Springfield Saint Victor 308 is Garbage

I bought a Springfield Armory Saint Victor 308 off the Grabagun website a couple months ago.

I don't review firearms, and this is only my opinion.

I was disappointed the moment I received it. Had it been on the rack, I wouldn't have purchased it. But I bought it online, so I was stuck with it.

My issues were that the rail interface between the upper receiver and handguard was misaligned, so optics could not be slid on from the front. Also, there was a gap between the upper receiver and lower receiver greater than 0.015" (it was close to 0.020", the gap used for vehicle ignition points back in the day).

I have a Stag, a S&W, a couple PSAs, and even was once issued an old DOD M-16, and this new Springfield was about as rattly as the old M-16 that used to hike the Ho Chi Mihn. All my other ARs are nice and tight.

So I contacted Springfield Armory. They sent me a waybill, and I shipped the rifle to Springfield. I included a nice letter, explaining how I had several Springfield firearms that were very high quality, and how I believed this clattery mismatched Saint was not reflective of a $1399 MSRP. Springfield took three weeks, and mailed the Saint back to me with a letter stating it was in spec. Springfield did nothing (other than waste my time).

I was very let down. I sold the rifle without ever firing a shot through it. I can't put a $500-600 optic on that clunker.

Here is a video that illustrates what I experienced:



My TRP is slick and tight. My loaded is amazing too. Even the old Garand is solid.

The Saint was garbage, and Springfield had a fair chance to fix it.

Springfield currently DOES NOT care to defend it's legacy.

This is the gap. "Normal specs"




$1399 MSRP

LoonWulf said:

while rattling is very annoying, as is a misaligned handguard, those ARE cosmetic.
I'm not surprised SA sent the rifle back without doing anything about the receiver slop, but I'd have thought they would have at least straightened the handguard out since it was brought to their attention.

Click to expand...

I can order a complete upper and lower online for about $600 total. I might get a rattly one, or not. It is a bit of a crapshoot.

I paid double that for to get something with better fit and finish.

If a TRP 1911 rattled like a $400 ATI 1911, then I wouldn't have spent the extra $1,000 on the TRP.

In my opinion the Saint's quality was not reflective of the price.

That is a way to increase profit margin. Though it is nearsighted.

2ndtimer said:

Did anyone else notice the warranty/repair invoice top line that stated:
REPAIR AR15/SAINT RIFLE 5.56/.223? I thought this was supposed to be a .308 Saint?

Click to expand...

The rifle is a 308. Springfield couldn't be bothered to get the caliber right either.

This is the only picture I got of the S/N before I sold the rifle. You can compare the S/N and see the 308 sized magwell.

Note, I do find it suspicious the caliber says "multi". It suggests Springfield is sourcing their receivers from the same company Palmetto State is... you just pay twice as much for the Springfield name.

BTW, I ordered a new gen 3 upper and lower from Palmetto. It was $680 after shipping.

I sold the Springfield for $1000, which was a $200 loss.

I figure I have a good chance the PSA will be decent. If it's not, I'll sell it for minimal loss and order another.

Frankly I can accept flaws on a $600 rifle than I can't reconcile with on a $1200 rifle. It's a matter of principle for me.

For reference, this is an old DOD Colt M-16 I was issued a few years ago. It was probably 40 years old, and fought in 'Nam. Abused by grunts for a couple decades, and then banged around daily in a patrol car for a couple decades.



That clapped out M-16 was almost as rattly as the new Springfield.

Consider how long the new Springfield would last starting life that loose, and with 7.62 NATO beating on it's aluminum bits.