First CCW.

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Fescobar

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I'm thinking about getting an FN Five seveN as my CCW when I turn 21 in a few months, or at least whenever I can afford it after then, would this be a good investment? And if not, what would be better? I've read up on the round it fires and such on this forum, but I'm not sure. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
That's an unusual choice for a concealed handgun. I'm not experienced enough to know why that would be the case, however, except that I believe the guns that shoot that caliber are usually full-sized.
 
I'd like to have one of those too but it is larger than I could easily conceal. When I was a young man you couldn't get a cc permit for love nor money. Back then I used to think I would want to carry a 4" S&W model 29. When time passed and I got my first permit I carried a .40 Sig P229 in a fanny pack.

After awhile that got mighty cumbersome. Eight or ten hours of concealed carry made me appreciate the lightweight 340PD J-frame. Now I am alternating between a Kahr P9 and a Sig P238 depending on the day and my clothes. If it was winter and I lived somewhere that got cold I might carry a gun that size but here in Florida the lightweights are my choice.
 
There are so many things to consider when picking a carry gun, the first 2 being caliber and size. Years ago I read an article that stuck with me and the main message was: if you are ever in a situation when you need a gun, you are better off with the .32 that is in your pocket than the .357 with a 4" barrell that is at home locked up because it was too bulky and heavy to carry that day.
My first carry gun was a S&W .38 snubbie, I often wish I still had it.
 
The Five Seven is a great gun and actually weighs less loaded then a Glock 27. It is however 8" long. It is also wider then a Glock. I have seen people carry a Glock 21 in a inside the waistband holster and be OK with it. The FN would be lighter then that. My advice is to go with something smaller that you can shoot well and is comfortable to carry because Murphy's Law would be that you left the FN at home when you wished you had it on you.
Good luck with whatever you buy.
 
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I won't say that a FiveSeven is necessarily a bad choice, but I do see there being potential issues that you should consider. First of all, how is ammo availability in your area? Around here, some shops always have 5.7x28 ammo and others have never even heard of the cartridge. A gun with no ammo is an expensive club, and not even a particularly good one.

Secondly, how available are magazines and how much do they cost? One of the most common reasons for malfuctions in modern semi-autos is magazine issues. For this reason, I would never consider depending on a gun that I didn't have at least two magazines for (preferably more).

Finally, what type of holsters are available and how easy are they to get. A CCW should always be carried in a quality holster and I wouldn't even consider a CCW that I couldn't get a good holster for. Also, certain holsters work better for certain people. If there are only one or two quality holsters available for the FiveSeven and neither works well for you, then you'd be better off with something else.

I can't really comment about the terminal performance of the 5.7x28 cartridge as I've never studied it particularly closely because it's never particularly interested me. However, if you're considering carrying a gun chambered for it, then you should definately research the terminal performance of the 5.7.
 
I'll agree with the apparent consensus

FN Five Seven
It does not seem to have any particular virtures as a Concealed Carry weapon -- it certainly can be used for that, but so could 90+% of the commonly sold pistols and revolvers.


Potential disadvantages as a Concealed Carry Weapon:
ammo availability ----- not great
size ----------------- not a compact pistol
holster availability ------ not many
.
 
Thank you everyone for your feedback. I will probably end up with a .357 or .32 that might be more easily concealable now. If anyone reads this, what would be good models to choose from?
 
google it. I have a taurus. I can wear flipflops, tshirt, and shorts plus have it nice and snug in my uncle mike's in-the-pocket holster.

check out www.handgunlaw.us too for when you travel out of state

I like the .357 because it is a real good SD caliber
 
The Five Seven is an interesting gun but not a good choice for CCW. It's a big gun and ammo isn't readily available. Buy something that's easy to carry in a caliber that is readily available. The FN is a low recoiling flat shooter but IMO, a poor choice for CCW.
 
If you DO choose to carry something big, more power to you.

I do. I carry a full-size 357Mag with a 4.68" barrel, unloaded weight of 42oz.

BUT I'm also 6'4" and almost 300lbs :D and in the summer it's in a fanny pack. Any sort of jacket weather and it's on my belt in a "high and tight" outside-waistband holster broadly similar to a "pancake" type rig.

And trust me, I'm one of those "carry without fail" types.

So...it CAN be done. But if there's any chance you're not going to do so, then you'd have been better off with a smaller gun.

As to the five-seven itself:

It's actually not that crazy as a CCW piece. The ammo is relatively cheap in factory loadings, esp. if you can afford a big initial order. $700 gets you 2,000rds of good quality stuff:

http://www.fivesevenammo.com/shop/page2.html

That works out to less than $20 per box of 50 - WAY less per-shot than I can get 357Mag for and a bit less than most sources of 38Spl these days :(. (To get enough practice in, I set up another gun the same way as my main one, as close as I could get it, in .22LR.)

The five-seven tend to be accurate, reliable and low-recoil. They're also less powerful of course! But...get good with one, drop half a dozen center-of-goblin in a very short space of time, you can solve quite a few problems with such a thing...probably better than a five-shot 38Spl snubbie in most cases.

I guess what I'm saying is, feel free to be somewhat weird :). "Normal" is overrated :D. But for God's sake get good with what you carry - and CARRY.
 
I think the FN Five-Seven is a little too exotic for a first choice. I would recommend something in a more common caliber. My first choice would be something like a Glock 26 or 19 depending on which size you like best or a S&W Airweight revolver.
 
My first carry gun was a S&W model 36 (.38 caliber snubbie) the only regret I had was that I sold it and now I have to shop for another one. I would say don't go smaller than .38 and make sure it's comfortable enough to carry.
 
If you haven't done so already, take a handgun safety course or CCW class. Find a firearms savvy person and rent a few handguns at the range.

Regardless of manufacturer, consider a 9mm as your first CCW. Ammo is available everywhere, it won't beat up your wallet, it's an effective round for SD and doesn't have punishing recoil. When starting out you'll want to practice a LOT, so take a gander at ammo prices/availability before you decide. Also consider a used gun, it'll save you a couple hundred bucks. Most 'first pistols' end up getting sold a short time after anyway.
 
While the FiveSeven is an interesting firearm, and in many ways quite suited for it's original design purpose of a military offensive weapon, it is the last thing a civilian needs for CCW.
One of the current sub-compact 9MM semi-auto pistols, or the new light weight revolvers is a much better choice.
chris in va has the best advice. Train, rent several types of guns, decide on what fits your needs, and I might add practice, practice, practice.
 
Thank you everyone for your feedback. I will probably end up with a .357 or .32 that might be more easily concealable now. If anyone reads this, what would be good models to choose from?
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My primary carry gun is a .357 Magnum. I carry a S&W Model 66-2 with a 2 1/2" barrel in an El Paso Saddlery #88 at about 4 O'Clock on my belt. Sadly, S&W no longer makes the M66 so you'd be looking at the used market to find one. The closest thing that they still produce would be the 68 which is a bit larger and heavier.

As far as a .32, I've never been particularly partial to the extremely small guns like the Kel-Tec P32, NAA Guardian, or Beretta Tomcat. Instead, I prefer a slightly larger gun like a Walther PP, PPK, or PPK/S.

Another option you might consider would be a small .38 Special like a S&W J-Frame or Ruger LCR. The .38 will give you more punch than a .32 while having milder recoil than a .357 Magnum. Also, a .38 Special revolver is typicall less expensive than a comparable model in .357 Magnum.
 
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