Herstal 5.7

[DrLewall]

I've read on other forums a little abt the Herstal 5.7 and how many seem to think that it's more or less a $1000 22cal..and basically, they are correct I guess. But the more I look at one and lust for one, I really want one..I have plent of 45's here in which to choose from for EDC, not sure if I would carry the 5.7 as I would be a wee bit leary of going beyond intended target if I ever had to us eit for self defense, but good golly Miss Molly, I WANT ONE! So watcha think?

 

[hwhite1725]

FN Herstal makes great guns, that is the bottom line, and the 5.7 is just that, a great gun. I am good friends with a regional production manager for FN (he actually owns and operates the training company I work for) so I have seen a bit more of the inside workings of FN but they make fantastic, accurate and dependable firearms. In fact, a very large percentage of the US militarys small arms are now FN products, like the M249 SAW and the GAU-21. As far as the 5.7 pistol is concerned, FN did a great job and the idea is sound, but the problem is in the ammunition. The gun was designed to fire the SS190 duty round which has a steel penetrator and an aluminum core. This round will penetrate IIIA body armor at 50 meters from the 5.7 pistol and 200 meters from the P90 subgun but once it encounters a soft body, i.e. human flesh, the projectile tumbles, causing a much bigger wound channel than its 5.7mm diameter while limiting over-penetration. Basically, they say that the SS190 projectile will go in and stay in whether the target is armored or not. While this is good, civilian use of the SS190 is prohibited meaning you have to make do with a standard jacketed hollowpoint or a hunting round which can have over-penetration issues as well as a small wound channel.

All this aside, the 5.7 is a great pistol and I will have one someday soon.

 

[whiskey]

FN Herstal makes great guns, that is the bottom line, and the 5.7 is just that, a great gun. I am good friends with a regional production manager for FN (he actually owns and operates the training company I work for) so I have seen a bit more of the inside workings of FN but they make fantastic, accurate and dependable firearms. In fact, a very large percentage of the US militarys small arms are now FN products, like the M249 SAW and the GAU-21. As far as the 5.7 pistol is concerned, FN did a great job and the idea is sound, but the problem is in the ammunition. The gun was designed to fire the SS190 duty round which has a steel penetrator and an aluminum core. This round will penetrate IIIA body armor at 50 meters from the 5.7 pistol and 200 meters from the P90 subgun but once it encounters a soft body, i.e. human flesh, the projectile tumbles, causing a much bigger wound channel than its 5.7mm diameter while limiting over-penetration. Basically, they say that the SS190 projectile will go in and stay in whether the target is armored or not. While this is good, civilian use of the SS190 is prohibited meaning you have to make do with a standard jacketed hollowpoint or a hunting round which can have over-penetration issues as well as a small wound channel.

All this aside, the 5.7 is a great pistol and I will have one someday soon.

+1 to that. If you "know a guy" you can get the good stuff anyway ; )

 

[tattedupboy]

Is overpenetration an issue with the rounds this pistol shoots? I've read ballistics statistics for this gun, and the bullet velocities are comparable to those of rifles.

 

[kwo51]

Have a friend here in Fl that wants to trade his 57 for a 45 .Shooting cost to high,to big for ccw

 

[fivesevenusg]

i carry the fiveseven every single day...and im going to be honest with you...its a big gun for conceilment. but its absolutly worth it. and as far as over penetration goes, the bullet is actually designed to NOT

 

[fivesevenusg]

sorry got trigger happy... it is designed to NOT over penetrate. which makes the stoping power of it astronomical. when you break it down to impact you basically have a very small projectile traveling at 2300 fps or more in some cases and then coming to a complete stop inside the target...massive damage. i cant get enough of this gun. but be prepared to spend a CRAP TONE OF MONEY of the ammo. in SC a box of 50 rounds just went from 21.50 to $29...completly stupid. for christmass i am buying my self the PS90 simbly because it is the big brother carbine for the five seven and they are just ment ot go together...but again the ammo...i mean the p90 holds 50 rounds...thirts dollars every clip. prety intense. but i say go for it...it is well worth the investment. oh and if you have the extra money to spend...you can get the fiveseven IOM...very rare..

