FN five seven VS Springfield XDM 9mm

[Palladan44]

Ok, we have 2 guns here that are about the same size, same barrel length, same magazine capacity. I have fired both, and will put their accuracy at, for my practical purposes THE SAME
Follow up shot speed...TOO CLOSE TO TELL.
I realize that if you have certain ammo, which is hard to get or Illegal, then the 5.7 can defeat some body armor (not a concern of mine, probably not a concern for most civilians or LEOs to carry a handgun with AP capabilities)
I realize the Secret Service carries them for certain reasons, and thats very cool.

In my opinion, the 5.7 is an expensive firearm that one will pay more money for and for the ammo, than is worth for any practical purposes.
Or am i missing something about the 5.7 that makes it worth considering? Is it a really good self defense option?
When i heard that 5.7 has a number of "idiosyncrasies, yeah-butts and caveats" with the reloading process, that was the final confirming NO-GO for me on the 5.7

For a go-to defense firearm, i like to train with it weekly. Firing 35-50 shots weekly is a bare minimum for me. Sometimes ill fire 200 or more.
I dont even want to do the math on what the cost would be to feed a 5.7 annually.

I know there are lovers of the caliber out there, and people who dislike it. And I hope to hear from both "schools" on this.

 

[Oldschool shooter]

I've shot th 5.7 and it is a nice round, but I would be more inclined to go 22TCM before the 5.7 if thinking of defensive pistol. Both are a bit light, but heavier bullet weight in the 22 TCM would give it a bit of an advantage, IMHO. That said, the 9mm would be better than either, and cheaper to shoot.

 

[tarosean]

Everyone that I know who owns a FN 5.7 also has dozens of other options in their safe for handguns.

If I only had one or two pistols it wouldn't be my first choice.

 

[Barbaroja]

I’ve only handled a 5.7 once I thought it felt like a toy gun. Too light. I’m sure they are fine guns just not for me. I’ve also heard reloading for 5.7 is a pain. For those reasons I would go with the xd

 

[Shipwreck]

The Five Seven will penetrate less interior walls than a 9mm. That is 1 plus that goes for it. I live in a condo, and I had a PS90 for several years for that reason. But the round hits harder out of the longer carbine barrel.

 

[Palladan44]

The Five Seven will penetrate less interior walls than a 9mm. That is 1 plus that goes for it. I live in a condo, and I had a PS90 for several years for that reason. But the round hits harder out of the longer carbine barrel.

So it will go through only 3 bedrom walls rather than 4?

 

[Shipwreck]

So it will go through only 3 bedrom walls rather than 4?

No, I have seen videos showing that a 2nd interior wall usually stops the round. A 9mm will go thru many more walls than that. The Five seven round will not penetrate as much ballistic gellatin, compared to many 9mm rounds, because it is designed to NOT overpenetrate. The rounds are supposed to stay INSIDE the target.

Even the AP round is designed to not over penetrate. Over a decade ago, FN showed the 190 AP round being fired into a cinder block... When fired thru the long end, the round goes thru the first part of the block, but stops in the 2nd part.... THAT is 1 of the benefits of the 5.7 round.

Yes, there are more powerful rounds. But, it does have a purpose, depending on your needs.

I used to run the FN forum over a decade ago (at a certain point, FN took an active roll in the forum), and I have owned three PS90s and a Five Seven over the years. Most of the people who argue ballistics all day long on this round have never owned one. And, a lot of things said about the round are just things repeated over and over again...

That being said - out of a PS90 carbine, it seems about equal to a 9mm. The round doesn't have as much velocity out of the pistol. However, the Five Seven is polymer, and even the slide has a polymer coating. It is a fantastic carry gun in that it is not going to rust when you sweat on it.

I have smaller hands - and the pistol just has too big of a grip for me... Front to back. If not for that, I would likely have one again and would carry it sometimes. But, be aware that the gun is actually SAO. And, I am not a big fan of the safety location. The Ruger version has a more traditional safety location. I wish they would change it to that design on the Five Seven's safety.

