Springfield Armory SAINT Victor .300 BLK AR-15 Pistol

Springfield Armory’s series of AR-15 pistols are loaded with features that most AR-15 users demand. But the Springfield Armory SAINT Victor .300 BLK AR-15 pistol warrants special attention.

Enhanced Design

The pistol is an enhanced version of the standard SAINT series. It features an M-LOK free-float aluminum handguard and basic Victor receiver and action. It also includes a 9-inch chrome moly vanadium barrel with a 1:7 twist coated in Melonite to withstand hard use. The removable A2 flash suppressor helps to minimize firing signature in dusty environments. The pistol features an indestructible low-profile pinned gas block and an adjustable SB Tactical SBA3 pistol brace complete with a single-point sling mount.

The Springfield Armory SAINT Victor .300 BLK AR-15 pistol is fully featured and easily maneuvered. The trim octagonal handguard does not have a full-length Picatinny top rail. There is a two-slot segment from the railing on the upper receiver running to the handguard. The pistol also includes another two-slot segment at the distal end of the handguard to accommodate a front sight.

Range Time

Before heading to the range, I decided to mount a Crimson Trace CTC-1000 red-dot sight I had previously worked with for my test optic. It is an ideal size for an AR-15 pistol. It offers a large enough field of view while still being compact.

I used SIG Sauer .300 Blackout 120-grain Short Barrel load for the test ammunition. It features a solid copper hollow-point bullet with a distinctive black oxide cartridge case. I firmly believe the .300 cartridge is the chambering for AR-15 pistols — as well as M4 carbines — intended for self-defense. That view was cemented by my test of this pistol. This tailor-made round has a muzzle velocity of 1,897 feet per second from a 6.75-inch barrel. It delivers 959 foot-pounds of energy on target, making it the equivalent of the .30 carbine cartridge fired from a standard M1.

The pistol ships with one Magpul 30-round magazine, which loaded up easily to full capacity. I prefer a 20-round magazine for AR-15 pistol applications. I conducted the test at 50 feet and used the standing position.

Appraisal

The Springfield Armory SAINT Victor .300 BLK AR-15 pistol functioned flawlessly. It gave a firmer push in terms of recoil than 5.56mm-chambered pistols do — with less of a fireball flash. There was no need for a fancy muzzle brake — the A2 brake worked fine. Overall, I found it to be a more pleasurable shooting experience than that of the average 5.56 pistol.

My chronograph revealed that out of the pistol’s 9-inch barrel, the 120-grain bullet had an average muzzle velocity of 2,163 feet per second, with a corresponding 1,247 foot-pounds of energy — which equals the energy of a 5.56 fired from a 20-inch rifle barrel. This is what sells me on this round: its short barrel ballistic performance.

Our 10-shot groups ended up in the 1.5-inch range. The Springfield Armory SAINT Victor .300 BLK AR-15 pistol was a blast to shoot. The only thing I did not like about it was the flat target trigger. Yes, that style is all the rage. However, I also know that when I look at my trigger finger, it has a rounded shape that engages the trigger surface, and not a square one. But to each his or her own.

Resourceful AR-15 Pistol

Springfield Armory has done a magnificent job with this pistol. I really do wish I had an AR-15 like this available when I worked on SWAT 10 years ago. It would have lightened my load and been much easier to work perimeter with. I would like to see more Springfield Armory firearms chambered in .300 BLK.