Let’s just get this out of the way up front. I live in California.
I remember it was about 20 years ago when I first had the opportunity to fire an AR-pattern rifle. I was then celebrating my 21st birthday in sunny Las Vegas, and decided to splurge one of the many “full auto” experiences the town had to offer. After a few magazines burst-fired through a clapped-out M4, I was downright gobsmacked. The rifle hadn’t pushed me around or run away on me. On the contrary, I stared at a group that was tightly clustered in the “A zone” of your typical silhouette target.
I thought about it all the way back to Los Angeles. Even in my limited frame of reference as a shooter, I’d found a rifle that completely and utterly worked for me. I vowed that somehow — some way — a civilian-legal, semi-auto-only version of this amazing rifle would be a part of my future collection.
While California heaves a variety of restrictions upon its law-abiding gun owners, fortunately a 5.56mm AR-15 or 7.62mm AR-10 — configured to align with the state’s gun laws — is something I can buy. Even better, Springfield Armory is now offering the state’s beleaguered gun owners three excellent AR-pattern rifles from its SAINT Victor line. Let’s dig into what makes them tick.
What Is “California Compliance”?
The State of California has expended no small amount of effort trying to define what it claims is or isn’t an “assault weapon.” Those interested in further understanding the full esoteria and legalese are invited to read the Attorney General’s own commentary here.
The California-compliant SAINT Victor rifles have opted to go the route of what most of us in this state refer to as a “featureless” build. That is, in order to incorporate a detachable magazine of less than 10 rounds, semi-auto rifles in the state cannot have any “features” the state identifies as specific no-no’s, such as a forward pistol grip, a grenade or flare launcher, a folding or telescoping stock, a thumbhole stock, or a flash suppressor — and here’s the big one, “a pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon.”
Apparently, the clinching point in defining a “pistol grip” is apparently what one does with the web of the hand and where it comes to rest with respect to the exposed trigger. (And again, don’t take my word for it: go ahead and read for yourselves the specific code available here. If the web of the firing hand “can be placed beneath or below the top of the exposed portion of the trigger while firing,” according to California law, you’d have what it considers to be an “assault weapon.”
Such explains what those inside and out of California have come to call “the fin.” At least for the time being, so long as the grip of any semi-auto rifle positions the web of the hand so that it’s completely on one side of the firearm or the other, it’s not reasonably “below or beneath” the exposed trigger. Again, none of this is to be construed as legal advice or interpretation.
[Be sure to read Alfredo Rico’s article What Is a California Compliant AR Rifle?]
What You Can Expect
While the California-compliant SAINT Victor models might look a little different, they carry the same pedigree as the rest of the family. The through-line to each of the SAINT Victors was to give consumers a significant step up above the “mil spec”/plain-Jane level AR without breaking the bank, which is to say that a lot of the popular options and customization guys like us would do to an AR has already been done.
For example, the SAINT Victors all feature a nickel-boron coated trigger; the natural lubricity of the compound ensures you’re getting a better trigger pull right out of the gate. Upper and lower receiver groups are made from forged 7075 T6 aluminum and are hard-anodized, the fixed rear stocks and grips are made by some of the industry’s most trusted vendors (including Magpul and Strike Industries), and each of the CA-compliant models come with a thoughtful muzzle device to improve shooting performance in their respective calibers.
The SAINT Victor models also feature the Accu-Tite system. Essentially, each of these rifles features an adjustable tensioning system to remove any of the play between the upper and lower receivers. Beyond removing some of the annoying AR wobble a lot of us simply learned to deal with, it results in a more stable shooting platform.
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Another element that might be overlooked: the SAINT Victors each have an ambidextrous safety. Especially in a California-compliant configuration, this is a “have to have” part as opposed to one that is “nice to have,” since most users are going to be engaging the safety from the same side as their handedness (whereas on a standard AR, the dominant thumb is going to cross over the center-line of the rifle to reach the selector switch). Once again, it’s one more thing a buyer doesn’t have to think about.
Additionally, while most are going to put an optic of their choice on the Picatinny rails of their SAINT Victor rifles, I would urge buyers to try out the included iron sights at least once. These flip-up sights are high-quality units, and the rear sights feature two separate apertures to let users prioritize accuracy or fast target acquisition. They’re also easily adjustable without tools, ensuring they can always be zeroed even if you only packed the rifle and some ammo to go with it.
Let’s now break down the models individually.
SAINT Victor 5.56 AR-15 Rifle
Arguably the most popular configuration, Springfield Armory has clearly designed the SAINT Victor AR-15 Rifle, CA Compliant in 5.56/.223 to be the “don’t think about it, just do it” option for California shooters wanting a high-performance AR that checks all of the compliance boxes.
