FNH FiveseveN 5.7

[el Godfather]

Dear THR,
I have purchased a FNH 5.7 pistol. I have not fired it much, but it weems quite accurate. I like the light weight and 20 round capacity, but the size is ungodly and odd. I have also hear that its magazines break with use because it has no steel inlays. Similar problem like those Mac10 plastic magazines had.

Anyways, I would like to hear from 5.7 users about their experience with this pistol. How good is it for SD? HD? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this pistol and caliber? How many of you had magazine breakages? Any other useful information would be appreciated as well.

Thanks

 

[gearhead]

I have an older Five-seveN, mine is an IOM model from the early 2000s and the magazines are fine.

The pistol is effective enough as a home defense weapon but it's not ideal. It has a noticeable muzzle flash and report, both of which should be minimized in a home defense weapon. It also could be prone to overpenetration but the SS-197 rounds have been known to fragment so that's a plus.

For self defense the only real drawback is the size. It's not the easiest pistol to conceal but I think it would be quite effective.

 

[mljdeckard]

(Where's that smiley for eating popcorn and watching?)

I do find it bulky, but I find a Beretta 92 bulky. You can conceal it if you want to, but it's going to be more than most people will want to. (This is coming from the who has at this very moment a full-size 1911 tucked in his waistband and wonders why most people think it's too big.)

I think you would have to put those magazines through a LOT of hard use to get them to malfunction in any way.

I quit worrying about capacity in a handgun a long time ago. If you get into a gunfight in MelGibsonLand where you think you are going to fire 15 or more straight shots without a break to reload, you are probably in more trouble than a handgun can get you out of anyway. (You probably need a platoon of Marine infantry at that point.)

Effectiveness is where we always throw down. The dazzling performance from this ammo comes when you use steel-core ammo. This ammo is not illegal, but it is not for sale to the general public. Without this, it is comparable in energy and diameter to a .22 mag fired from a rifle. Nowhere near the top of my list for a defensive gun. The round is very accurate even out to ranges way past normal handgun range.....where you would probably have a difficult time convincing anyone that it was a defensive necessity at all.

Other pistol calibers make holes exponentially larger. They are also very likely to completely traverse a human target. Unless I get into some lifestyle where I know I will regularly be attacked by people wearing body armor, or I will need to shoot through car doors, and I am in a position to load my own cartridges with steel-core bullets, I see no reason to use one defensively. (And in THOSE situations, I would rather have a rifle anyway.

Buy one if it floats your boat. Shoot the heck out of it. But don't kid yourself into thinking it can do things it can't do.

 

[DoomGoober]

I don't own a 5.7 but the few times I've fired it at the range, I loved it.

FN was marketing it as a good HD gun for women: http://www.everydaynodaysoff.com/2010/02/16/fn-five-seven-home-defense-for-women/

I could see why FN might market it this way: minimal recoil, tons of rounds, and reportedly minimal over-penetration, combined with reports of decent hyrdostatic shock (neural damage, a form of stopping power.)

A downside I could see is the damned muzzle flash, which may blind the shooter in low light conditions, while giving away the shooter's position. As with all firearms, I might prefer a DA/SA for high stress HD, but that's more about training than any true fault of the gun.

The main downside of the 5.7 is simply it's track record: It doesn't really have one when compared with, say, a well proven stopper like a .45 JHP -- a round which not only has been around much but is much more readily available and therefore "tried and true."

 

[LightningMan]

I have one and like it, but a PITA to reload for, if you want higher performance ammunition than the SS197, which seems to be all you can find besides that expensive Elite Ammunition stuff. That you may have to wait a while to get. The only issue on the magazines is that they do chip on the front end where the round is stripped out of the magazine. But it's really a non-issue because it doesn't seem to effect the way they work. LM

 

[usp9]

My mags are fine.

I would not have any problem using it to defend myself.

The round is very easy to shoot well and fast. I see no disadvantages.

It's loud, has a pretty impressive muzzle flash, some indoor ranges ban it's use, the gun is a blast to shoot, it's very easy to operate the controls, load and maintain. This gun stays cleaner than any other gun I've ever owned.

 

[Rodentman]

It's not hard to reload, just a few extra steps and extra time. I find it easier than the 357sig which gives me fits with neck tension. I am solid and confident with the 5.7 process. The sig makes me nervous.

 

[481]

(Where's that smiley for eating popcorn and watching?)

I do find it bulky, but I find a Beretta 92 bulky. You can conceal it if you want to, but it's going to be more than most people will want to. (This is coming from the who has at this very moment a full-size 1911 tucked in his waistband and wonders why most people think it's too big.)

I think you would have to put those magazines through a LOT of hard use to get them to malfunction in any way.

I quit worrying about capacity in a handgun a long time ago. If you get into a gunfight in MelGibsonLand where you think you are going to fire 15 or more straight shots without a break to reload, you are probably in more trouble than a handgun can get you out of anyway. (You probably need a platoon of Marine infantry at that point.)

Effectiveness is where we always throw down. The dazzling performance from this ammo comes when you use steel-core ammo. This ammo is not illegal, but it is not for sale to the general public. Without this, it is comparable in energy and diameter to a .22 mag fired from a rifle. Nowhere near the top of my list for a defensive gun. The round is very accurate even out to ranges way past normal handgun range.....where you would probably have a difficult time convincing anyone that it was a defensive necessity at all.

Other pistol calibers make holes exponentially larger. They are also very likely to completely traverse a human target. Unless I get into some lifestyle where I know I will regularly be attacked by people wearing body armor, or I will need to shoot through car doors, and I am in a position to load my own cartridges with steel-core bullets, I see no reason to use one defensively. (And in THOSE situations, I would rather have a rifle anyway.

Buy one if it floats your boat. Shoot the heck out of it. But don't kid yourself into thinking it can do things it can't do.

You've read my mind again, M.

Well put.

 

[barnbwt]

As far as mag lip chipping, I seem to recall they make slip on metal protectors. I don't drop my mags on the ground, so it shouldn't be an issue for me for a while.

The only issue I've had so far is that the (older paper-clip style) mag release spring can get pulled out by a round protruding from the mag during magazine insertion. Happened the second time out at the range, and tied up the gun (I didn't have the mag-release spring installation tool with me) until I got home with some needle nose pliers. One call to FNH about the issue (it is well known) and they sent me, free of charge, a new sheet metal spring that cannot be caught by pointy ballistic tip bullets, and a new metal mag release button (unneeded, my gun already had that).

New designs have glitches, and FNH made good on it, so I am happy.

Looking at the design and manufacture of the rest of the gun, that spring was glaringly poorly/cheaply designed; it literally looks like a piece of paper-clip .
The new one is a complicated shape cut from sheet steel, bent slightly at one end, and painted black; much more in keeping with FN's standards

TCB