a Springfield baffled muzzle brake. The new Saint Victor comes with a more compact 14-inch barrel with a multi-directional brake to come out to 16 inches in total. This shaves several ounces off overall weight and 1 ¼ inches off overall length. The rifle is also made more ambidextrous friendly with a double-sided magazine release and a Radian Raptor LT charging handle. The safety switch is also ambidextrous and improved on the original with a shorter 60 degree, rather than a traditional 90 degree throw for quicker engagement. The new Saint Victor is also coming with both forward and rearward QD mounts. The new Saint Victor ships with one thirty-round magazine and arrives in a padded black nylon case.
Saint Victor Handguard with Sling Adapter
Springfield Saint Victor Quick Specs:
- Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO
- Capacity: 30+1
- Action: Semi-automatic direct-gas impingement
- Barrel Length: 14.5 inches (16 inches with brake)
- Twist Rate: 1:8 inches
- Overall Length: 32 inches minimum
- Length of Pull: 11-14.5 inches
- Weight: 6.6 lbs. (unloaded)
- Upper Receiver: 7075 T6 Aluminum with M4 feed ramp; hard anodized
- Lower Receiver: 7075 T6 Aluminum; hard anodized
- Bolt Carrier Group: 9130 Steel with melonite finish
- Furniture: B5 Systems Composite stock and pistol grip
Shooting Impressions: V for Victory
I had some experience shooting the original Saint Victor, which itself is a more refined version of the entry-level Saint, Springfield Armory’s debut AR. While the Saint Victor was a fine rifle that gave good accuracy and excellent reliability, I was not convinced that the upgrades it had truly put it over the top over the original Saint. The new and improved Saint Victor earns that mark.
Although it lacks an ambidextrous bolt release, the overall left-handed friendly nature of the Saint Victor is appreciated. As a shooter who prefers to stay on the left side, the Radian Raptor LT grip and ambi magazine release are definite pluses. The shorter throw of the safety switch is a definite plus, particularly when running close range drills.
Over other AR rifles, I came to appreciate the use of a rubber buttpad instead of checkered plastic as well as the generous cheekrest afforded by the B5 Systems stock. I did not find myself cranking my head over to one side to line up the sights.
Speaking of the sights, the standard Springfield iron sights are good out of the box and I appreciate that they are aluminum and steel instead of polymer, as with MagPul MBUS sights that come on quite a few ARs. For shorter range, I ran the stock iron sights but for accuracy testing, I opted for the excellent 2-12x EoTech Vudu on an EOTech QD Mount, which slaps happily on the Picatinny rail on the receiver.
One aspect I immediately noticed about the new Saint Victor is the use of a 14.5 inch barrel with a pinned and welded brake. Although it is a little detail, that combined with a correspondingly sized handguard, make it feel like a more compact and handy rifle over the original. Certainly slapping on the big EoTech Vudu felt like overkill for a rifle clearly intended for quick, close shots. Yet from the bench, the Saint Victor can put the rounds in a respectable group at 100 yards and beyond.
Muzzle Brake
I ran three hundred rounds of both 5.56 NATO and .223 Remington ammunition fired both from the bench and off-hand. The ammunition included old steel cased TulAmmo .223 55 grain FMJ and my pet load, Hornady Frontier .223 55 grain M193. I also included Global Ordnance’s ADI .223 55 and 69 grain Blitzking rounds and Barnes .223 55 grain JHP. For 5.56 NATO ammunition, I relied on Winchester M193. All ammunition cycled and fired without issue. This included using Magpul, Mission First Tactical, and GI magazines.
In terms of accuracy, the new Saint Victor, with its 1:8 twist barrel is a reliable sub-2 MOA shooter at 100 yards. TulAmmo, ever inconsistent, shot a 2-inch group from the bench. The best accuracy came from the Barnes 55 grain jacketed hollow point rounds, which grouped just over 1 inch. The other 55 grain loads were ever so slightly behind, while the 69 grain ADI load widened the group to just under two inches.
Accuracy Testing Results
The only accuracy limitations are me as an unreliable shooter, and the lack of a 1:7 twist that might help stabilize those heavier pills more. I also had to work through a slicked-up GI trigger that is lighter, but just as long as standard GI triggers. Going away, the new Saint Victor is just about right with a TriggerTech 3.5 lb. or similar trigger. In any event, I expected less accuracy out of the Saint Victor. What I received is something that beats a ho-hum 16 inch carbine or 20 inch rifle.
The Springfield Saint Victor: A Case for Incremental Improvement
Corporate America tends to focus on the next quarter and develop their product line to suit that short-term thinking. The problem is that decent ideas that could be even better are scrapped in favor of something new and exciting that might capture the market. The gun industry is an anomaly where incremental improvements are the best way to go, although not necessarily the most inspiring.
Springfield Armory is certainly no stranger to this. Their XD line of pistols cornered part of the handgun market for years and its deficits were effectively eliminated with the Echelon. The new Saint Victor represents the latest in the Saint/Saint Victor lineup with refinements that put it above those models. In a flooded market where it is difficult to set ones’ self apart, the Saint Victor is the best Springfield has yet to offer and offers some deal making upgrades over other off-the-rack ARs out there today.
