FOG HORN May 2019

Twobirds Flying Publications

Springfield Armory’s SAINT™ EDGE 5.56 Pistol

Copyright 2019, Towbirds Flying Publications. All Rights Reserved.


Springfield Armory’s SAINT™ EDGE 5.56 Pistol
Springfield Armory’s SAINT™ EDGE
5.56 Pistol
By: Sal Palma
Springfield Armory was the first U.S. armory
established during the Revolutionary War. It
was officially closed by the U.S. government in
1968. After its closing, the name Springfield
Armory was used by LH Manufacturing; it was
its business goal to produce a civilian version of
the M14, the M1A. In 1974 Elmer C. Balance,
owner of LH Manufacturing sold the company
to the Reese family; moving the company from
Texas to Illinois. Soon after the acquisition, the
Reeses began pistol production, a product line
that included the venerable M1911. Springfield
Armory continued to grow, expanding its
manufacturing and import business. Today, the
company retains its Springfield Armory name in
honor of the first U.S. armory.
2019
It’s quite an interesting history and a great
legacy of producing some outstanding firearms.
So how do you get from the M1911 pistols and
M1A rifles to AR platforms branded Saint?
I have to admit that the “Saint” brand intrigued
me, so I asked a company representative for
some perspective on management’s decision to
create the Saint brand. Well, I’m still waiting for
a response, but a theory that I’m going to
advance in this review comes from Catholicism.
The Church associates a belief in Saints with
guidance and protection. The Catholic Church
teaches that Saints should be emulated in life
and prayed to for guidance and protection. So,
what could constitute better marketing than to
call Springfield Armory’s exceptional AR rifles
“Saint”?
The SAINT, Springfield’s initial entry into the AR
space, was introduced Q4 2016 - some call that
period the height of the AR market. The SAINT
was an entry level offering at a time when
manufacturers were advertising barrels made
by Inca virgins from
the temples of
Machu Picchu and
machining with the
precision of a Rolex,
etc.
The SAINT was not the hottest game in town
but it got you into an AR platform for right
around $800 and that was a good thing.
However, it also laid the ground work for the
introduction of midlevel and high end SAINT
models.
The original SAINT was introduced in both rifle
and pistol form factors as well as a short barrel
rifle (SBR) chambered in 5.56x45 and 300BLK.
Copyright 2019, Towbirds Flying Publications. All Rights Reserved.
 2019
Springfield Armory’s SAINT EDGE 5.56 Pistol

Since 2016, Springfield Armory has been filling
in the SAINT line with the introduction of its
SAINT Edge high end rifle in 2017 and more
recently its midlevel SAINT Victor offering.
In this review, I introduce Springfield’s SAINT
Edge pistol, the company’s high end 5.56 mm
AR pistol, introduced 4Q 2018.
Starting with the pistol brace, SA went with the
Maxim Defense CQB pistol brace. The company
manufactures the finest CQB buttstocks and
pistol braces on the market, bar none, by orders
of magnitude. M.S.R.P. ranges $359.95 –
$494.95 depending on configuration.

The question most shooters will want to answer

is why should they pay $1,559 M.S.R.P. for the
SAINT Edge pistol when they can purchase the
SAINT pistol for $1059 M.S.R.P? Are the
upgrades really worth the additional 500 clams?
That’s a very personal decision that only you
can make but let me tell you why I would rule in
favor of the SAINT Edge.

As most AR aficionados know, their rifles

undergo a makeover after the initial purchase.
The enhancements usually include, trigger,
ambidextrous controls, handguard, buttstock
and bolt carrier group. Well, Springfield Armory,
hereinafter referred to as SA, has done that for
you in the Saint Edge models.
This is a 4 position brace with QD sockets port
and starboard and measuring 5.375” closed,
6.875” 1st detent, 8.375” 2nd detent, 9.24” fully
extended.

Moving to the lower receiver, the selector is

fully ambidextrous and features a long arm so
there’s no need to break your grip in order to
operate the safety.

The lower, is a “skeletonized” machined billet

receiver; SA appears to have taken this

Copyright 2019, Twobirds Flying Publications, All Rights Reserved

 2019
Springfield Armory’s SAINT EDGE 5.56 Pistol

approach as a weight reduction strategy, the It’s been my experience that upper to lower
theory being the less metal the lighter. tension is a shooter peculiarity; AR accuracy is a
However, I’m not sure how effective that function of its chamber, barrel and trigger.
strategy is relative to manufacturing costs.

The magazine well was also given a different

look with a v-cut. Again, I’m not sure what
impact on weight this has but it does have some
artistic flare.

While on the magazine well, as soon as I

unboxed the Saint Edge pistol, I tried running
through a couple of empty magazine changes
and experienced a number of sticky magazines,
with steel mags. That condition was temporary
and disappeared with use. I think the magazine
well finish added a bit of friction that a little
wear resolved.

Something I ended up adding to the SAINT Edge

pistol is Magpul’s B.A.D. (Battery Assist Device).
It makes locking and releasing the bolt much
easier and faster. It’s very much worth the $20
or so that you pay.

SA made the trigger guard integral with the
lower receiver and it’s large enough that
operating the pistol with gloves is feasible.
The lower is also fitted with SA’s Accu-Tite™
Tension system. So, if you’re a shooter that likes
a tight upper to lower fit, SA has you covered.
Adjusting that tension requires removal of the
Bravo Company Mod 3 pistol grip to access the
Accu-Tite™ screw.
SA calls the Edge’s trigger a Match Single Stage
w/ Short Reset modular trigger. I was extremely
impressed with it. There is no grittiness
whatsoever, no take-up, my review pistol
consistently breaks at precisely 4 lbs., no creep
and the reset is in fact short at .1”. Not your off
the shelf Mil-Spec AR.

