FN 5.7 Handgun

Anyone have the FN 5.7 yet? I'm really thinking about picking one up, depending on the price ... might even carry it off duty, depending on the size and weight!

 

I sell 'em NIB for $879, and they come with three (3) 20 round magazines.
Can't address the weight issue, but they sure feel mighty light~!

 

There's a few interesting threads on this forum about them, you can search on the options above.
The one concern I have heard voiced is that there are sometimes shortages of the ammo. I considered a FiveseveN for carry but this put me off.

 

Five Seven

They look sweet to me. Too darn expensive for my tastes. I could by three Rugers or even a couple of used Sigs for that price!

 

They are

They are interesting. Recoil is very light, but still there.

Unless you're shooting armored personel, it is nothing special.

 

What do they sound like?

 

I have the FN 5.7.
I haven't shot it enough, or tested it enough to develop any hard core opinions about round.

It is interesting.

The only problem I have with it is the brass is hard to find and expensive and has some kind of coating that makes it a pain to reload.

And no case manufacturers make 5.7x28 brass.


There is a strange phenomena that surrounds the 5.7x28.
Someone can look at or pick up the FN 5.7 pistol and become an instant expert on the gun and round it shoots, with out actually ever even firing the gun.

 

Yep

I've shot them. They are interesting. I find the round kinda underwhelming really. It didn't seem very loud. They accomplish what they were designed for, but not too much more (which is good engineering).

They are very fun to shoot


I am not advocating not buying one, just don't expect it to be some magical fantastic pistol. There are no magic bullets.

Again
If you plan on shooting at armored personel, the FiveSeven is your best bet.
If you don't plan on shooting at armored personel, then why is 5.7x28 better than a 9mm/45acp/40SW/10mm/...?
I could see it as a small game/varmint cartridge.

Do you? How many people have you shot with it? I've probably read all the same crap you have. It's nice discussing stuff on a forum with people who will agree with everything you say. If I go to the Chevy forum, chevys are the best cars ever. If I go to the Ford forum well. For every positive article I've read, I've read a negative.

BTW the FN rep is a sales guy, so I'd probably take whatever he says with a grain of salt or two. "Hey guess what, you can't buy the super duper military stuff, but here buy this instead it's better anyways"

That's because they recognize the possibility of engaging armored targets. If they didn't plan on encountering armored personel, why would they bother with it?

Ammo is expensive, so that kinda rules out plinking (which I admit they'd be great for but...)

Uhh. Two mitigating words in one phrase.

 

I just personally, from results I've seen, think that it's the answer to a question nobody really asked.

Yes, the lack of recoil and light weight are fine, as is the ammo capacity. But otherwise...since the civilian ammo can NOT pierce armor, I'd think it'd be far less useful for civilians. If I want something to use against an attacker with armor, since I am a civilian, I'd likely choose the old Tok TT-33, which most certainly can defeat Level II armor with its widely available and perfectly civilian-legal 7.62x25 rounds. It's also not nearly $900.

 

I know that the civilian ammo I used in mine put holes in the plate machine (cut through it like butter)... I also believe that they will penetrate armor, at least light body armor and I could hit pins at 200 yards with it. I sold mine later because of sever over penetration. I would not use one for a carry for that reason but I have nothing bad to say about the gun. I think it would be a great option for a tactical combat weapon. What other handgun can engage targets at 200 yards and hold 20 rounds per mag?

 

Actually MO has shot a BG with a 5.7 and dropped him with one shot. Not everyone who posts is a barstool commando

 

Yeah

I thought of that possibility when I was typing that. Decided to play the odds.

Fortunately, one shooting a comprehensive study does not make (still infinitely more experience than most of us will ever have (good thing)).

 

Medula Oblongata, Good reading, After the way mine cut up the plate machine I thought it would over penetrate. I was also wondering if the round tumbles after impact.. With the Velocity and bullet weight I would think it would fly right through it's target unless it tumbled on entry.

I am a .45 fan but I would carry the FiveSeven over a 9mm any day of the week. Chances are I would buy another one in the future. While I had mine I put about 500 rounds through it without one failure and it is THE most accurate pistol rounds I have ever shot.

 

Also keep in mind the 5.7 comes on 2 ammo classes if you will.

1st SS190,192,195 that penatrate hard parts and then keyhole tumble when the gooey goodness is hit afterwards.

2nd SS196,197 these are desigend to frag. when loaded for the night stand I have the 197 in mine to reduce wall penatration if I miss the BG.

different tools for different jobs

 

See, now the articles I read showed results that weren''t condusive to SD re: poor penetration and expansion.

