FN Fiveseven

[artherd]

Now that the BATF has approved it and the non-AP ammo for civillian ('sporting' use), I was wondering if any THR members have *actually* fired one, and what they thought of it?

I would like one, but can't decide between the DAO (heavy trigger, no ext safetys.) and 'tactical (safety-equiped)' models. I'd like it as more than a novelty, and am looking at it as a possible CCW.

I recently shot a Sig 239 DA/SA, and the ('10lb') DA trigger pull was no detriment to my shooting.

 

[Blackcloud6]

I've never fired one but I got to handle one at an arms show a few years ago when it just came out. The pistol just fit right in my hand, very ergonomic.

Now, are they going to sell a semi-auto P-90 too? This is very neat fire arm!

 

[SDC]

I've fired one (along with the P90, at an FN demo), and it really didn't "do it" for me; it seemed like I was shooting a .22, in a package that was too big for the cartridge it was chambered in. Just my .02

 

[Snowdog]

I'd love to have the FN P90 as well, but if they don't offer the 50 round magazine, it wouldn't be worth the likely price tag it'll tote. The P90 with a 10 round mag just wouldn't do it for me.

What kind of ammunition would one use besides the typical 5.7x28mm SS190? I can't see it performing any better than our much cheaper .22WMR fodder. Heck, if the magazine capacity is limited by 500%, they might as well offer it in a larger caliber (ie 10mm).

 

[Okiecruffler]

Never fired one, but handled one yesterday. Local shop has one for about $875.Fits the hand well and points pretty good, but I just kept thinking "what's the point?" It is cool, but I'm not sure if it's $875 cool.

 

[Blackcloud6]

No, I wouldn't think its $875 cool either.

 

[keederdag]

That pistol reminds me of something a person that has never even held a gun would come up with. Chamber the round in something tiny, or get rid of the standard cap mag ban and it will sell.

 

[Telperion]

Do a search, I remember several people posting first-hand impressions. I think a common remark was that the trigger stinks.

 

[Nightcrawler]

So how is the "civvie" ammunition different than standard FN SS190 stuff?

 

[artherd]

The SS192 replaces the steel penetrator in the SS190, with a solid copper bullet that posesses a small hollow point (similar to a barnes X-bullet.)

The SS192 can be purchased from http://www.impactguns.com

Ballistics look signifigantly better than a .22mag. I like the idea of the flat trajectory, and am wondering how accurate it is?

 

[DougCxx]

...Ballistics look signifigantly better than a .22mag....

The 5.7x28 goes about 310 ft-lbs from the pistol and 400 ft-lbs out of the P90 (with about a twelve-inch barrel).
A 17HMR or 22WMR is about 160 ft-lbs out of an 8-inch revolver and 250 ft-lbs out of a 20-inch rifle barrel.
~

 

[Black Snowman]

The cool factor of the P90 is way up there but the "neatoness" drops way off with 10 round magazines

For my bullpup action urge I got a M17S. Cheap 30 round mags, relatively powerful and quite controllable cartridge that can be had cheap in bulk, short enough to manuver thorugh the house in a HD situation and a 21.5" barrel. I overpaid but I really enjoy that gun

My 55 gr HP Wolf ammo gives me around 3100 FPS at the muzzle for about 1175 ft-lbs of energy. Of course the gun is a bit hefty at 8.6 lbs and like most bullpups the barrel is way below the sight axis. Still fun gun.

 

[Snowdog]

Just to nitpick...

250 ft-lbs out of a 20-inch rifle barrel.

Negative.
Let's not sell our .22WMR short.

A 40gr .22WMR will typically achieve 1900 FPS from a 20" barrel, such as from my Remington 597.
This yields 320 FPE, which is what this cartridge is generally listed at across the board.
Not that 250FPE is off the mark exponentially, but 70 FPE does indeed make a difference when comparing such small numbers nonetheless.

 

[Nightcrawler]

Since you're losing the armor piercing capabilities, I'm not really seeing what this cartridge will do that a conventional handgun round won't.

 

[artherd]

Total muzzle energy is roughly equivlent to a hot 9mm, and the gun can hold 20 rounds (though this is less important with the 10 round ban, and the lack of any legal high-caps.)

Seems to have a rifle level trajectory as well, I would still like to know how accurate it is.


Can anyone describe the 'bad' trigger in more detail for those who have never handled one?

 

[SDC]

Artherd, to me it felt like a Glock without any of the Glock indicators that it's getting ready to fire; where a Glock gradually steps up the trigger pressure until there's a "step" past which it will fire, the Fiveseven had what felt like a more "single-actiony" feel to the trigger, only with a LONG pull. Probably doesn't tell you what you need to know, but that's the way it seemed to me.

 

[artherd]

SDC- actually, that tells me quite a bit, thank you! Did you fire the single-action, or DAO version of the Fiveseven? (you can easially tell, as the DAO has absolutely no external safetys, except the trigger of course

 

[mayonaise]

I've shot the FN Five Seven. Duluth, GA PD were some of the first issued the gun. A friend in the department let me run some ammo through it. He even shot our IDPA match with it. Zero recoil. Really crapy plastic sights and a trigger not worth writing home about. Other than the 20 round mags I'd rather carry my 1911 or Glock. Duluth also had the first shooting with the gun. Proved effective enough for a head shot.

 

[horge]

I always thought the whole point to the P90 and its companion piece Five-Seven was to serve as platforms for FN's hot little armor piercing 5.7 cartridge (eating up to CRISAT Level III, IIRC).

If they've dumbed-down the cartridge, then that seems to kick the legs out from under both firearms, even before we get to the issue of hobbling the P90 with a semiauto(?) limitation and a short mag (and just HOW would they manage that, I wonder? By "padding the bra" with a loooooong plastic block insert to maintain magazine length?)

 

[Black Snowman]

The trigger sounds just like the trigger on my M17S, which actually isn't too bad once you get used to it. By having less warning about when it's going to go off it leaves you to concentrate holding on target, and since the tension doesn't change you're not as likely to pull the gun off target as you need to change pressure on the grip.

Since I'm already used to long triggers from my Glock I don't have a problem with this style of trigger at all although I still prefer the nice light and short set trigger on my CZ 550

If the AWB sunsets and we can get standard capacity magazines then a P90 with a 16" barrel would be a fun gun to own and wouldn't set you back with a host of pointless taxes and laws hung on it Then the pistol might be neet to have just so you have a set

 

[mayonaise]

It occurs to me that the reason they are releasing the Five Seven to the civilian market is because it isn't well received in the law enforcement or military market.

Doraville, GA dumped it for the Glock 21. Only reason though that I've heard was whomever was contracted to make the holsters backed out. They got tired of waiting. They have kept the P90's however.

 

[SDC]

To get back to you, artherd, it was the DAO version; this was a military/police demo, and they were trying to "push" the "safety" aspect of the DAO.

 

[DougCxx]

...It occurs to me that the reason they are releasing the Five Seven to the civilian market is because it isn't well received in the law enforcement or military market....

-Well HK stuff does tend to carry healthy price tags--but then again it could have been an attack of the blindingly obvious: the P90 would be a fun toy, but for a police or combat arm the whole process of ejecting and inserting magazines stinks, plain and simple. It is WAY too complicated, far slower than ejecting and re-inserting in a Colt rifle (or any other "standard" type box-magazine-fed rifle) would be.
~

 

[longeyes]

Black Snowman

Don't mean to hijack this thread but two questions about the M17S:

How hard is it to clean?

Is the gas mechanism different from the AR-15?

 

[artherd]

Any more thoughts on the trigger on the single-action or DAO models?

Thanks!