Now, the round isn't the end all, be all. But it is defense worthy, and it is pretty nice to have such a light gun that holds 20 rounds in a normal sized magazine. Here in Texas, it is so damn hot, and it might be nice to not have to worry about wiping a gun down each and every day.

Truth be told, I have other guns I would rather carry than either of your two choices, though....

 

[JCooperfan1911]

Wicked and nasty round that hits all out of proportion to its small caliber.

There have been a very well known military base spree killing with the FN 5.7 pistol and sadly, the gun was extremely lethal in that situation.

The gun is extremely lightweight, holds 20 rounds in a flush clip, has very very low recoil for fast follow ups, and the bottleneck taper case leads to stupendous levels of reliability. And the round hits like a bowling ball and can cause a cavitation inside the target like a rifle shot.

I haven’t spoken with an owner yet who wasn’t thrilled with the gun. Worth the cost of admission and the ammo really isn’t too bad (at least before the Banic) and should come down with time. Storm, Ruger Inc. also manufactures a 5.7x28mm pistol but I would go with the FN as it has a much better pedigree.

In short, BUY ONE.

 

[FL-NC]

I thought of getting a Ruger 57 to complement my PS90, since I think the FN pistol nice as it is just costs too much. The problem lately is that every time I fire a gun, I hear that cash register noise. I hear it 2 or 3 times when I fire a 5.7 round. As a result, my PS90 hasn't left the safe in almost a year. When I got it, I could get the ammo at $300/1000 rounds through PSA, which put the ammo in the 223 category as far as price goes. Those days are gone and I don't expect them back, which is why I have considered divesting of my PS90 and the ammo stash sometime in the future.

 

[jaguarxk120]

PSA shows the 57 as out of stock. I've seen a local listing for the 57 at $1.00 per round!
In coming months there should be a lot of unfired guns for sale since you can not feed them!

 

[CNobbe]

I've seen 9mm selling for $1.00 a round, same with 5.56. Selling for a dollar/round not asking. I like the FNs, but I'd love to see a 5.7 in a smaller carry pistol.

 

[DT Guy]

Beyond all considerations of caliber effectiveness, accuracy, gun size and quality...the manual of arms for the FN removes it from my radar. I'm not learning a new safety 'habit' (which will be a training scar for all my other pistols) just to try one out.

The Ruger is more appealing because of that, but I suspect my stubby little fingers won't be able to get around the grip. I'll have to check when I actually see on in person, but I'm fairly sure that will be the case.

Larry

 

[WVfishguy]

I would never buy a 5.7 until I had at least 1,000 rounds of ammo to go with it. So I would never buy one.

 

[MikeInOr]

The FN Five Seven I shot was much lighter than any of the Springfield pistols I own. It isn't small in size but very light weight. It seems like a great back packing gun.

If I was confident I could reload the 5.7 cartridge reliably I would have no problem owning one. From what I have "READ" reloading the 5.7 is more problematic than pretty much any other handgun cartridge which is where I loose interest.

 

[sparkyv]

I have the XDM with one additional millimeter, and it has proven to be reliable and fills a niche for me, but has as much character a gluck. So I'm not a huge fan. Because of the reloading limitations of the 5.7, I would go with the XDM 9mm.

 

[BreechFace]

The FN Five Seven I shot was much lighter than any of the Springfield pistols I own. It isn't small in size but very light weight. It seems like a great back packing gun.

If I was confident I could reload the 5.7 cartridge reliably I would have no problem owning one. From what I have "READ" reloading the 5.7 is more problematic than pretty much any other handgun cartridge which is where I loose interest.

