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How would you rate the FN Five-seven?
- Thread starter ATN082268
- Start date
Hello ATN, I had the use of a FiveseveN and all the ammo I cared to shoot for several months. I don't feel like I can assign numbers, but I would rate the Five Seven highly as a range/fun gun. I would rate it much lower as a Duty/CC/HD gun, unless you plan on confronting adversaries wearing body armor,etc. . Weird manual of arms, strangely placed safety lever, .22 caliber bullets,etc.....ymmv
IMightBeWrong
New member
For fun, 10/10. Duty 8/10, it's a pretty niche gun but has its place and does what it does very well. Not as versatile as many other pistols, though. For CCW and Home Defense it's in some low numbers, maybe 5/10. It can do the job, but it's not the best option for those roles IMHO due to the type of round.
I would love to own one if I had money to waste.
I would love to own one if I had money to waste.
ShootistPRS
New member
NATO testing was done on the cartridge and determined it was superior in performance to the 9mm and 4.6x40. It was never adopted because of some objections - notably Germany who supported the 4.6x40.
I believe it is a specifically designed cartridge designed to penetrate military body armor at close range - another high velocity small caliber ammo with limited use in the real world. A fun range gun? Maybe but not one that I want. I prefer a 9mm, 40 caliber and 357 over the diminutive 5.7 cartridge. The whole weapon system could be replaced with a simple bullet change in a 223/556 weapon.
I believe it is a specifically designed cartridge designed to penetrate military body armor at close range - another high velocity small caliber ammo with limited use in the real world. A fun range gun? Maybe but not one that I want. I prefer a 9mm, 40 caliber and 357 over the diminutive 5.7 cartridge. The whole weapon system could be replaced with a simple bullet change in a 223/556 weapon.
It is certainly a fun gun, no doubt. The round is very suitable for HD use as it has great penetration characteristics for interiors, ie; the lack thereof. I'd rate these two uses very high.
It's too big to carry concealed. Low rate.
No reason it can't be a fine duty gun. The low recoil, accuracy, light weight, reliability and quality make it suitable. Why not.
It's too big to carry concealed. Low rate.
No reason it can't be a fine duty gun. The low recoil, accuracy, light weight, reliability and quality make it suitable. Why not.
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I only care for No.1 so,
1. Fun/range gun :8
2. Duty gun :n/a
3. Concealed carry :n/a
4. Home defense :n/a
Its certainly not something I'd want to try and CC.
Maybe if all ammo varieties were on the table I could see it being more useful for No.2, 3 and 4. Especially with the 30rd magazine.
1. Fun/range gun :8
2. Duty gun :n/a
3. Concealed carry :n/a
4. Home defense :n/a
Its certainly not something I'd want to try and CC.
Maybe if all ammo varieties were on the table I could see it being more useful for No.2, 3 and 4. Especially with the 30rd magazine.
TruthTellers
New member
None of the above. For home defense, you can choose better. For concealed carry, it's not likely you'll be shooting someone with body armor other than police officers. For duty carry, same thing.
The most realistic use a 5.7 pistol will have is as a range toy, but it's a damn expensive one and it makes sense why I've never seen one in a gun store or a shooting range.
The most realistic use a 5.7 pistol will have is as a range toy, but it's a damn expensive one and it makes sense why I've never seen one in a gun store or a shooting range.
Cosmodragoon
New member
1. Fun/range gun : 8 or 9
Shooting this pistol is sort of like shooting a rifle in .22 WMR. That's not just because the end result is similar. It's relatively loud but has relatively little recoil. It's a lot of fun against typical plinking targets, like plastic bottles or overripe fruit. I've always felt that higher capacity adds to the fun so it's a win in that respect.
Negatives could include cost of the gun and cost or relative rarity of ammo. (It's no worse than .327 or .41 magnum.) This category is also highly dependent on if the gun fits your hand or if you like the controls. It also has to compete with a whole bunch of other things in the "for fun" category. (For these kinds of prices, you could get into a super-magnum like the .460 or .500 S&W.)
2. Duty gun : 7
It shoots well and is fairly easy to shoot well. The size is mitigated by the implication of open-carrying on a sturdy belt in this category. There, it's relatively light and neatly efficient with its twenty rounds.
I suppose the argument about armor would be more relevant depending on the type of duty. Of course, the type of duty will also affect your ammo choices. I don't know if the original armor-piercing ammo is available or under what circumstances. I don't know how well the different commercial offerings penetrate what kinds of barriers. Being that this firearm was designed for a particular kind of ammo and that it has been offered to the public without access to that ammo will always put the Five-seven in a strange position.
Cost is a factor here too. It will be across the board but there could be an additional hurdle here if your department, agency, or company is staring down the financial barrel.
3. Concealed carry : 3
Size is an obvious enemy here. It would probably be alright in most of the set-ups people use to carry larger guns concealed, if those set-ups are available for the Five-seven. I haven't checked recently but I don't recall the holster market for this pistol being all that large.
This is more subjective but I'm part of another group of people who prefer DA or DA/SA for carry guns. Despite making a line of nice hammer-fired pistols, FN hasn't bothered offering an FNX in their special caliber. For that matter, does anyone else make other guns at all in 5.7x28?
