Big bore calibers like .308 Winchester are nothing new to Springfield Armory. The Illinois company will always be known for the M1A–a rifle heralded as a true battle rifle if there ever were one.
They’ll likely never be able to get away from this association. Not that they’d want to because few firearms companies have such an iconic product in their arsenal. Especially of a rifle that conjures up nostalgia but infuses confidence.
As Springfield continues to develop their product line with firearms like the Echelon pistols, Kuna PCC, and Waypoint 2020 bolt action rifle, it proves that they are not a one-trick pony and far from a “once were” manufacturer. No, they continue to strive and thrive.
Advertisement — Continue Reading Below
Its introduction of the Saint line of AR-15s should have proved this some years ago, but honestly some people couldn’t see past the M1A. They couldn’t accept the fact that Springfield would stoop to making America’s rifle when so many other companies were doing the same. But Springfield saw through the criticism and realized that foundational reputation could help them, and they built a good platform to boot. Now the Saint product line is in refresh mode.
Enter the Saint Victor 7.62
I’ve had extensive dealings with the Saint Victor lineup specifically with its 5.56 NATO variants. I must say that I do indeed like them. Springfield Armory could have made any AR with sub optimal bits and pieces to save some bucks and make even more money but they didn’t—at least as far as I can tell. Maybe there is some manufacturing-materials voodoo-magic in there but time will tell. Forged 7075-T6 aluminum receivers are never a bad place to start. These of course get TYPE III hard anodized coated but it is done right. The coating looks good, with just the right amount of texture and sheen. Springfield Armory’s AR receivers don’t have dull chalky appearance. I’m not its biggest fan either.
Advertisement — Continue Reading Below
The lower receiver gets nice touches by the safety selector with pictorial engravings. It also gets an ambidextrous safety, another must. In this case the levers have a short 45 degree toss. The lower also includes a QD receiver endplate. You’ll find it tucked underneath the properly staked castle nut. The magwell is flared to aid in magazine insertions. Behind it, the trigger guard is a single piece that’s part of the forging. And it’s oversized for fat fingers or gloves.
The upper receiver is quite standard. It has the required Picatinny rail and forward assist. I do appreciate Springfield Armory teaming up with Radian and including the excellent Raptor ambidextrous charging handle. The Raptor has been a great charging handle, setting the bar for years.
Saint Victor 7.62 M-LOK Handguards & Sleek Barrels
Advertisement — Continue Reading Below
Springfield included a proper forend, one laden with M-LOK slots in the 1,3,5,6,7,9 and 11 o’clock positions. And there’s a full-length top Picatinny rail too. In short, there’s plenty of room to add whatever attachments your heart desires. But there’s something else special about the Saint Victor 7.62’s handguard. Springfield Armory uses what it calls a Triple-Lock Aluminum Free Float system. This system helps to securely attach the handguard to the upper receiver.
For the end-user, this means more handguard rigidity. It’s something that comes to matter as you add bits and pieces and shoot the rifle on and around barricades. As a matter of fact, this system is patent pending. To compliment that rear QD slot, they included a whopping four additional ones on the forend so running a sling shouldn’t be an issue on the Saint.
The Saint 7.62 can be had in a 16-inch or 20-inch barreled variant. Both are 4150 CMV (chromium vanadium steel) with a continuous taper profile that improves rigidity and barrel performance. These barrels are nitride coated too. Being a 7.62 rifle, the rate of twist is 1:10 and the barrel is topped off with a four-pronged flash hider. The Saint Victor 7.62’s action is direct impingement in operation, has an “intermediate length” gas tube and a low-profile taper-pinned gas block.
Advertisement — Continue Reading Below
The list of solid components doesn’t end there. The all-important carrier group is “enhanced.” It’s built with a 9310 steel bolt which is also HPT/MPI tested and nitrided. Springfield Armory Saint Victor 7.62s include properly-staked gas key. Details like these can be overlooked. When that happens, things can break.
No-Nonsense Triggers & B5 Furniture Sets
The trigger is a no-nonsense version, flat-face USGI unit. It’s not going to win any “lightest/crsipest” trigger competitions but that’s the point. It only needs to be robust and work and dare I say—be safe. I measured the break to be around 4.5 to 5 lb.
Advertisement — Continue Reading Below
The Springfield Armory Saint Victor 7.62 is furnished with B5 Systems products. It includes the enhanced SOPMOD and the P-Grip 23. Both are excellent in feel, especially the nearly-vertical P-Grip 23. These B5 Systems accessories compliment the Victor well.
Range Time
My test gun has a 20-inch barrel, which makes it a rifle instead of a carbine. I decided to mount a proper riflescope, so my Leupold Mark 4HD 4-24×52 found its way up top.
I wanted to see what type of accuracy the Saint Victor 7.62 would bear. But I also reminded myself to manage my expectations since I’m used to shooting so many precision rifles. My frame of references can therefore be skewed.
Advertisement — Continue Reading Below
While I want to see sub-MOA to sub-half-MOA performance from anything I shoot, it may not be an appropriate expectation for a factory built production large-frame AR gas gun.
I tested three types of ammo: Federal 168 gr. Gold Medal Center Strike, Fiocchi 168 gr. Hyperformance and American Eagle 150 gr. FMJ.
The best group was 1.94 inches from the Fiocchi, and the largest was 2.6 inches from the American Eagle. For what the Saint is, a standard AR-10 platform, that’s not completely out of line at all! Although I’d like to tell you I shot a 1.3-inch group.
Locking The Bolt & Showing Clear
In all honesty, the Victor 7.62 was anything but a pleasure to shoot. It shoots hard. Rewarding the shooter with significant pain if not held properly. Judging by where the spent cases landed, it’s over-gassed, reminding me of when S&W launched the M&P 10. It was the same. And I get it. These rifles are spec’d out to make them cycle with each crazy type of 7.62 ammo that the masses will throw at it.
So where does that leave us? Again, I think you need to have proper expectations with the 7.62 variant of the Victor. I can tell you the 5.56 models shoot like absolute dreams—well gassed and smooth. The 7.62 has the right components that keep overall quality up but the gas system needs attention and likely an adjustable gas block. I’m just used to softer-shooting 7.62 chambered platforms. But if you need to get bullets on target then this will get that done, just bring a shoulder pad.
Springfield Armory Saint Victor 7.62 Specifications
- Type: AR-10
- Action: Semiautomatic
- Chambering: 7.62×51
- Barrel: 20” 4051 CMV 1:10
- Operating System: Direct Impingement Mid-Length
- Length: 40”-43”
- Weight: 8lb 1oz
- Sights: Aluminum Low-Profile Manual Flip
- Trigger: USGI
- Grip: B5 Systems P Grip 23
- 70Stock: B5 Enhanced SOPMOD
- Magazine: Magpul
- Capacity: 25+1
- MSRP: $1,649