Why oh why am I lured to the 5.7?

Lennyjoe

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As much as I don’t want this cartridge, I’m still lured to buying a rifle in it. The Ruger PC or Sub 2K Gen 3 in the 5.7 just seems interesting to me. Heck even the PSA pistol is intriguing . I even have 500 empty cases ready to load, but no rifle or pistol to shoot them out of……yet.

Tell me why I should spend the $ to add one to my collection?
 
IMHO, the 5.7 owes its popularity to the shortsightedness of the developers of the .22TCM. Had they marketed that cartridge and had more guns and ammunition makers on board, I doubt the 5.7 would be around. The TCM ballistically is a better round. Whomever decided to keep it proprietary to Armscor should have lost their job.
 
Why?

Because "guns".

It's perfectly OK to buy another gun "just because". There doesn't have to be any real "need".

People buy to collect, for the esthetics, because it's the latest-and-greatest, it's blued, it's stainless, it's historic, it's military, it's popular, etc.

So if you want one "just because it's a 5.7", I say go for it.
 
IMHO, the 5.7 owes its popularity to the shortsightedness of the developers of the .22TCM. Had they marketed that cartridge and had more guns and ammunition makers on board, I doubt the 5.7 would be around. The TCM ballistically is a better round. Whomever decided to keep it proprietary to Armscor should have lost their job.
Pretty sure the 5.7 predates the .22TCM by a couple decades...?

I too have a strange urge to dive into 5.7, especially as ammo prices have fallen a bit.
I've just gotten out of 7.62X39, so Ive got room for it.

An AR57 with a Hera Arms stock set would be sooooo cooool!!!! 😊
 
Bottleneck pistol cartridges are always cool if only because they are uncommon and 5.7 is probably the only one with survivability. I would be very excited to see the 7.62x25 get the same love but I'll be happy to know some cartridge is getting the affection.
 
I stopped reloading 5.7 and eventually got out of the caliber. I'm a big guy with big hands, and reloading them is a pain. Heck, .223 makes my hands cramp up.

I switched to storebought ammo only, and eventually just sold the PSA Rock I was using it in.
 
I’m just wondering what purpose that round serves. I’m not a small game hunter and have plenty of .22 rifles and pistols. I have SBR’s in different calibers (9MM, .300 BO) and a bunch of .223 rifles so what would I use the 5.7 for? Also, if things go south that rifle would quickly become OBE because of the limited amount of ammunition because it’s not a common caliber.

only thing I can think of it’s a niche round that I don’t currently have.
 
I thought about this round in a rifle as well.. my thought was a nice little critter gun in-between 17hmr/22mag and 223. Finally got off the kick and you can get ammo cheaper for the others, 223 is Easier to reload and you can get far cheaper better rifles.
 
Intriguing little round. Shoots flat, very little recoil, holds a lot of bullets. Tricky to reload for; the adjustment of the sizing die is quite different from anything you've loaded for; most platforms push the shoulder far enough forward on ignition that you can see the difference on the fired case. Most platforms need the proprietary coating on the case. While I've fired several FN pistols over the years (and helped a friend reload for his), I didn't buy one until the S&W 5.7 came out. I was interested in the twisting barrel and gas operation. Because of that the cases for it don't care about the coating. My RCBS sizer die slowly scrapes the coating off, leaving a small pile of amber shavings. As a practical matter it is difficult to justify over a 9mm, and it doesn't suppress as well as a nine due to the supersonic bullet, but it's still a lot of fun to mess with. If you don't do this, on your death bed many years from now, surrounded by family and friends, your last words will be, "Dang, wish I'da bought the 5.7..."
 
I like the idea a lot, but have managed to avoid the siren call of the weirdness. I’m still drawn to to the little bitty rounds for some reason I can’t put a finger on. 20 practical is my insatiable desire but I can’t find the right stuff yet. It will probably be my first custom contender barrel.
 
I’m just wondering what purpose that round serves. I’m not a small game hunter and have plenty of .22 rifles and pistols. I have SBR’s in different calibers (9MM, .300 BO) and a bunch of .223 rifles so what would I use the 5.7 for? Also, if things go south that rifle would quickly become OBE because of the limited amount of ammunition because it’s not a common caliber.

only thing I can think of it’s a niche round that I don’t currently have.
I know, Im struggling to justify it too..

I suppose as a "Walking Home" gun, an AR57 makes some sense since you'd have 50 rounds on board without needing an extra magazine, and 20+ in a handgun. It works better in an unsuppressed SBR than 5.56.....

It's a pretty flimsy excuse, I know. Lol.
 
The Dark Mountain Stowaway in 5n7 got me interested. The rifle, not the round. Buying the rifle would mean shooting the 5n7. I got the dies, bullets and more 5n7 brass than I will use in a bulk buy several years ago. After looking at rifle, the 5n7 in a single shot for a old man? I have spent more for worse.
 
Pretty sure the 5.7 predates the .22TCM by a couple decades...?

I too have a strange urge to dive into 5.7, especially as ammo prices have fallen a bit.
I've just gotten out of 7.62X39, so Ive got room for it.

An AR57 with a Hera Arms stock set would be sooooo cooool!!!! 😊
It probably does, but it hasn't been a "mainstream" round up until the last 5 to 7 years. Or am I wrong on this?
 
S&W 57 and Ruger LC carbine. Reloading isn’t that big a deal. Plan to take on my next pdog trip for giggles. I actually strip the coating off in pin tumbler. Run fine in the S&W. Have to put 5 rounds less in the carbine then runs fine.
 
I bought the PSA 5.7 Rock last year when it was on sale and I couldn't come up with a reason not to buy it. It's something different... that's about all I can say about it. It kinda has a Tokarov approach in that its a bottleneck pistol round with higher than average velocity for a handgun cartridge.

Back when the FN version was the only thing you could find it in, I wasn't really interested... but now that more options have come up why not? I guess I blame capitalism and that danged competitive market! :)
 
It is a great little round, until you try to reload it. If you are thinking about it you need to stop right now at this moment and buy it.
 
I think I would love a 5.7 carbine, which is why I don't own one. Ammo is too expensive and I don't need more reloading projects than I already have
 
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