FN Herstal 5.7 Pistol

[StewNTexas]

Was at the local gun range/pasture a few days ago. My daughter was practicing with her new .380, and I was trying to figure out why the last cartridge in the magazine would not load properly.

Would fail to feed on the last one only. Tried with a full mag, with five in it, also with two.

I pulled mag apart, gave the inside of it a good swabbing with light oil, then with clean patches until I got no residue. The spring seemed a bit weak (short) so I gave it a decent pull to increase the length. Assembled it, and it started working correctly. She tried it out with different amounts in the mag., and the all fed correctly.

There was a guy there, down about 10 feet, with what looked like a full suitcase of handguns. He laid out some towels and about ten handguns, and a PILE of ammo.

He had watched what we had been doing, and asked her if she would like to try a different pistol. He mentioned that she was having a bit of flip from the recoil, and what he had hit strong, but had little if any recoil. He then showed that it was unloaded, magazine removed, and asked her to hold it. It was very light, and while larger in size than what she was shooting, it was lighter and easier for her to hold.

Well, it was an FN Herstal 5.7 x 28mm with a 20 round magazine. FN does not really call it a 5.7, they use the term of
"Five-SeveN", the two capital letters which are their initials, FN.

This thing has quite a loud report, but little if any recoil. A very small projectile, along with quite a bit of powder, makes a very fast bullet. She made a better score, from a greated distance, than she did with her own pistol. Of course, she fell in love with it. Said she had to have one. When he informed her that they cost around $1,200, she said she would just tell her husband she wanted one. Good luck with that. I can say that her dad will not be helping her out with this. I was surprised that the ammo cost about $20 for a box of 50, which is not terrible, but the brass cannot be reloaded.

I also went through one magazine, and this is one fine shooting pistol. As we had gone through almost a box of ammo, I tried to pay him for it. He would not hear of it. He opened his other range bag, and had about 10 more boxes as backup.

He was a relatively large fellow, and said he sometimes carries it as his concealed pistol. It seems a bit long for that purpose to me, but it sure would tear one hell of a hole in whatever he hit.

Just another good day at the range, meeting more nice people....

[RockingRook]

The FN shoots a very fast bullet. I think it is basically a 22 mag.

For CCW I do not know about that. I believe it has only about 225 ft/lbs of energy which puts it on the very low end.
Less than the 9mm and less than a .38 special!!

The cost of ammo and the cost of the weapon is kind of expensive.

Chuck

[wgoforth]

It is actually the gun Major Hasan used to kill 13 of his fellow soldiers at Fort Hood acouple of years ago. Very good but expensive gun. As suggested, it is essentially a tweaked .22 magnum which would be quite a bit cheaper.

[RockingRook]

It is actually the gun Major Hasan used to kill 13 of his fellow soldiers at Fort Hood acouple of years ago. Very good but expensive gun. As suggested, it is essentially a tweaked .22 magnum which would be quite a bit cheaper.

I am sure it will kill people. A .22 long used to be the weapon of choice for mafia hit men. Not much
noise but it does the job.

As a CCW I would not want one. I carry one of my .40 cal and have a couple of 9mms with +P
can't see myself carrying a .22

Chuck

[Crossfire]

Yes, the 5.7 round is like a souped up .22. But centerfire, and it IS reloadable. Which is what you need to do if you are going to shoot much of it, because with standard 20 round mags, and optional 30 round mags, you can go through $100 worth of ammo in less time than it takes to say "Holy cow, that was fun!"

BTW, you can pick up used pistols for in the $700-$800 range, if you look around. I wouldn't let mine go for that, but I have heard others who might.

[karder]

Good day at the range indeed! The FiveseveN is the easiest pistol to accurately shoot that I have ever handled. I really like the caliber too. Excellent penetration and a flat shooting round with minimal recoil and a big magazine. I think comparing it to .22 magnum is a bit of an apples and oranges comparison. .223 is basically a .22 caliber as well, but it is a whole different ball of wax, and no one would compare an AR with a Marlin 60. The 5.7 is its own caliber and has its own characteristics. The price is a bit steep, but I have to think it is only a matter of time before another manufacturer builds a platform for this round.

