FN FiveSeven

[kingnereli]

So it has no stopping power but will punch right through armor

Getting through armor and creating a wound channel sufficient for quick incapacitation are obviously two different things.

5.7 is not much more than a glorified .22 magnum. I don't understand the fuss. What is with people's fascination with tiny, ineffective calibers for human aggressors?

 

[snowman46919]

Getting through armor and creating a wound channel sufficient for quick incapacitation are obviously two different things.

5.7 is not much more than a glorified .22 magnum. I don't understand the fuss. What is with people's fascination with tiny, ineffective calibers for human aggressors?

I just asked a question, I am not familiar with the round just seems funny that it would penetrate but do little damage. No matter how mad I am at someone if they puncture a lung I am pretty sure i won't be very determined to continue. At any rate isn't it kind of irresponsible to carry FMJs anyway?

 

[snowman46919]

I dug and did a little research of what the hollow points will do:

As tested, both 5.7x28mm cartridges offer lethality that is on par with or slightly greater than a .45ACP
230gr jacketed hollowpoint. This is accomplished through an intelligent usage of the pitch/yaw cycle inherent
to any spin-stabilized projectile – the nose of the 5.7mm bullets travel through the first 2” of ballistic gelatin in
a nose-forward orientation, which minimizes drag

Kinetic energy Performance

and

To recap here are the penetration depths. 7.62x25 ---5"
9mm ------ 3 1/2"
5.7x28 ----3 3/8" which equals 5 1/4" total bullet travel
45acp ----- 2 1/8"
.22lr ------ 3/4"
.223 -------13"+

Penetration testing

 

[Armed-N-Ready]

5.7 x 28 a useless round.

I've not found anyone willing to let me shoot them with it to test their theory. There have been a lot of people killed by .22lr. I'd suggest if you don't like the round don't buy it. I really don't care for Toyota but I don't go around telling people not to buy them.

 

[indykid]

Was going to say what Armed-N-Ready said, but why not just have anyone who thinks the 5.7x28 is a poor round, ask the families of the dead at Fort Hood!!!!

 

[kingnereli]

I just asked a question, I am not familiar with the round just seems funny that it would penetrate but do little damage. No matter how mad I am at someone if they puncture a lung I am pretty sure i won't be very determined to continue. At any rate isn't it kind of irresponsible to carry FMJs anyway?

You asked a question on a forum and I gave my answer. It penetrates armor because it is narrow and fast. Those traits are not necessarily ideal for wound effectiveness. Sure, it's possible that there will be a psychological stop from being shot with anything. However, that's not a determining factor on the merit of any given cartridge.

I dug and did a little research of what the hollow points will do:


Kinetic energy Performance

and


Penetration testing

Kinetic energy transfer is a wholly useless factor in handgun calibers. There's simply not enough of it to matter. The best you can expect from a handgun is to bore deep and make a big whole to let as much blood out as possible. Also, your second link would be applicable if people were made out of wood. Shooting into wood doesn't tell us anything about how a bullet interacts with human flesh.

I've not found anyone willing to let me shoot them with it to test their theory. There have been a lot of people killed by .22lr. I'd suggest if you don't like the round don't buy it. I really don't care for Toyota but I don't go around telling people not to buy them.

I won't let anyone shoot me with a BB gun or a nail gun. I'm not even willing to let someone whack me with a stapler. It's a good thing that is irrelevant to what is best for personal defense. The same is true for 5.7 or .22lr or anything else. For the record, I didn't tell anyone not to buy 5.7. I don't care what you buy. I'm just curious why, over the past couple of decades, there has developed a fascination with anemic cartridges of questionable effect. Go buy all the tiny bullets you want and I'll keep saying there are better options.

 

[snowman46919]

Kinetic energy transfer is a wholly useless factor in handgun calibers. There's simply not enough of it to matter. The best you can expect from a handgun is to bore deep and make a big whole to let as much blood out as possible. Also, your second link would be applicable if people were made out of wood. Shooting into wood doesn't tell us anything about how a bullet interacts with human flesh.

Okay but the kinetic energy transfer combined with the fact that the round starts to tumble would make a fairly blood letting wound would it not? As far as a the second link I posted I would think it would give us a scientific example of how deep it will penetrate in a wood like fir that is all. If I was hunting firs all day I would use something a bit bigger than a handgun though.

 

[vxtip]

For starters, I think it should be noted that Stopping Power is putting the attacker down as fast as possible, this is done from either a CNS hit, or blood loss, you cannot count on someone going down from the psychological effects of being shot. Sure, more people die from. 22 injuries every year than any other caliber but that doesn't make it a good stopper, it just goes to show even the smallest bullets must be respected can be deadly.

In regards to "stopping power": shot placement, depth of penetration, and permanent wound cavity size are the determining factors in how effective any given wound will be. If you can get expanding ammo for the Five-Seven that is comparable in: expanded round size/permanent tissue damage and penetration to other calibers like the 9mm, .40, .45, then by all means carry with confidence. I would like to see some ballistic gelatin/charts of the 5.7mm to see how it compares, ill have to look after this.