The 16” barrel of the 5.56mm/.223 rifle has a 1:7” twist for good accuracy, and the M16-style bolt carrier has a 9310 steel bolt high pressure tested/magnetic particle inspected (HPT/MPI) for added durability. A Radian Raptor-LT ambidextrous charging handle rounds out the package.
Buyers will also find the CA-compliant SAINT Victor AR-15 to be a little softer shooting than they might expect. That’s thanks to two components. The first is the mid-length gas system (as opposed to a carbine-length gas system), resulting in reduced stress on the bolt carrier group and a less abrupt recoil impulse. The second component, is of course, the very effective muzzle break that comes standard, allowing for even greater recoil reduction and faster follow-up shots.
The SAINT Victor AR-15 in 5.56 has an MSRP of $1,249. In addition, it is also available for first responders at a special discounted rate as part of Springfield’s “FIRSTLINE” program.
Also, there is also a “Gear Pac” version of this rifle that packs in four total magazines as well as a Viridian Vente green dot optic, equipped from the factory. MSRP for this package is just $1,368.
SAINT Victor 7.62 AR-15 Rifle
Again, if you’d have told me 20 years ago that I could walk into a store in California and buy an AR-10 for less than $1,700, I flat-out wouldn’t have believed you. For the longest time, the AR-10 was the esoteric choice as far as AR’s went; most of the guys I knew originally cobbled theirs together from various vendors, and even then, engaged in a fairly laborious process to get them running correctly. Thankfully, those days are over.
The SAINT Victor 7.62 AR-10 Rifle, CA Compliant is, of course, the beefier big brother to the AR-15 in the family, chambered for .308 Winchester / 7.62 x 51mm NATO. The punchier caliber opens the door to expanded hunting utility, better longer-range performance than the 5.56 NATO round, and of course, more visible effect on reactive targets. For California shooters wanting a bigger boom, this is the way to go.
Naturally, the AR-10 in the SAINT Victor line shares the majority of its little brother’s feature set. For example, the upper and lower receiver feature the same forged construction from 7076 T6 Aluminum, and the bolt is made from 9310 steel and passes HPT/MPI diagnostics before it leaves the factory.
The twist on the AR-10’s continuous taper 16” barrel is 1:10”, insuring good compatibility with the most popular bullet weights found on store shelves. And, at the end of the barrel, Springfield Armory has also added its very effective muzzle brake to help keep recoil to a minimum even despite the larger caliber.
MSRP for the CA-Compliant SAINT Victor AR-10 is $1,649. It is also available for first responders at a special discounted rate as part of Springfield’s “FIRSTLINE” program.
SAINT Victor 9mm Carbine
Rounding out the trio of the California-compliant SAINT Victors is the 9mm version. Here, there are a few departures from the big brothers; since 9mm is a pistol caliber, the recoil system is entirely different. Rather than the direct-impingement gas system found on the AR-15 and AR-10, the 9mm SAINT Victor is blowback operated and utilizes a different bolt carrier group. Additionally, the muzzle device is a little different here; SA installs a muzzle drum that redirects gas and noise forward of the shooter through the use of seven circular ports.
Another note about this SAINT Victor: the lower receiver is designed around the reduced-sized, double-stack 9mm magazine. For years, most shooters desiring an “AR-9” were forced to run an adapter block in a standard AR-15 lower, introducing one more variable when it came to feeding consistency. Not so here. And, like the other SAINT Victors, the 9mm receiver is flared to expedite speedy reloads.
There will always be some people who raise the question: “Just who exactly is a pistol caliber carbine for?” Though I defer to Scott Wagner’s excellent article on the matter, I will say that the CA-compliant SAINT Victor in 9mm will appeal to any and all shooters desiring a low-recoil platform that’s easy on both the shoulder and wallet.
Personally, I think this rifle would make an excellent, high-volume understudy to California shooters interested in exploring USPSA competition or “3-Gun” matches, and I certainly would not discount the defensive utility of being able to place 10 rounds of 9mm exactly where you want them. At only 6 lbs., 15 oz., this SAINT Victor is also a little more lithe in the hands than its bigger brothers, and the trim, free-floated fore end makes this an excellent and instinctive pointer.
MSRP for the CA-Compliant 9mm SAINT Victor is $1,327.
The Wrap-Up
At the end of the day, the “fin” on the California-compliant ARs is more of an aesthetic and legal contrivance more than a functional imposition. Would I like it if the laws here were different? Certainly. However, I’ve often told shooters within and outside of this state not to miss the forest for the trees: these modifications, regardless of we might think of them, allow the state’s shooters a greater number of choices when it comes to their exercise of the Second Amendment.
From that perspective, the state’s shooters benefit from Springfield Armory having done a lot of the thinking for them: these three rifles offer excellent accuracy, functionality, economy and quality. In that sense, they are SAINT Victors through and through.
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