[RockingRook]

I am sure they are fun to shoot but are they good as a CCW?

The energy that they produce is on the low end, no?

Chuck

[MadMonkey]

The .22 Magnum is nowhere near the 5.7X28, especially out of a pistol. We just had a recent discussion on this.

Also, check out Elite Ammunition's offerings. They have some rounds that will hit 2,600fps out of the Five Seven, and go through 30 layers of Kevlar and still penetrate 8" into ballistic gelatin (at least I think that penetration was out of the pistol, could have been out of the PS90 where it hits 3,340fps and 666ft lbs).

Even the SS197 round is significantly hotter than the .22WMR.

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2009 ... -5-7x28mm/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There are also multiple gel tests on Youtube that show massive hydrostatic shock as well. I believe that the .22WMR vs 5.7X28 started as a rumor and snowballed from there, same as the "high overpenetration" myth about it as well.

Sorry, but there's a bunch of ammo misconceptions that kinda get my goat I'm not an expert, BTW. I've just researched the round a little.

[StewNTexas]

I really agree to this not being a good CCW. Large and long, but with 20+1, I sure would not want to face one. I understand that due to the relatively light projectile, and the amount of energy, many if not all of the shots would cause a great deal of tumble.

I may have been dreaming, but I thought I saw a rifle in this caliber with a 50 round magazine. Now that sounds like fun.

[dev_null]

2300 fps, but only about 340 ft/lbs due to small bullet. Better than that with the P90 carbine, of course.

You can get similar cover-defeating penetration in a much less expensive package with the CZ vz. 52, which uses the 7.62x25 (aka .30 Tok.) cartridge. Usually available for less than $250 and is C&R listed. 1700 fps and 760 ft/lbs (FMJ).

[CC Italian]

Fired one and it was fun but I would never carry one! It is way to big! Makes my Glock 20 seem like a compact!

[Dave2]

Fired one and it was fun but I would never carry one! It is way to big! Makes my Glock 20 seem like a compact!

Huh... seemed the other way around to me.

(FWIW, both guns are on my to-get list)

[CC Italian]

It was lighter then my 20 but it seemed a little longer in length and higher in height. I guess it didn't seem as well balanced. Width was about the same. Fully loaded you could tell it weighed more then my brothers Glock 17 fully loaded! Grip is almost as big as my 20sf. My girlfriend couldn't even hold it but she can shoot my brothers G17 easily. It was very accurate and fun but for the cost and it's size I would rather have 15+1 of my 10mm. I am pretty sure it could over penetrate like crazy to. I have seen a lot of them in pawn shops and in gun stores used. I don't know it's cool don't get me wrong but for that money I wouldn't buy one. It's something to take out to the range and impress people with like a 460mag or 50AE. Flash bang effect.

[CC Italian]

If you want another one of those shock and awe rounds try out the 9x25 Dillion. It is another round that really has no real benefit over a .357sig or 9mm+P but is louder and has more muzzle flash then any other semi auto I have ever shot. You couldn't here my 10mm or my buddys .357 mag over the thing. I think you would go blind at night if you shot it!

[JALLEN]

I am sure it will kill people. A .22 long used to be the weapon of choice for mafia hit men. Not much
noise but it does the job.

Chuck

..22 short reputedly.... at least in one instance.

Ever see "Casino," the movie? There is a scene in which the Joe Pesci character (based on Anthony Spilotro) runs into a woman's kitchen and whacks her, because she had Blitherer's disease (the symptoms are that every thought that entered her head rolled out her mouth!). That was a reenactment of an actual murder here of a prominent gynecologist's wife, Tamara Rand, who was an investor with the actual character the movie was based on, Allen Glick,a San Diego lawyer who had purchased several casinos with Teamster loans. http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2001 ... nds-these/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; tells the story, and more besides. Glick and Rand were good customers of ours at the title company where I was a lawyer at the time.

The murder involved putting three bullet holes behind her ear at point blank range. .22 shorts were used, according to stories in the press at the time.