FNH Five-seveN

[seadog]

I am thinking of buying a Five-seven for a carry. I am hearing different information, some say the slug tumbles and there is little chance it will exit and hit someone else. I have also heard that the bullet will just go right through because of its high velocity. Does anyone have any good information about this gun?

[The Annoyed Man]

Ask Nidal Hasan. That said, I saw an interview of one of his victims — a young guy who had been shot in both legs, one arm, and in the chest with Hasan's bullets. He stayed in the fight, and he dragged a couple of other wounded people to safety under his own power, with a chest wound from an FN 5.7 bullet. He had a pneumothorax and required a chest tube to reduce it, but he was out of the hospital and walking around just 3 or 4 days later. I was suitably impressed with him, and not so impressed with the cartridge as a self defense round. I'm not offering to bet my next paycheck on it, but I suspect that other more traditional handgun cartridges (9mm, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, etc.) might actually have been more effective if fired in an equal number of rounds to what Hasan fired.... but I'm willing to be corrected on that if I'm wrong. He killed a lot of people, but even given the high casualty count of 43 total, he "only" killed a fraction more than 30% of his victims. I don't know if that is a testimony to the survivors' good luck, or a testimony to the 5.7 being over-rated.

OTH, it might be the perfect thing for blowing up squirrels and prairie dogs.

[WildBill]

I think that the value of this round, due to it's small caliber and low recoil, is that it is easier to consistently hit a target than with a more powerful cartridge. It's almost like a handgun version of the 5.56 X 45 mm or .223 Remington.

If a smaller version of the gun were available I would certainly carry it over a .22 LR, .32 ACP and probably over a .380 ACP. However, due to the overall length, I don't think that it is possible to design a compact handgun that will function reliablily with the FN 5.7 X 28 cartridge.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

seadog:

A Five Seven (so many ways to describe it!!) is a rather unique pistola
in that the round it carries is somewhat akin to a military round, but here's
a few things to think about:

1. Where are you going to get ammo in quantity for this 5.7 x 28 MM weapon?
2. The gun will run + or - $1,000. For that money you could move into a nice 1911,
and still have some money for .45 ammo that's more available. And maybe enough
for a BUG as well.

Happy shopping. Let us all know what you decide to do.

SIA

[WildBill]

seadog:

A Five Seven (so many ways to describe it!!) is a rather unique pistola
in that the round it carries is somewhat akin to a military round, but here's
a few things to think about: ... SIA

Yes, but the 9 mm and .45 ACP are also military rounds. One never knows which will survive.

[Rex B]

For the money, I'll wait for the Keltec PMR-30.
30 rounds of .22 WMR for a third what the FN costs.
ballistics are similar unless yu can score some of the AP 5.7 military ammo.

[seadog]

Good info so far, Thanks. I did hear that the ammo was feast or famine. I am also looking at the Sig P250, any one have any experience with this pistol?

[Y2bad4u]

I think that the value of this round, due to it's small caliber and low recoil, is that it is easier to consistently hit a target than with a more powerful cartridge. It's almost like a handgun version of the 5.56 X 45 mm or .223 Remington.

Thats the exact reason for it being made I believe. A rifle round in a small package, hence the P90. Easier and smaller to carry than a AR but with the recoil and almost the power of the AR. My LEO buddy loves the P90 and its a cool gun, but not a fan of it or the bullet. They keep them in their squad cars where the shotguns used to go, but with the center consoles they have in them now, you couldn't fit or maneuver anything bigger than a P90 in there. Maybe the new piston type AR with the folding stocks. Like the SIG.

[stroo]

Actually a 30% death rate is pretty high for gunshot wounds. From various sources I have seen on the web the death rate from handgunshot wounds ranges a little above 15% for wounds to the body and about 90% for wounds to the head. Shotgun and rifle wound have higher death rates, I have seen 67% for shotguns in one place. So the 30% death rate for Hasan's 5.7 is pretty significant.

[karder]

I am really interested in the Five-seveN as an addition to my collection, but I see it as a specialty tool. The gun is a bit on the large size for CC, but it certainly could be done. It is a high capacity, reliable, accurate carry piece that has some body armor piercing capability when loaded with the correct ammo.

When it first came out, I read that it was designed as a military side arm for applications where a carbine might not be available due to size constraints such as pilots and medics who have limited space. They can, in theory, carry a high capacity side arm with a couple of spare mags and have 60 rounds on their person without taking up a lot of space/weight. If they crash and come under fire, they would have a weapon that could help them hold off a ground attack until rescue arrives. I see how it could be valuable in this kind of a application. FN was really looking for military sales with this pistol design.

For standard self-defense or even police work, I agree with the guys who say that their are likely better tools for the job. There are a lot of top notch, high capacity pistols in calibers that are probably better for up close, personal defense. If I am not crouched behind a rock holding off insurgents while praying for air support, I would probably pack a .45. That being said, I find the Five-seveN a really interesting piece and would like to add one to my collection.

[WildBill]

I am really interested in the Five-seveN as an addition to my collection, but I see it as a specialty tool. The gun is a bit on the large size for CC, but it certainly could be done. It is a high capacity, reliable, accurate carry piece that has some body armor piercing capability when loaded with the correct ammo.

For standard self-defense or even police work, I agree with the guys who say that their are likely better tools for the job. There are a lot of top notch, high capacity pistols in calibers that are probably better for up close, personal defense. If I am not crouched behind a rock holding off insurgents while praying for air support, I would probably pack a .45. That being said, I find the Five-seveN a really interesting piece and would like to add one to my collection.

In this situation, if you had plenty of ammo, the Five-seveN would be a great weapon to have.

[seadog]

The question still is; what happens to the bullet? I know what my Golden Saber JHP is designed to do, what does this bullet do once it enters?

[WildBill]

The question still is; what happens to the bullet? I know what my Golden Saber JHP is designed to do, what does this bullet do once it enters?

The correct answer is "it depends." Depending on what it hits, the bullet could either stay inside or exit.

[karder]

It is very hard to say what a bullet will do. While I was in Iraq, as a contractor, I saw the medic bring in a solider who had been shot in the neck with a .223 round by a shooter from a rooftop. Somehow, the bullet tumbled and passed through his body, breaking his pelvis and exiting out his buttock. Poor guy had lost a lot of blood and was in terrible shape. The medics were all amazed by the bullet's path. That is the danger of a small, fast moving round. They seem to be much less predictable than a slow, heavy bullet.
The 5.7x28mm round was designed to travel very fast and penetrate light armor. I think both scenarios you mention could easily happen. If the bullet strikes a bone, it will likely tumble. If it just hits flesh, you could be looking at an over penetration problem. Standard self-defense hollow points are engineered to be predictable.
Another important consideration is that you can't legally by full power 5.7x28mm, which the pistol is designed to fire. You have to buy lower power "sporting" rounds. I don't know that your ballistics will be much better than a 9mm with the sporting rounds but I havn't seen the specs on those bullets.

[CompVest]

FWIW, I shot one extensively two years ago and I can say that I thought the recoil was about the same as a 9mm. The round has a pretty good punch for the bullet size. The gun is rather top heavy leading to more muzzle flip then say a Glock or an M&P in 9mm.

The PS90 was awesome though!