5.7 Pistol

[pop pop]

Does anyone have any experience with the 5.7 pistol? Just read an article, by James Tarr in Dec 24 Guns and Ammo magazine about the Caliber. If memory serves me that shooter that shot up Fort Hood used a 5.7. It was quite effective there. Tarr said he was in a class with a man from USCCA and he told James they were involved with a shooting by one of their members, and the round was very effective in that self-defense situation. 

Has anyone shot one? The stats on the caliber is really up there in good standing with some rifle ballistics. Also was tested in gelatin and it performed adequately (12" penetration consistently) from a 40 gr HP used in the test. Tarr said it was not much more punishing than shooting a 22 LR load and far less recoil than 9 MM. 

It appears there are several ammo companies offering both practice and S D ammo for the caliber, so my interest is aroused. Not getting younger you know. Arthritis and everything detrimental to good shooters in creeping in on me. 

Wondering if this is a real option for self-defense purposes for older persons who may have difficulties with 9 MM and above. 

[Defender]

Can’t answer your question, but the round has always intrigued me.  I had a friend that had kne years ago, the FN model, and he hardly ever shot it because the ammo was high, plus there were hardly any holsters made for it. I’m sure the ammo is cheaper now, and I imagine there are better holster selections now that other gun manufacturers are making guns in that caliber. I think I saw that S&W is making one and I know Ruger is too as well as Keltec. Only concern I might had would be overpenetration.  But the lrecoil you mentioned is certainly an attraction.

[ken_mays]

I have had the FN pistol for a few years, but I haven't shot it very much due to the cost of ammo, which has stayed above 5.56x45 in price.  

I'm not going to say much about the ballistics other than it will probably get the job done given proper shot placement, but here are the pros and cons as I see it.

Pro: Lightweight, 20+1 ammo capacity, light recoil, accurate

Con: Bulky for its size due to polymer overlay construction, weird safety lever location, magazine safety, cost, difficult to reload ammo for it

[Johnny Rotten]

holding out for this

 

[Scotty]

That will give you the ballistics. 
 

The PSA rock has gotten good reviews for what it’s worth. I want to say I saw one of there kind of always rotating blem sales of a package with 5-10 mags for $400 plus the outrageous psa shipping and theft within the last 3 weeks. 
 

Ammo has come down significantly. Same or cheaper than 5.56 now that aac retooled and started producing. 

[Erich]

The patent expired about 5 years ago, so other manufacturers are pushing it now they have something “new” to offer.  I’d say rent or borrow one first. 

I had my FN 5.7 for a few years. It wasn’t a great gun imo. The recoil was very light, absolutely. But the ergonomics and size were bad for a pistol. It was more about the novelty of the rifle velocity ballistics.

Like a good portion of others that had them before the patent expired, I sold it to a member here a few years ago. 

Would I get another now that they are 1/3 to half the cost?  I don’t see it. Ruger was first out of the gate and I scratched my head that they just knocked off the FN including its bad trigger. While the ammo is cheaper, it’s not cheap.  

I have hard time justifying it over say an AR pistol in the home defense scenario. much more adaptable. cheaper ammo, more capacity,  and will make things just as dead

If the ammo drops to sub AR prices and they offer some more interesting platforms that are clear improvements / ergos over things so close to the FN, it would offer more draw imo.

[JustEd]

Good evaluation, Erich

[pop pop]

Thanks for the post guys. Doesn't seem a likely pistol caliber I would want to go too. I have the 9's and 38/357 mag. 

[pop pop]

I watched the video in Scotty's post. Looks like, if these guys test can be trusted, the 9 MM had a very slight advantage over the 5.7. The 5.7, most likely, would be an improvement over a 22 LR should someone need less recoil than the 9 MM and 38 Spl has.

We just don't know how disabled we may become as old age sets in. I know my father had Rheumatoid Arthritis, and his fingers became so drawn he had problems holding and firing a pistol, so he went to a shotgun before he passed. He was always an excellent shot with the model 10 38 Spl he owned. He passed at age 75. Thank God I don't have his flavor of Arthritis. I have austieo(S) Arthritis. 

Edited top add; At 77 I still shoot the 9 MM and 357 Mag DPX pretty well but know it the next day firing the 357. 

Edited Friday at 02:26 PM by pop pop

[1gewehr]

I'm still a believer in making bigger holes.  Pistol ammo incapacitates by either hitting a major nerve bundle or letting lots of blood out.  A larger diameter bullet has a greater chance of achieving one of those goals.

Of course, I also still believe Jeff Cooper's maxim that the purpose of a pistol is to let you fight your way to a rifle or shotgun.

[Erich]

pop pop, next time you are out running around you should go hold one in a shop to see how well you can wrap around and how it feels. Then consider how your grip will change overtime. The round drives mags to be longer front to back which means grips are extended. Its why so many have the brick feel to em.

One of the driving factors for the round was to defeat body armor. FN wanted it to be adopted more widely at inception. Its designated AP rounds are restricted, but some of the non AP could do it. Not to many home invaders use body armor

The late great Paul Harrell had a good vid or two on it if you are still looking to confirm / deny. He had a good analogy as I recall. Its like a pair of snap ring plies, only good at one thing, nothing else.

[scatman]

I've done some ballistic testing with 5.7 on my own and done comparisons to other rounds, imo 5.7 is great for a precisely placed shot, but it's a round that is very projectile type dependent, the newer generations of FN's models have been greatly improved, but I feel the original 1st gen had the best size for edc, though it lacked on many other aspects, rough trigger, not so smooth pull. S&W's M&P 5.7 is actually a great competitor to the market, it boasts a slim design that allows a firm grip even for those with smaller hands. I like their frame design over Ruger's, but due to the M&P's newness, it doesn't have much aftermarket as opposed to Ruger's or the FN. New gen FN models come optic ready as well, which makes their current price point compared to other 5.7's much more appealing. In total, here's my advice, find a place that has either or, if not both, and shoot both an FN and S&W model. Outside of all that, I still carry my Kimber Ultra in .45 every day because she's never let me down and I've never heard a story of a guy taking  multiple rounds of .45 and still be standing, just saying.