Springfield Armory surprised a lot of people when they introduced an AR-15 this winter. Not many people believed Springfield had a trick like that up their sleeve. If you think about their history, both the old military company and the current one with the same name, it begins to make more sense.

The Springfield Armory name has always provided true battle rifles for the United States.

• Model 1898 .30-40 Krag (Spanish-American War, Phillipine-American War)
• Model 1903 .30-06 Sprg. (WWI, WWII, Korean War)
• M1 Garand .30-06 Sprg. (WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War, many more…)
• M14 .308 Win. (Vietnam War, many conflicts since its inception…)
• M16 5.56 NATO [Civilian model=SAINT] (Vietnam War, Persian-Gulf War, War in Afghanistan, Iraq War)

The current Springfield Armory company can only lay claim to the SAINT, but over the years the name Springfield Armory had appeared on all of those historic rifles.

Back to the SAINT rifle that started this history lesson (Squirrel!). The specs on this gun are a laundry list of desirable features. An overview of some of the best ones are a Mid-Length Gas System, Bravo Company 6-Position Collapsible Stock, Nickel-Boron Coated Trigger, and a Bravo Company Mod. 3 Pistol Grip.

What sets this model apart from their introductory model is the NEW Springfield Armory Proprietary M-LOK Handguard. With a low-profile gas block hidden underneath the free floated handguard you have lots of real estate for your support arm. It also begs the question of, “What accessory are you going to add 1st?!

These rifles as the sales poster states are slated to ship to dealers on June 12th. The current MSRP is set at $1,049 so the everyday price should be something south of that.