Tag Archives: radian raptor

The Saint Victor is now a solid option for off-the-shelf ARs

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Springfield Armory has debuted its new and improved Saint Victor series for 2025, and we have been testing a Coyote Brown 16-inch model for the past few months to give you guys the full review.

Springfield has been in the AR game for a minute and introduced its Saint series in 2016, followed by the more high-end Saint Victor series in 2019. In September 2025, the revamp of the Victor line brought a ton of new features and enhancements to the series that customers have been asking for, now in 16 new models. 

As the gun gives you 7 QD points and 56 M-LOK slots, you have a lot of room to accessorize.

We added a Streamlight Pro-Tac HP-X 800 lumen light, an Aimpoint Patrol Rifle Optic 2 MOA red dot reflex sight on a QRP2 mount, and a BFG sling. A SilencerCo Omega 36M, a modular multi-caliber suppressor rated up to .338 LPM and .350 Legend, rode along for most of the 500 rounds sent downrange.

The new standard includes a Radian Raptor LT charging handle, nitride-finished 4150 CMV barrels with a continuous tapered profile, crowned muzzles, and low-profile gas blocks; aluminum handguards with a full-length top Picatinny rail, M-LOK slots, and lots of QD sling points; four-prong flash hiders on threaded muzzles, and an enhanced bolt carrier group. Furniture includes B5 Systems Enhanced SOPMOD stocks, Type 23 P-Grip pistol grips, and polymer trigger guards. Other features include 45-degree ambidextrous safety levers, low-profile aluminum flip-up sights, and flat-faced nickel boron-coated triggers.

There are tons of ARs out there, folks. If you are looking for a budget gun in the $400 range with lots of “mil spec” parts, this isn’t it. If you are looking for a Gucci-level $3K gun from a West Coast maker that specializes in cool tunes and vibes on Insta, this isn’t it. What the Saint Victor is, in its newest configuration, is one that splits the difference between the two bookends and provides some very nice features that genuinely enhance the gun’s performance without crossing into bespoke artisanal territory.

It’s meant for work but still looks good on the wall.

Full review over in my column at Guns.com.

New S&W Axe AR line includes as many SBRs as carbines

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Featuring “Ambi X Enhancement,” Tennessee-based Smith & Wesson debuted a new line of 5.56 NATO M&P15 rifles this week.

Besides full ambidextrous controls on the receiver, the new AXE line utilizes Gemtech GVAC technology in the uppers to minimize gas blowback when shooting suppressed. They also have a Gemtech ETM flash hider system; an improved BCG with a Carpenter 158 steel bolt, 8620 steel carrier, and a chromed firing pin; an Armornite-finished 4150 steel barrel with 5R 1:8 rifling; and an M&P grip with interchangeable palm swells.

Other standard features include a Radian Raptor charging handle, Williams folding sights, M-LOK slots on a Midwest Industries free-floating handguard, and Magpul stocks.

The Smith AXE series is introduced in four models, including factory SBRs with 11.5 and 14.5-inch barrels, a standard carbine with a 16.1-inch barrel, and a more upscale Performance Center rifle. The first three are all black with a Magpul CTR adjustable carbine stock, while the Performance Center model sports a Gray Cerakote and a Magpul DT stock. (Photos: S&W)

More in my column at Guns.com.