First Look: Springfield Armory Saint with Free-Float Handguard

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posted on June 12, 2017
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Springfield Armory announced the launch of a new addition to the Saint line of AR-15 rifles from the company. The new Saint rifle features a free-float handguard, which provides shooters with a number of added benefits.

The new AR features the company's patent-pending Free Float Handguard system, which incorporates a pinned low-profile gas block that ensures an uninterrupted length of rail for mounting optics and accessories, as well as providing users with a great deal of real estate along the fore-end of the gun for optimum control.

The design is M-Lok compatible and features all-aluminum construction with a hard-anodized finish, and the pinned gas block ensures that the rifle and its gas system can withstand a great deal of punishment without working loose, an advantage over similar systems that use set screws.

Other features of the Springfield Armory Saint AR-15 include elevation-adjustable front and rear flip-up sights, which can lay flat on the top rail of the gun in order to accommodate mounted optics. The gun also features a Bravo Company trigger guard and Mod 3 pistol grip, along with a nickel-boron-coated single-stage trigger that is designed to provide users with a trigger pull that is free from the grit and inconsistencies of common mil-spec triggers.

The rifle also features an upper and lower receiver constructed from anodized aluminum and features the company's Accu-Tite receiver wedge that ensures that both halves of the receiver are locked tight, removing any accuracy or reliability issues that could arise from having space between the upper and lower.

The rifle features an M16 bolt-carrier group that uses a bolt constructed from Carpenter 158 steel and is shot peened and examined for consistency. The gun uses a 16-inch barrel that features chrome-moly vanadium steel construction and uses a 1:8-inch rate of twist as well as a 5.56 NATO chamber. The chamber, bore and barrel all feature a Melonite finish for added durability.

The Springfield Armory Saint is finished off with a Bravo Company stock that provides shooters with rattle-free furniture that incorporates a substantial comb that allows for a solid cheek weld, even when using optics. The stock features a recoil-absorbing butt pad, as well as six different length-of-pull positions for added customization.

The suggested retail price on the new Saint with Free Float Handguard is $1,049.

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