F/N Five Seven: All hype or awesome gun?

[Old_School]

I sold mine to finance another project. But I must say, it's an AWESOME gun. Recoil is about like a .22LR. Stopping power is like a 5.56 NATO round. You can carry it IWB... accurate as hell... the list goes on. If I had endless $$, I'd add one back to my collection today.

I'm not convinced the stopping power is any where close to the 5.56. Here's a chart of ballistics comparing it to a .22 Magnum. Keep in mind, these ballistics are from a 16" bbl, not a short-barreled pistol:

Cartridge	Weight	Muzzle Velocity	Muzzle Energy
5.7×28 SS190 AP FMJ	32 gr (2.1 grams)	2,350 ft/s (716 m/s)	397 ft·lb (538 Joules)
.22 Magnum HP	30 gr (1.9 grams)	2,200 ft/s (670 m/s)	322 ft·lb (437 Joules)
5.7×28 SS197SR JHP	40 gr (2.6 grams)	1,950 ft/s (594 m/s)	340 ft·lb (461 Joules)
.22 Magnum JHP	40 gr (2.6 grams)	1,910 ft/s (580 m/s)	324 ft·lb (439 Joules)

Why not a Grendel, instead? Or the more recent Keltec PMR-30 offering? Just sayin'...

 

[B. Byrd]

I got one in a trade. Was really excited about. Took it home and shot it. Sold it in three days. Just didn't feel like a "real" gun to me.

 

[zombie_apocolypse]

5.7......yea ar in pocket just don't try going through body armor the round is the selling point and very hard to find and cost to much to shoot but damn fine handgun..

 

[new57]

To answer your questions about the Five-seveN pistol:

1) What is maintenance like?

Maintenance is like any firearm; strip it, clean it, lube it, assemble it, shoot it. The chrome-lined barrel keeps quite clean. Mil-comm products for cleaning and lubrication work nicely with the FSN. The key that many owners miss is the removal of the lacquer build-up. The cases are coated in lacquer for extraction purposes. The lacquer builds up in the chamber area of the FSN. Most firearms clean products do not remove this lacquer. Permatex 802790 carb cleaner will remove the lacquer. After cleaning the chamber and barrel with a firearm cleaner, lightly soak a q-tip in Permatex carb cleaner and clean the chamber. Then smile in awe at how filthy the formerly white but now grey-black q-tip is. The lacquer needs to be removed or else you may run into feeding and/or extraction issues.

2) What would you tell soemone who has NO experience with one?

A) Very light recoil with the SS### ammunition. This includes SS190, SS192, SS195, SS197 and SS198. Also the newer Federal American Eagle 5.7x28 ammunition. So with very light recoil 1) follow-up shots can be both quick and accurate and 2) the shooter may have an adjustment period to improve their accuracy. Many new-to-FSN shooters struggle initially because they anticipate the bang and the pistol is extremely light weight (only the barrel and slide are metal (minus some small component parts).

B) Significant muzzle flash compared to many other pistols. Makes for fantastic photo ops, but can be an issue to train with and overcome in low light or darkness.

C) Every round can be devastating. The ballistics of the SS### lineup are different depending upon the load. But as you saw in Ft. Hood the stock SS197 can be a round with devastating results. The rounds by Desert Ammo Supply and Elite Ammunition are much more specific, and these loads are maximized and optimized. When you think of factory ammunition, generally it is for the lowest common denominator (IE, extremely safe and not optimized). Just as with a chip in your automobile, the auto manufacturer is most likely not tuning it to maximum performance. While the stock SS### lineup will do just fine, you can optimize your FSN with loads from DAS or EA (or load your own utilizing many of the available 30-50gr .224 bullets).

D) Ammunition can be a pain to source. Pre-panic it was readily available and you could procure 50 rounds of SS197 for $22. Not bad for plinking, hunting, or self defense. Now during the panic you will hunt and search for the ammo, and lots are selling it for $40-60 per box, but some are still making it available when they have it for under $25 per box. Buy up, stock up, or roll your own.

E) Can be used for plinking, self defense, and hunting. Flat trajectory of the 5.7x28 round allows for fairly easy hunting and plinking up to 100 yards spot on. FSN shooters have taken fox, hogs, deer, and other smaller varmints with the 5.7x28 round. So you can have a single handgun for multiple purposes.

F) Makes a great SHTF firearm. Concealable, excellent terminal ballistics, high capacity magazines, and the ammunition is light in weight so you can carry 500 rounds a lot easier than 500 rounds of 45acp. The key negative is you will find it unlikely to go from house to house and pick up 5.7x28 ammunition (compared to 9mm or 223).


Overall, a two thumbs up recommendation here. The pros outweigh the cons from this perspective.

 

[mcgraw28]

Great gun love it it my brother has one. Almost no recoil, 20 rd clip, unbelievable accuracy. Ammo had hit the roof though.

 

[Laufen]

I owned one for about 2 years. I put around 1000 rounds through it and never could get it to group worth a damn. I'm talking 6 inch groups at 15 yards. That's unacceptable. Maybe I got a lemon, but I have no need for an innacurate handgun. The gun itself was ok, and I love the cartridge. Low recoil, good capacity-so so spongy trigger.

 

[FrogMan]

I owned one for about 2 years. I put around 1000 rounds through it and never could get it to group worth a damn. I'm talking 6 inch groups at 15 yards. That's unacceptable. Maybe I got a lemon, but I have no need for an innacurate handgun. The gun itself was ok, and I love the cartridge. Low recoil, good capacity-so so spongy trigger.

Yes i think you had a lemmon, i would get better groups than that when dumping the mag as fast as i could

 

[thorn]

I love the 5.7, and use it as my every day concealed carry in a Theiss IWB holster. It disappears with a typical untucked shirt.

Why I love it: 21 chances to win. I carry a spare mag in a pocket holster, along with my flashlight, so I'm up to 41 chances to win. Why else I love it: Kevlar defeating capability along with pinpoint accuracy. I had to get used to HOW the 5.7 aims: it isn't a six-o-clock hold like the rest of my handguns; it is a point of aim/point of impact weapon, meaning the front site actually obscures the target zone. Once I learned how it worked, I was able to consistently keep rapid-fire groups within a two inch group at 7 yards.

I decided after Batman shooting that I wanted a weapon capable of defeating armor, since reports came out that he was wearing kevlar (reports also came out that he wasn't....but I want to be prepared.) I bought some Elite Ammo specifically designed as "penetrator," and I conducted my own field tests, as well. Most of the stock off the shelf stuff will defeat average body armor; the Elite will fully penetrate front, front trauma plate, back, and back trauma plate. Is overpenetration a problem? Potentially, yes. But I actually train to shoot FIRST at legs/feet in a crowd

I stack my mags with every other round a penetrator, with the balance of rounds being the plastic tips that won't penetrate armor.

Ballistically, it's very similar to having a M4 in your pocket. I'll take that.

It's extremely light weight, but a bit bulky for an EDC. Every other edc I've used has been a pocket gun, so it took some adjustment.

Overall, I'm happy with my purchase, and I feel very prepared for whatever may come my way.

 

[2005Redfire6]

Not that it's a bad gun, but I like being able to find ammo for my guns. If Walmart doesn't carry the ammo, probably not worth having.

My logic!

 

[quik32]

I wouldnt get rid of mine for nothing. Ammo is just slightly more than 22 mag and the 5.7 is an awesome round. If you love guns you realize wal mart doesnt have everything you need. The wal mart shooters should stick with their bolt action 22's if they dont want to go to a real gun store.