Copyright 2019, Twobirds Flying Publications, All Rights Reserved

 2019
Springfield Armory’s SAINT EDGE 5.56 Pistol

SA installed a 10.3 inch thin profile barrel that’s

Melonite® treated inside and out. Rifling is a 1:8
right hand twist, so it will stabilize anything
from a 55gr to 77gr projectile. It’s important to
note a couple of very important points when
dealing with pistol size barrels.

First, your muzzle velocity will be considerably

lower given the Saint Edge pistol’s barrel length.
There’s a rule of thumb that we can apply to
help us understand the relationship between
The handguard, a slim free-float design,
barrel length and muzzle velocity. For every
features the M-Lok mounting system and is a
inch shorter you’ll lose about 50 feet per
patent pending SA design. Included with the
second in muzzle velocity.
hanguard is a pair of locking tabs and an
aluminum forward hand stop. A brief note on Crunching some numbers, M193 (55gr NATO)
the hand stop, it also works extremely well as a fired from a 20 inch barrel has a muzzle velocity
barricade stop should you need to fire from a of 3306 feet per second. Using the same
partially covered position. ammunition through the Saint Edge pistol, you
can reasonably expect a loss of 485 feet per
Removing the handguard requires the removal
second resulting in a muzzle velocity of 2821
of 4 T20 screws, two on each side; followed by
feet per second. The reduced muzzle velocity
removing the locking tabs. Once completed, you
can simply slide the handguard off the barrel will have an impact on terminal ballistics.
nut. The second consideration
when using a short barrel
SA equipped the Saint Edge with a pinned .625
is flash signature. The
low-profile adjustable gas block. This particular
muzzle blast will be loud
implementation ensures that you don’t
and carry a considerable
accidentally misalign the gas block and that you
amount of flash and
can appropriately gas the pistol for suppressed
unburnt powder. The
use. SA includes the wrench and gas regulator
remedy for this condition is to use a suppressor,
as standard equipment.
and the SAINT Edge pistol screams suppress me.
Aiming the pistol is accomplished via any rail
mounted accessory or the included BUIS. The
iron sights are a flip up SA accessory. The rear
sight features two aperture sizes and is
adjustable for wind in ½ MOA increments. The
front sight is also a spring-loaded folding design
adjustable for elevation in ½ MOA steps.

Copyright 2019, Twobirds Flying Publications, All Rights Reserved


Springfield Armory’s SAINT EDGE 5.56 Pistol
SA also upgraded the bolt carrier group on the
SAINT Edge pistol. The engineers used an
enhanced M16 bolt carrier group that is also
finished with Melonite®. The actual bolt is a
premium 9310 HPT/MPI steel bolt which is
superior to Mil-Spec.
My range session can only be described as a
satisfying experience. I shot the pistol with an
Aimpoint sight, and using the brace.
The trigger is absolutely magnificent, I can’t say
that enough and the MAXIM brace and buffer
system performed extremely well. In fact, felt
recoil was comparable to the AR’s I’ve fired with
hydraulic buffers. This MAXIM brace is excellent
in every respect.
My range session was using Lake City M193
55gr ammunition and as we anticipated the
muzzle velocity clocked in at 2706 fps. Any
terminal ballistics deficiencies can be readily
addresses with different ammunition and bullet
geometries.
Copyright 2019, Twobirds Flying Publications, All Rights Reserved
2019
As expected, muzzle flash was considerable and
I would strongly recommend shooting the
SAINT Edge pistol suppressed.
In closing, Springfield Armory hit a homerun
with the SAINT Edge 5.56 pistol. Without any
reservation, it is the best 5.56 pistol on the
market. Other than selecting the appropriate
weapon mounted accessories, there’s
absolutely nothing that a prospective buyer
need do to this pistol. The only thing I’d like to
see is a SAINT Edge 300 BLK pistol; hopefully
that will happen going into SHOT SHOW 2020.
-SP
Manufacturer Specifications
 CALIBER: 5.56x45mm (.223 REM)
 LENGTH: 24.6" Collapsed / 28.5" Extended
 WEIGHT: 5 lbs 11.5 oz
 UPPER RECEIVER: Forged Type III Hard Coat Anodized,
7075 T6 Aluminum
 LOWER RECEIVER: 7075 T6 Billet w/ Accu-Tite™
Tension System
 BARREL: 10.3" Lightweight Profile CMV, 1:8 Twist,
Melonite®
 GAS SYSTEM: Carbine Length .625, SA Low-Profile
Adjustable Gas Block
 TRIGGER: SA Match Single Stage w/ Short Reset
 SIGHTS: Front: SA SPring Loaded Flip-Up, 1/2 MOA
Elevation Adjustable, Rear: SA Spring Loaded Low
Profile Flip-UP, Dual Aperture Sight, 1/2 MOA Windage
Adjustable
 TRIGGER GUARD: Integral to Receiver
 PISTOL GRIP: Bravo Company Mod 3
 HANDGUARD: M-Lok Aluminum SA Patent Pending
Free FLoat w/ SA Locking Tabs & Forward Hand Stop
 FOREARM BRACE: Maxim Defense CQB, Adjustable 4-
Positions
 BUFFER ASSEMBLY: Maxim System
 RECEIVER EXTENSION: Integral w/ Maxim System
 CHARGING HANDLE: SA Mid-Size
 BOLT CARRIER GROUP: Enhanced M16, Melonite®,
HPT/MPI 9310 Steel Bolt
 MAGAZINE: 1 - 30 Round Magpul PMag Gen M3
 CASE: Soft Pistol Case
 MSRP: $1,559.00