I also saw mentioned the idea that it is irresponsible to use FMJ's for self defense. To this i say: know your target and what's behind it. You are responsible for every round you fire. Moreover consider that you are far FAR more likely to MISS the bad guy than to hit them and have it go through into an innocent person/ through a wall. Over penetration is simply blown out of proportion compared to the threat of missing, or the serious dangers of underpenetration, any bullet that meets the FBI's standard of 12. in of penetration can go through a person and cause risk to whatever is behind the target, its simply the nature of the beast. This part was just discussed in the ammo section i believe.

Finally ill add, having 20 rounds in the gun doesn't mean you'll get 20 hits, you probably shouldn't rely on the idea that you can just "shoot them again" to make up for choosing a poor bullet choice . For instance, you may only manage to hit them once, they could be coming at you or they'll very well be shooting back. You want to make every round count as much as possible, rather than relying on a mag dump. These considerations should be on the mind of anyone considering what they will carry to protect their life.

 

[The Keymaster]

Many of you are overlooking the fact that most if not all of these tests were done with the very small selection of factory ammo is commercially available. There are other choices that allow an individual to get the correct performance for different situations.

 

[duffman0286]

From M4Carbine.net:

"The current 31 gr SS-190 FMJ bullet has nearly adequate penetration, but the wound resulting from this projectile has a relatively small permanent crush cavity, as well as an insignificant temporary stretch cavity. Although the 5.7 x 28 mm penetrates soft body armor, wounding potential is at best like a .22 LR or .22 Magnum. Even 9mm NATO FMJ makes a larger wound"


So, an expensive large frame handgun that has few accessories such as holsters available, uses very hard to find ammo, which is available in only limited varieties, which is also expensive, and has the wounding potential of a .22LR.


No wonder they are so popular. How often do you get a chance to buy something which has NOTHING going for it?

i could not of said this better myself glad someone gets it Rep you you penetration isnt everything when it come to take down power and shot gun is a perfect example

 

[sgreen3]

The local shop were I get most of my firearms, the owner has one that he let me shoot, I was surprised how accurate it was. Felt good to shoot not much recoil. But 1100 bucks Wow. And the price of ammo is nuts, you couldnt afford to practice with it for the regular guy that dont reload. I think ill just stick with my .45

 

[indykid]

Did some checking on .45ACP since it obviously is a one shot stopper even if you miss.

gun-deals.com - User-Submitted Gun & Ammunition Deals

Based on price comparison with selling price for the very expensive 5.7x28 gun-deals.com - User-Submitted Gun & Ammunition Deals I would have to say that it really is not that much cheaper depending on which round you buy and where.

And granted a good 1911 can be found cheaper than the price of an FNH Five-seveN but by the time most people finish "accurizing" it, there is not much difference.


Again, we can argue the myth of stopping power all month, and if we do a search, we find that there are probably hundreds of threads on the net arguing which round is better than another.

Usually just pulling a self defense weapon is enough to stop an attack. If not, then just firing the weapon usually will put the average attacker into flight mode.

Get the firearm you enjoy shooting and do just that, ENJOY!!!

 

[ckmil]

The Five Seven is a little different than most handguns which makes it a cool addition to any collection. It's light, very little recoil, and fairly accurate for a hand gun. Many of the previous scientific and ballistics analysis posts left out one of the most important factors, the "Fun Factor", it's simply a blast to shoot and the magazines hold twenty rounds. Ammo price is relative to .223 and you'll want to shop around for it.

 

[The Keymaster]

Mine is a little more than fairly accurate. I have shot 2" groups at 50 yards, and I don't shoot it that often. The key is the ammo. You have to sight it in for one type od ammo and stick with that. They come from the factory sighted for SS192. Mine shot SS197 low and left. I have since changed the rear sight to a fixed sight, and that works much better for me. I van adapt to whatever ammo I choose to shoot much easier.

 

[MACHINEGUN]

I am looking for a new pistol and am starstruck by the FN. It's a little pricey but seems interesting. Any positives or negatives about the gun itself or caliber? Will it hold it's value?? I say that and realize that new these are $1,100, but used I have seen them for $600-650. Is it a good investment is what I trying figure out.

If you can find one for $600-$650.. this question is a no brainer!

 

[GuyRelford]

I just shot one for the first time at ECPR this past weekend - and really enjoyed it (although I felt a little guilty about shooting up 20 rounds of my buddy's ammo). Very light recoil and very accurate. The safety location is a little awkward, but nothing to complain about too much.

 

[The Keymaster]

I just shot one for the first time at ECPR this past weekend - and really enjoyed it (although I felt a little guilty about shooting up 20 rounds of my buddy's ammo). Very light recoil and very accurate. The safety location is a little awkward, but nothing to complain about too much.

With a little practice operating the safety with your index finger becomes second nature.

 

[malern28us]

I know if I EVER get to shoot one, I would buy one. Just don't know anyone that has one.

 

[QB 45]

I think the Five-seveN would be an excellent choice for defensive carry. I think it's so much fun to shoot, very accurate, and it's hard to beat 20 and 30 round magazines.

 

[MJ06IU]

Was gone for a week and just now checking back in.........I never expected to get so much info. Thanks guys, I'm going to grab one even if it's just to collect.