Medula, can you give us some real data we could use for comparison? (i.e. terminal ballistics, expansion, penetration etc.)

Thanks!

 

Colateral damage.

I would not want to be hit by any high velocity fragmenting round by accident,and at 2000 fps. there is a good probability of fragmentation not to mention hydroscopic shock, especially with a cranial or thorax hit. But then again if you are dead a lawsuit by your survivors will net much less or nothing at all than if you survive to testify....My youngest son Graduated with a Criminal Justice Degree from the University of Illinois at Normal so do not consider me a Cop basher....Never shot or even seen said firearm.

 

If you can think of it someone most likely has shot it and taken pictures

 

Thanks MO - checking out some pics of gelatin results now (FHN promos & from DSE)!

Much different (i.e. better) then the impressions I got in reading gun mag reviews!

 

I saw 3 NIB examples at the last Dale City gun show, all from FFL's under $800. IIRC, $769 was the bargain. One used for $750 I think.

I have not had great success reloading too. First, it kicks the brass about 20 feet to the 2 o'clock position. However, at the above mentioned show I was able to score some ss195LF ammo for $15.95 / box, so that's helped.

It's accurate enough, and I don't think it's ever choked on factory loads, but has on my reloads. There's no blaming the gun for that, and I'm sure I'll narrow down and address the issue but it's been a tad more picky than other cartridges/guns I reload for. When it's not choking on my latest reload error, it's pretty fun to shoot.

 

Thanks for the 5.7 info

Thanks MO and Mike.

I have been interested in some unvarnished info on the FiveSeven pistol. The fiveseven forum has provided a wealth of information that I can now use to make a (hopefully) informed decision on whether or not to add it as my primary self-defense weapon. I currently use an SW 640 with CT laser sight as my SD weapon. However, even with 5 .38 Spl Speer Gold Dot 125 gr bullets on tap, I sometimes wonder if would need more. I'm a former small arms instructor, but the key word is "former." I'm much older now, wear bifocals, and my relexes are slowing. I've never been an advocate of the "spray and pray" school of shooting, but I've found that my rapid fire strings are starting to creep (sometimes, gallop) toward the edges of the targets. The idea of not having to do a combat reload is becoming more attractive to me all the time. The FiveSeven is of interest because of the lower recoil and apparently higher accuracy, and of course, the 20-rd mag.

Thanks for this thread.

Bill

 

Bang. Bang bang. Bang-bang, bang.

Seriously though, I fired one recently. It was the lightest pistol I ever handled and the recoil was very light. It was an interesting shoot, but I'd wonder about the knockdown power.

 

I have one and love it. Its fun to shoot, and is impressive at the range. Its definitely louder than a .22 Mag. The only down side I can think of is its a bit too large for CC. The grip is a bit more than full size. While I think Im a pretty broad fellow, Im not sure how I would go about packin it concealed. I packed a full size 1911 around for a while and I think the FN probably is just a hair bit wider. The tall sights also wouldnt help it be snag free.

Ammo is a pain to find, and can be an expensive proposition.

 

There are a lot of us that use it as a CC pistol...its pysically no bigger than a M1911, and is only 1.7 pounds loaded, so it dont sag or tug at you. Its one of the most comfortable service pistols I have ever carried, In a Blade-tech IWB it hides rather well and the grip stays tucked in tight against your ribs.It is actually easier to carry and hide than my Sig P229R. And the sights have never been an issue in any way....lightning fast draws from a proper holster...might be an issue if you shoved it down the front of your pants.




compared to a M1911Govt model in the same model blade tech IWB

 

So Mr. p99guy you seem to be somewhat qualified to post like that. What are your qualifications concerning the 5.7 pray tell?


PS Nice candle

 

@ Medula: now you've gone and done it! I had just about settled down with my "just one centerfire sidearm" system (CZ PCR), and now you come along with this...

I just went and joined the FN5.7 forum (www.fivesevenforum.com), and am starting the learning process. Before this goes through, two things to happen:

1) Wolf needs to come out with 5.7mm ammo on for 20c a shot or less (which is allegedly happening "by the end of 2006"

2) Someone in the Austin area needs to let me hold an FN 5.7 in my pink little paw and actually shoot it. I'm sold on the sizzle, but I need to taste some steak before I whip out the folding money.


If I get one, I'm sticking it into a repro WWI holster. I may not be able to put ivory grips on it, but I need to do something so as not to become too Tacticool.

-MV

-MV