Today's feature is from our parent service, The Outdoor Wire -- and our publisher, Jim Shepherd.
Today, Springfield Armory announces the newest of their Saint rifle line: the Saint Victor- their take on the 9mm Pistol Caliber Carbine.
On the surface, the Victor looks very much like many of its competitors. That’s understandable. There are only so many variations available to the AR-platform.
But there are some differences.
First, it uses the direct blowback system. The bolt rests against the chamber of the barrel and is not locked into place. Pull the trigger; the round fires, and the force pushes the bullet forward and the bolt to the rear.
It’s similar in many ways to the roller delayed blowback system of the H&K MP5, just simpler. They’re alike in one way: both are very reliable.
There are several variations when it comes to PCC actions: direct blowback like the Victor (and CZ’s Scorpion, Kel-Tec’s Sub 2000 and Hi-Point carbines), Radial Delay (CMMG’s Banshee), Roller Delay (H&K MP5), the unique Dead Blow Action of Ruger’s PCC and PC Charger, and the short stroke gas system of SIG’s MPX.
They all share one commonality: they work. If you’re counting on a 9mm carbine to run like your life depends on it - you stick with the proven systems. All four of these are proven.
The Victor uses the 32-round, all steel Colt-pattern magazine. And the magazine is where I have my one complaint about the gun. It has nothing to do with the gun’s quality or reliability - it works fine. It’s the fact the gun comes with a single, 32-round magazine. I don’t like that, and will explain why in a minute.
Otherwise, the gun and magazine are both solid as rocks.
And coming with a single magazine doesn’t mean the Victor Carbine’s a bare-bones gun. It’s not.
It arrives in a quality carrying case, comes with flip-up iron sights, and uses B5 Systems’ Type 23 P-grip and a 6-position Bravo-model stock. It’s a simple gun to adjust to fit virtually any shooter. I especially liked the grip angle of the P-Grip. And the ambidextrous safety allows the gun to setup to your preferences. The nickel boron coated (flat) trigger breaks cleanly -again, right out of the box. It should really be slick after you’ve run a few hundred rounds through it.
M-LOK slots run the length of the hand guard, and a free-floating barrel means you’re not putting undue stress on it as you hang whatever accessories you like off the hand guard - there’s room for lots of stuff.
But there’s another piece of included kit that I’ve not seen on a “stock” rifle before: SA’s Forward Blast Diverter.
The aforementioned muzzle device and pistol caliber make the Victor especially mild mannered.
If you’re not familiar with the idea of a forward blast diverter, they’re the “non-suppressor” answer to helping direct muzzle blast (and sound) forward of the shooter. I’ve used Witt Machine and Tool, units and they reduce sound on the shooter’s side of the rifle and significantly reduce muzzle rise.
SA’s Forward Blast Diverter does the same thing -and it’s not an add-on item.
These kinds of devices generally run from $40-$160, so already having it on the stock rifle is a significant enough savings to allow you to buy yourself one-or more- 32-round Colt pattern magazines.
As you can expect from the features, this isn’t a budget-priced gun. With an MSRP of $1299, you expect some “goodies” and it delivers.
Again, my single complaint isn’t about the gun or its performance. It’s solid. It’s that single magazine thing.
The industry stresses preparation and preaches the old expression “two is one and one is none.” Then consumers are essentially short-sheeted when it comes to a key essential: magazines. I’ve never gotten a straight answer as to why.
Yes, everyone’s working to contain costs for everything from raw material to labor and shipping. But shooters would be more likely to pay more for guns to get magazines (plural) with their purchases.
Magazines, unlike holsters- aren’t subjective fits. Yes, they’re unreasonably regulated in some areas, but supplying compliant magazines wouldn’t be like giving comfort to the opposition, it would be supporting the constituency.
Complaint aside, the Victor PCC is a very accurate shooter - at the distances I shoot 9mm pistol caliber carbines.
To me, PCCs, especially 9mm ones, are designed for use inside what I consider “property line” distances- 35 yards or less. Sure, they’re capable of hitting targets at longer ranges, but I don’t consider a 9mm pistol caliber carbine as enough gun for hunting or long-range shooting.
Shooting inside my self-imposed distances from a rest -I easily put 5-7 rounds into 2-inch groups using the included/flip-up iron sights. (your results may be better).
Shooting faster, the forward blast diverter’s benefit is obvious, but my 5-shot groups expanded from two to three inches at 30 yards. Better times in speed/accuracy drills weren’t much of a challenge inside 20 yards. The SA Forward Blast Diverter takes a lot of the challenge out of double-taps or failure drills.
With a red dot sight mounted I wouldn’t hesitate to run this gun in a PCC competition -or to hang a light/laser combo on it for home defense or animal control.
As a believer in “horses for courses” - I consider the Saint Victor Pistol Caliber Carbine as a solid option for recreation, competition or home defense, just not hunting.
Competition, home defense and hunting are distinctly different situations.
As always, we’ll keep you posted.
— JIm Shepherd