The reloading headaches are a deal breaker for me as well. It is a different animal than reloading standard straight wall pistol cartridges, to be sure. Tasks such as preventing shoulder dings from hydraulic pressure, annealing, and brass trimming are included. Maybe a 5.7 reloader can chime in and verify anything I post but the problems I've researched are as follows:

1. Significant shoulder setback, split case necks have been reported after a few loadings (could be people chasing performance, or lack of annealing)
2. Cases are coated from the factory to aid in reliability of feeding and extraction, so care in cleaning the case to preserve coating must be taken
3. Small bullet and small bottleneck equals fat fingers getting frustrated or crushed by the press
4. Small changes in powder has more dramatic effect on pressure do to design of cartridge
5. Many of the powders used are easy to double charge, so care must be taken by the reloader, DUH

I would look into the 22tcm as a comparison.

 

[ms6852]

Questions you should ask yourself when it comes to making your decision are you financially able to afford this firearm and are you able to buy the ammunition regardless of cost, so that you can practice and maintain a level of proficiency should the need ever arise. Are you a reloader or hand loader where you have the components necessary to reload the round if you are not and if money is not a problem and you answer yes to the first two question than buy it.

But in todays environment where the panic buying is an issue, if you had a group of friends and family that needed to survive whatever the future holds, how many of your friends and family would you be able to rely during these ammos shortages to supply you with the specific ammo you need for your gun. Personally I would choose the 9mm under this scenario. But as a fun gun that fills a niche I would buy both the FN and a 22TCM.

 

[miamivicedade]

Which is the nicer pistol? The Five seveN, without a doubt. And it's not even close. But 5.7x28 is more obscure, and will be more expensive and harder to find.

 

[Buzznrose]

The 5.7 is really it’s own thing. The XDm 9 is just another great 9MM striker fire pistol, much like a S&W M&P, Glock, etc.

I have lots of the latter, and zero of the former. It would be a cool gun if ammo prices regulate...

 

[jaguarxk120]

What is the price of 5.7x28 cartridges now?
That is if the stuff can be found.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Which is the nicer pistol? The Five seveN, without a doubt. And it's not even close. But 5.7x28 is more obscure, and will be more expensive and harder to find.

I respectfully disagree. The Five SeveN is a hideous thing with strange ergos, looks and feels like a BB gun. A $1,200 BB gun.

I went with a Ruger 57, which I consider superior in every way.

That said, I would choose neither as a primary defensive arm over a similarly sized 9mm, .40, .45 or 10mm pistol. My 57 is a range toy/suppressor R&D gun, the suppressed RP-45 with a TLR-1 and 15+1 230 gr. Golden Sabres is what's on the night stand.

 

[Mike .45]

I'd get 5.7 but I have a plethora of full size striker fired guns to choose from already and my wife has a full size XDM already.

 

[Rule3]

I have the FN 5.7 and wish Ruger had made theirs sooner, I would have bought the Ruger. The FN is a fine handgun but the trigger SUCKS and there is nothing that can be done with it, Ammo is expensive and not worth it to reload ( I calculated the whole set up) I did get a bunch of ammo when they had a rebate,
The gun is more of a novelty, cool factor kind of pistol. If I had to chose I would get the XDm (oh wait I already did) I love SA!

 

[FFGColorado]

What is the price of 5.7x28 cartridges now?
That is if the stuff can be found.

Anywhere from $1 per round to $1.20 or so...

https://www.wikiarms.com/group/5.7x28
https://grabagun.com/federal-5-7x28-40gr-speer-tmj-50-rounds.html

available, just expensive.

 

[miamivicedade]

I respectfully disagree. The Five SeveN is a hideous thing with strange ergos, looks and feels like a BB gun. A $1,200 BB gun.

I went with a Ruger 57, which I consider superior in every way.

That said, I would choose neither as a primary defensive arm over a similarly sized 9mm, .40, .45 or 10mm pistol. My 57 is a range toy/suppressor R&D gun, the suppressed RP-45 with a TLR-1 and 15+1 230 gr. Golden Sabres is what's on the night stand.

FN is a quality gun. The Ruger, is, a Ruger. A range gun, from a company that makes fine range toys, but nothing anyone ought to take too seriously. And the comparison was between the FN Five Seven, and a Springfield. Yes, a Springfield.