FN 5.7 vs Liberty Ammo 9 mm

[Tcruse]

The FN 5.7 has a fairly long list of desirable features, like fast bullet, low recoil, less drop at long ranges, tendency to not go thru walls, etc
It also has some distractions like penetration, cost ...

Now we have an ammo manufacturing company producing a very light (40g) non-lead bullet that gets 2000 fps velocity in 9 mm. So, on the surface it would seem that it should perform very much like the FN 5.7 with our existing guns, like G17

So, is this the answer for people that would like a 5.7 and not have the cost of expensive ammo and expensive gun?

Maybe, a good choice for home defense in like an apartment? Or in for carry in urban areas?
I have some doubts about it as a general replacement for our normal carry ammo, any thoughts?

 

[tightgroup tiger]

Personally, I don't think I would want to have to listen to the sonic crack from one of these inside an apartment at 1900 fps. It would have to be defining to say the least.

They would be fun to try with the proper hearing protection but, myself, I'll stick with subsonics for my edc.

 

[PabloJ]

The FN 5.7 has a fairly long list of desirable features, like fast bullet, low recoil, less drop at long ranges, tendency to not go thru walls, etc
It also has some distractions like penetration, cost ...

Now we have an ammo manufacturing company producing a very light (40g) non-lead bullet that gets 2000 fps velocity in 9 mm. So, on the surface it would seem that it should perform very much like the FN 5.7 with our existing guns, like G17

So, is this the answer for people that would like a 5.7 and not have the cost of expensive ammo and expensive gun?

Maybe, a good choice for home defense in like an apartment? Or in for carry in urban areas?
I have some doubts about it as a general replacement for our normal carry ammo, any thoughts?

Gee, one wonders while needle penetrates skin easily while pencil eraser does not.... I would rather be stabbed with eraser end of pencil then ice pic.

 

[Tcruse]

The real FN 5.7 is LOUD!

 

[eldon519]

115 or 124 grain 9mm is gonna have a supersonic crack too.

I don't know which round you are referring to for the 9mm, but typically exotic high-velocity pistol rounds do not do very well in ballistic gel tests and are frowned upon by the experts in the terminal ballistic field.

The 5.7 has a very vocal fan base, but if you look at experts in the terminal ballistics field, most of them are not very positive on it either. I think most of the various military/federal law enforcement/3-letter groups in the USA who were using it have also moved away from the platforms.

If you just want something to play around with, I think Rock Island/Armscor makes 1911s which readily convert via barrel swap between .22 TCM and 9mm.

 

[Double_J]

The 5.7 has its place in law enforcement, just like the 12 ga. shotgun or the 5.56 carbine. It is a special use weapon system and should be treated as such. I don't have a need for it and I will rely on standard issue ammunition in my self-defense tools, such as 00 buckshot, 115 grain 9 mm, and 200-230 grain .45 ACP. I will not go with a round that can set me up for problems with the local DA should I need to use it, and in this rural area that is exactly what would happen.

I am also hesitant to use a "specialty round" like the 40 grain ammo moving at 1900 fps, it might just destroy itself in the first few inches of the target and not get the appropriate penetration required to stop the threat. This is another reason that I go with the known standards, they have a proven track record and they are easy to defend the use of if needed.

 

[Buck13]

The real FN 5.7 is LOUD!

QFT! Last summer a couple of guys were shooting one 2 lanes away from me at an outdoor range, and with muffs over earplugs it was still quite distracting. It was about as bad as an AR carbine, maybe even a little worse. It's not the crack from the little bullet. A .22LR is supersonic from a rifle! It's the freakishly high chamber pressure.

I don't think you want to fire one of these indoors without ears on.

 

[Rule3]

A quick Google shows it as a 50 gr +P 9 mm fragmenting. You put a small enough bullet in any caliber and it's going to go fast. They have it in 45 ACP also with a 78 grain bullet.

The small and fast VS the Big and slow.

http://libertyammunition.com/products/civilian-handgun-ammunition/

Take a known caliber and neck it down gives the same results like a 357 Sig.

Another "magic bullet" They had several out years ago, Corbon or Power ball or other niffy items.

 

[strambo]

The problem is the 9mm is a lot bigger dia, so the fast/light bullet won't have the density to reliably penetrate. When it doesn't penetrate reliably, it doesn't stop an attacker reliably.

As non-exotic and un-sexy as it is...the best (read, most effective) choice for a handgun is a modern premium HP (Gold Dot, Golden Saber, Ranger etc...) in 9mm, .40 S&W or .45 ACP.

Same goes for shotgun and rifle, #1-00 Buck and in 5.56 any proven fragmenting or expanding load like the 77gr OTMs or the bonded soft points.

 

[eldon519]

The problem is the 9mm is a lot bigger dia, so the fast/light bullet won't have the density to reliably penetrate. When it doesn't penetrate reliably, it doesn't stop an attacker reliably.

As non-exotic and un-sexy as it is...the best (read, most effective) choice for a handgun is a modern premium HP (Gold Dot, Golden Saber, Ranger etc...) in 9mm, .40 S&W or .45 ACP.

Same goes for shotgun and rifle, #1-00 Buck and in 5.56 any proven fragmenting or expanding load like the 77gr OTMs or the bonded soft points.

Bingo, well said

 

[usp9]

So, is this the answer for people that would like a 5.7 and not have the cost of expensive ammo and expensive gun?

This 40 gr. 9mm is cheap? How cheap? What is the price?

My 5.7 pistol cost as much as any good quality pistol, less than my HK P2000sk ($709), but more than my Glock 19 (free).

 

[Panzerschwein]

I think the 5.7x28mm cartridge has value in a fully automatic personal defense weapon. That is after all, what it was designed for. You start to put it into different platforms and the merits start to wash away IMO.

It's kind of like the Remington 700 in .300 AAC Blackout at my local wal-mart. That round was meant for tactical semi/select fire carbines, not bolt-action rifles.

Not to go off subject but it's the same general idea. Do I think an FN Fiver SeveN could be an effective weapon? Of course it could be. So could a 2x4 or a rusty tent stake, but there are existing options out there that have a time proven track record of reliability that perform consistently and who have been tested countless times.

Don't reinvent the wheel, don't fix what ain't broke.

Cooldill

 

[mike85018]

That super light 9mm round has such a rapid expansion that there is a good chance it won't penetrate far enough to reach vital organs and physically stop the threat. I'll stick with 124 grain +P Speer Gold Dots any day of the week.

 

[USAF_Vet]

This 40 gr. 9mm is cheap? How cheap? What is the price?

My 5.7 pistol cost as much as any good quality pistol, less than my HK P2000sk ($709), but more than my Glock 19 (free).

I saw some of the 40 gr. 9mm stuff at my LGS. During the height of the panic, this was the only 9mm on the shelf. A box of 25 rounds was $36 and change.

At well over a buck a round, it is no more economically viable than the 5.7. The only thing it has going for it is the cost of the gun. The 9mm has a lot of inexpensive pistol options, where the FN 5.7 does not.

 

[Havok7416]

I have a 5.7 pistol and have to agree that shooting it inside is quite a wake-up call. I certainly wouldn't want to shoot it without hearing protection, nor would I care to shoot a super-light 9mm. If only one company is making the ammo you can bet it will be expensive.

 

[chris in va]

I'd be concerned it wouldn't cycle properly.