GunsAmerica - FN FIVE SEVEN ''IOM'' 5.7X28cal. FACTORY N.I.B. - FNH - Fabrique Nationale (FN) Pistols > High Power Type - Guns For Sale & Gun Auctions B"H

 

[PascalFleischman]

Check with your local gun range if you can fire the 5.7 round. The place I go is insured by a company that prohibits it, because it is an "armor piercing" round. Basically, it'll probably go through their indoor backstop at some point or another. There is a trailer park behind it, so I'm sure the neighbors wouldn't be keen on the idea. Sounds like an awesome gun, though.

 

[fivesevenusg]

Check with your local gun range if you can fire the 5.7 round. The place I go is insured by a company that prohibits it, because it is an "armor piercing" round. Basically, it'll probably go through their indoor backstop at some point or another. There is a trailer park behind it, so I'm sure the neighbors wouldn't be keen on the idea. Sounds like an awesome gun, though.

you are right about calling your gun range and checking it out first because the whole insurance thing is very real...how ever...as a civilian you can not "LEAGALY" own the armor piercing rounds. the only ammo available to civillian's is the sporting round, and at that long of a distance...its not going to get through their barrier. believe me..i have done many ballistic test with this round to see its true capability...and its f-ing amazing what it can do...but at short range..at least with the sporting round

 

[tattedupboy]

Damnit, you guys! You're making me want to forego my next couple of rent payments to purchase one of these!

 

[fivesevenusg]

thats pretty much what i did and at first i was like....this is just too much money...but the second i shot it i knew that it was sooooooo well worth it

 

[wolfhunter]

Buy a .22WMR, more bang for the buck.

From The Armory
5.7x28mm 40-gr V-MAX (Blue Tip) FN ammo SS197SR (50 rds)
$24.95
10700017

5.7x28mm FN Ammunition
The 5.7 x 28 mm cartridge was designed for pistols, submachine guns, personal defense weapons and carbines. It was developed by Fabrique Nationale Herstal (FN Herstal), Belgium and primarily marketed to European militaries for use by vehicle crewmen, artillery personnel and combat engineers and as a military and law enforcement round that has more effective performance against modern body armor when compared with traditional pistol caliber ammunition. The ammo for the civilian market WILL NOT penetrate Level IIA and Level IIIA Kevlar, Kevlar 129 or Spectra vests, contrary to popular myth put originated by misguided politicians and gun control advocates trying to advance their agenda. Ballistically, the 5.7 round is very similar to the .22 WMR (Winchester Magnum Rimfire) round.
The 5.7x28mm rounds are bottle-necked cartridges with .224 inch (5.7 mm) bullets and come in several versions. 5.7 ammunition is characterized by high muzzle velocity and low recoil, and were designed to be more effective against modern body armor when used in pistols, submachine guns, or carbines.

The following is a list of civilan rounds manufactured for the 5.7 x 28mm caliber.

SS195LF Sporting Round
The SS195LF (LF denotes lead-free) cartridge features a lead-free primer, and lead-free bullet with similar ballistics to the SS192 round. It features a .224 inch (5.7 mm, same diameter as .223 Remington) 28-grain (1.77 g) copper-jacketed, aluminum-core bullet. The SS195LF cartridge may be identified by the unmarked, hollow void at the tip and the silver-colored lead-free primer. The silver-colored primer is the distinguishing feature from brass-colored primer of the now-discontinued SS190 round. SS195LF is one of only two types of ammunition currently available to civilians. Note: Some PS90 operators may experience intermittent problems with SS195LF lot FNB06C971-016.

Specifications:
Bullet Type: JHP Lead Free
Length: 40.5mm (1.6 in)
Weight of Round: 6.15 g (95 gr.)
Weight of Projectile: 1.8 g (28 gr.)
Muzzle Velocity: P90 (2132 fps) - Five-seveN (1890 fps)
Muzzle Energy: P90 (282 ft-lbs) – Five-seveN (222 ft-lbs)

SS197SR Sporting Round
The SS197SR is manufactured by Fiocchi under contract for FN Herstal. The SS197 cartridge uses the same 40-grain (2.6 g) .224 inch (5.7 mm) Hornady V-Max projectile as the SS196SR, but it is loaded for a slightly higher muzzle velocity. The bullets have a blue-colored polycarbonate tip. The SS197SR boxes can be distinguished by their packaging with modern FN blue and black labels. With the discontinuation of the SS196 round, SS197SR is now the one of the last two loads available to civilians.

Specifications:
Function: Sporting Round
Bullet Type: V-Max Ballistic Tip
Tip Color: Blue
Length: 40.5mm (1.6 in)
Weight of Round: 105 gr.
Weight of Projectile: 40 gr.