Springfield Saint Victor AR-10 Review: Field Tested

Springfield launched the Saint lineup of rifles a few years ago, and they’ve slowly developed into an entire lineup of rifles and AR pistols. They’ve also developed one of the most underrated and ignored AR-10 platforms on the market, and we’re taking it for a spin.

The Saint Victor Lineup 

The Saint lineup had a pretty simple goal. Provide working AR rifles that are ready to go out of the box. Springfield Armory looked at the world of ARs and probably felt the same way many of us have. You spend a thousand bucks on a rifle, and all you get is a rifle in a cardboard box. With the Saint lineup, they took it a little further to provide an out-of-the-box experience. 

The Saint series included the basics, like sights, to make it a pop-out-of-the-box and shoot-it type of rifle. The Saint series even came with soft padded cases to make carrying the weapon to and from the range quite easy. The Saint Victor lineup takes basic a step further and includes quite a few touches most modern shooters want.  

This includes some beyond the basic furniture. The stock and pistol grip comes from BCM, the magazine comes from Magpul, and Springfield Armory includes a modular M-LOK rail and a muzzle brake. It’s a fairly nice setup that accomplishes the out-of-the-box goal. 

This AR-10 isn’t a great big rifle either. It does have a standard 16-inch carbine barrel but wisely uses a mid-length gas system. The Saint Victor AR-10 forms a very modern, lightweight, and modular AR-10 platform. 

Springfield Saint Victor AR-10 Features

1 Flip Up Iron Sights

Out of the box it is ready to use, but you can install an optic and keep the flip up sights on if the optic fails.

2 Flat Trigger

Nickel boron coated fire control group featuring a flat trigger

3 Optics Ready

Ready to mount whatever optic fits your needs

4 M-LOK Handguard

great for adding the attachments you need

5 Muzzle Brake

Will help tame the 308 recoil, but increase the sound.

Models and Variations

There are not many variations of the Saint Victor in 308. They do offer low capacity and CA compliant options.

Springfield Saint Victor AR-10 Review

AR-10s are not my thing. Not that I don’t like them, but .308 is expensive, so I’ve always been more partial to the more shootable AR-15. This made me excited to dive into the AR-10 world and to experience the big bore brother to the wee lad AR-15. From front to rear, not much changes ergonomically between an AR-10 and AR-15. 

The Saint Victor AR-10 uses the same ergos as the standard AR-15. Standard safety, magazine release, charging handle, etc., it’s all easy to reach, access, and utilize. The M-LOK handguard is nice and thin and works well with a modern grip style. What stood out to me was the inclusion of BCM furniture. I love the BCM Gunfighter stock and think it’s perfect for a modern AR-10. It sets you up for success with an optic. 

Ultimately it’s not fancy with any ambidextrous controls, but overall it’s a solid set of ergonomics with no major complaints from me as a shooter. It doesn’t blow me away, but it’s perfectly functional. 

Controlling the Beast 

The big full-powered .308 cartridge is no joke and does represent a definite jump in power from the AR-15. Yet, recoil wasn’t bad. It’s noticeably different with a sharper impulse, but it won’t hurt your shoulder. The mid-length gas system is fairly nice and helps tame recoil. The brake also takes a bite of the blast while also increasing the noise a fair bit. It’s surprisingly soft, but most of my .308 experience comes from a bolt gun, and a semi-auto certainly takes some sting out. 

The weapon is quite easy to shoot rapidly. Shooting failure and box drills are quite fun, and the bigger bore AR-10 makes it a new experience, at least for me. The only downside comes from the hot handguard after throwing a pile of ammo downrange. If you want to shoot it a ton and shoot it fast, bring a glove.  The Saint Victor AR-10 is also super lightweight, at least for a full-powered rifle. At seven pounds and eleven ounces, it’s not a bit hefty thing by any means. 

Ringing Steel 

The Victor works fine with iron sights, but it’s 2023, so let’s toss an optic on the rifle and see how well it handles at 100 yards. With a Swmapfox Saber in place, I settled into a good supported prone position. I tried to eliminate all of the human error I could and fired several five-round groups using Atlanta Arms match-grade goodness. 

Two of the four groups I fired were below an inch in size. I had two groups over an inch. One was 1.5, and the other 1.2. I’m confident in saying it’s a 1 MOA rifle, or I’m lucky enough that I need to play the lottery. The nickel boron flat-faced trigger is quite nice, very smooth, and consistent with a very positive reset. 

There were no issues with reliability either that were inherent to the gun. I’ve had a lot of bad luck with Winchester White Box, and that continued here with two failures to fire. To be clear, out of the same five hundred-round cases, I’ve had several issues with other rifles, including bolt guns with failure to fire. With Remington, Atlanta Arms, and PMC, I had zero issues. 

Worth the Cost? 

There are cheaper AR-10s, and there are certainly more expensive ones. Prices around the internet are about 1,400 hard-earned dollarydoos. The Saint Victor sits in that middle ground price-wise, but to be fair, they include a ton of little extra features for the money. This includes the M-LOK rail, the sights, stock, and various other little features. 

To me, it’s fairly affordable and provides good value for your money. The Saint Victor gives you a little extra awesome for the money. 

Springfield Saint Victor AR-10 Pros and Cons 

Springfield Saint Victor AR-10 Starter Pack

Here are some items that are critical to own and have with you at the range.

• Eye Protection: Between ringing steel, ejecting brass, and just dust flying up off the ground, get a  great pair of shooting glasses to keep your eyes safe.
• Hearing Protection: The relatively short barrel and muzzle brake on the Saint Victor 308 is going to be a loud gun to shoot. See our favorite hearing protection.
• Gun Cleaning Kit: Check out our favorite gun cleaning kits to keep all of your firearms maintained.

Here are some deals we found on the Springfield Saint Victor AR-10.

Upgrades and Accessories for the Springfield Saint Victor AR-10

Just like the AR-15 rifle, the AR-10 is easily upgraded and accessorized. For a more detailed list of our favorite upgrades, read our article on the best AR upgrades.

Below are some options the I think would be great for your Springfield Saint AR-10.

Upgrades and Accessories for the Springfield Saint Victor AR-10

Magazine Magpul D50 Drum		Reliable 50-round Drum Easy to Load Can Be Left Loaded	Check Price
Magazine Magpul PMAG 25 LR/SR Magazine		25 Round Magazine Anti Tilt Follower Window to see round count	Check Price
Optics Swampfox Saber Prism Scope		Fixed 5X Prism Easy to Mount a Red Dot Awesome Reticle	Check Price
Weapon Light Surefire 640 Scout Light		Great New Mounting Design Ultra Bright Modular	Check Price

Best Ammo for Your Springfield Saint Victor AR-10

For range ammo we are suggesting PMC Bronze .This stuff proved to be cheap, accurate, and affordable. It’s perfect for the range and training use.

How to Care for Your Springfield Saint Victor AR-10

Cleaning and caring for your Saint AR-10 is no different than any AR-15 style rifle. Here is a video form Midwest Gun Works walking you through how they care for their rifles.

Important Links and Manuals for the Springfield Saint Victor AR-10

Check out the links below for the manufacturer’s website and operator’s manual.

• Saint Victor 308 by Springfield Armory
• Springfield Saint Owner’s Manual