vanfunk
Member
Hi All:
So my LGS was hosting a S&W rep for a day or two, and together they were really pushing the M&P line of pistols. The regular 9’s and 40’s and 45’s, though unquestionably good pistols, just don’t do anything for me. Attracting a bit of curiosity was the number shown below, the 5.7 pistol. I liked the funky action - it uses a barrel shroud and a rotating lockup design. I don’t think one can really call it “gas operated” but maybe “gas delayed” would apply? Gas is tapped from the barrel and directed around “baffles” or ridges on the barrel and then the locking lug turns to unlock the action. Kinda cool (not unique, other pistols have had somewhat similar designs going back a hundred years, but still). The ballistics of the 5.7 round, while not a screamer, does a legit 1600-1700 fps with 40 grain pills. The incentives they were offering brought it below my impulse buy threshold, so I bought it and took it straight to the range.
Initial impressions: the grip is long front to back to accommodate the length of the round, but narrow. I might get a slip-on rubber sleeve of some sort to fill the palm a little better. The magazines take 22 of the little rifle rounds, and the included mag loader works well once I figured it out, lol. The M&P trigger is very good for a striker-fired pistol (edit: the reason the trigger is so good is because it’s NOT striker fired, it has a hammer!) and breaks cleanly at about 5 lbs after the initial 1/4” of takeup. There’s little overtravel which I like, and prefer this to a Glock trigger (which I find mushy all the way through). There’s a little muzzle flip on firing but overall control is excellent, and the fast slide velocity brings the sights back lickety-split. Recoil is just a little more than .22LR. The 3-dot sights were well regulated from the factory for a 6 o’clock hold at 25 yards. Hits on plates at 25 and 50 yards were easy. The rounds are zippy for sure, but lack the momentum to push plates over reliably at 25 yards. The FN 40 grain ammo has 250 foot-pounds, same as a 158 grain .38, but those bullets pretty much evaporate on contact.
Verdict? I like it and I’m glad I have it. Hopefully now with FN, Ruger, S&W and PSA all making pistols in this caliber, ammo prices will start to come down. I’m not sure what I am going to DO with it, other than shoot it at the range. It may accompany me for coyote defense when I am walking the dogs in the hundred acre wood across the street, or my wife or daughter might steal it ‘cause it’s fun to shoot.
Anyway, enough of my yakin’, here it is:
So my LGS was hosting a S&W rep for a day or two, and together they were really pushing the M&P line of pistols. The regular 9’s and 40’s and 45’s, though unquestionably good pistols, just don’t do anything for me. Attracting a bit of curiosity was the number shown below, the 5.7 pistol. I liked the funky action - it uses a barrel shroud and a rotating lockup design. I don’t think one can really call it “gas operated” but maybe “gas delayed” would apply? Gas is tapped from the barrel and directed around “baffles” or ridges on the barrel and then the locking lug turns to unlock the action. Kinda cool (not unique, other pistols have had somewhat similar designs going back a hundred years, but still). The ballistics of the 5.7 round, while not a screamer, does a legit 1600-1700 fps with 40 grain pills. The incentives they were offering brought it below my impulse buy threshold, so I bought it and took it straight to the range.
Initial impressions: the grip is long front to back to accommodate the length of the round, but narrow. I might get a slip-on rubber sleeve of some sort to fill the palm a little better. The magazines take 22 of the little rifle rounds, and the included mag loader works well once I figured it out, lol. The M&P trigger is very good for a striker-fired pistol (edit: the reason the trigger is so good is because it’s NOT striker fired, it has a hammer!) and breaks cleanly at about 5 lbs after the initial 1/4” of takeup. There’s little overtravel which I like, and prefer this to a Glock trigger (which I find mushy all the way through). There’s a little muzzle flip on firing but overall control is excellent, and the fast slide velocity brings the sights back lickety-split. Recoil is just a little more than .22LR. The 3-dot sights were well regulated from the factory for a 6 o’clock hold at 25 yards. Hits on plates at 25 and 50 yards were easy. The rounds are zippy for sure, but lack the momentum to push plates over reliably at 25 yards. The FN 40 grain ammo has 250 foot-pounds, same as a 158 grain .38, but those bullets pretty much evaporate on contact.
Verdict? I like it and I’m glad I have it. Hopefully now with FN, Ruger, S&W and PSA all making pistols in this caliber, ammo prices will start to come down. I’m not sure what I am going to DO with it, other than shoot it at the range. It may accompany me for coyote defense when I am walking the dogs in the hundred acre wood across the street, or my wife or daughter might steal it ‘cause it’s fun to shoot.
Anyway, enough of my yakin’, here it is:
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