4. Home defense : 5
It's good because, again, it's a twenty-round pistol with light recoil. People will bring up over-penetration but let's be fair. Most pistol or rifle rounds go through wall(s). Since rifles, carbines (including pistol-caliber carbines), and shotguns are competitors in this category, it stands out a lot less. Also, has anyone discharged one of these indoors? Just a guess but 9mm, especially in a carbine, would probably be kinder to your long-term hearing.
.
Shooting this pistol is sort of like shooting a rifle in .22 WMR. That's not just because the end result is similar. It's relatively loud but has relatively little recoil. It's a lot of fun against typical plinking targets, like plastic bottles or overripe fruit. I've always felt that higher capacity adds to the fun so it's a win in that respect.
Negatives could include cost of the gun and cost or relative rarity of ammo. (It's no worse than .327 or .41 magnum.) This category is also highly dependent on if the gun fits your hand or if you like the controls. It also has to compete with a whole bunch of other things in the "for fun" category. (For these kinds of prices, you could get into a super-magnum like the .460 or .500 S&W.)
2. Duty gun : 7
It shoots well and is fairly easy to shoot well. The size is mitigated by the implication of open-carrying on a sturdy belt in this category. There, it's relatively light and neatly efficient with its twenty rounds.
I suppose the argument about armor would be more relevant depending on the type of duty. Of course, the type of duty will also affect your ammo choices. I don't know if the original armor-piercing ammo is available or under what circumstances. I don't know how well the different commercial offerings penetrate what kinds of barriers. Being that this firearm was designed for a particular kind of ammo and that it has been offered to the public without access to that ammo will always put the Five-seven in a strange position.
Cost is a factor here too. It will be across the board but there could be an additional hurdle here if your department, agency, or company is staring down the financial barrel.
3. Concealed carry : 3
Size is an obvious enemy here. It would probably be alright in most of the set-ups people use to carry larger guns concealed, if those set-ups are available for the Five-seven. I haven't checked recently but I don't recall the holster market for this pistol being all that large.
This is more subjective but I'm part of another group of people who prefer DA or DA/SA for carry guns. Despite making a line of nice hammer-fired pistols, FN hasn't bothered offering an FNX in their special caliber. For that matter, does anyone else make other guns at all in 5.7x28?
4. Home defense : 5
It's good because, again, it's a twenty-round pistol with light recoil. People will bring up over-penetration but let's be fair. Most pistol or rifle rounds go through wall(s). Since rifles, carbines (including pistol-caliber carbines), and shotguns are competitors in this category, it stands out a lot less. Also, has anyone discharged one of these indoors? Just a guess but 9mm, especially in a carbine, would probably be kinder to your long-term hearing.
.
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marine6680
New member
I have never been very impressed with the performance of the 5.7 ammo.
It's effects in gel are no better than lower cost and more readily available defense ammo in other calibers.
Depending on the particular load, it may work better against body armor, but that isn't really a concern for most people.
As a range toy, it would be great, dampened a bit by the higher cost and harder to find ammo.
So beyond that, I don't think the round offers enough benefit to the average person over other options, to justify the pistol in a defensive capacity.
This all changes when you introduce auto fire and 50rd mags... That can make the round more useful. But also not something the average person will have access to.
It's effects in gel are no better than lower cost and more readily available defense ammo in other calibers.
Depending on the particular load, it may work better against body armor, but that isn't really a concern for most people.
As a range toy, it would be great, dampened a bit by the higher cost and harder to find ammo.
So beyond that, I don't think the round offers enough benefit to the average person over other options, to justify the pistol in a defensive capacity.
This all changes when you introduce auto fire and 50rd mags... That can make the round more useful. But also not something the average person will have access to.
Groundhog34
New member
How would you rate the FN Five-seven handgun? From a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst and 10 being the best, in the following categories:
1. Fun/range gun : 9 fun to shoot no recoil smooth
2. Duty gun : 5 not sure of stopping power
3. Concealed carry : 2 too big
4. Home defense : 5 plus is easy to shoot capacity not sure of knock down
1. Fun/range gun : 9 fun to shoot no recoil smooth
2. Duty gun : 5 not sure of stopping power
3. Concealed carry : 2 too big
4. Home defense : 5 plus is easy to shoot capacity not sure of knock down
Just to throw something else in the mix. I have a friend who is up in years, a life-long shooter, who is dealing with a lot of the indignities of age (I'm 65, nuff said). He carries a Five-seven because, unlike the 45 he carried for 60 years, it's light and has practically no recoil.
He may be old but I wouldn't want him shooting at me so I have a feeling he's well served by that pistol. Adapt or die.
He may be old but I wouldn't want him shooting at me so I have a feeling he's well served by that pistol. Adapt or die.
I liked the idea of the FN 5-Seven, and that it
could share ammo with the FN P-90,
at the same time RIA has a 1911 chambered in 9mm & .22TCM...
which is almost the exact same round...
and I vastly prefer 1911 control scheme,
you make the cases from used .223/5.56 brass,
AND, with a quick barrel switch, the RIA also uses 9mm.
So...no 5-Seven at my house...
could share ammo with the FN P-90,
at the same time RIA has a 1911 chambered in 9mm & .22TCM...
which is almost the exact same round...
and I vastly prefer 1911 control scheme,
you make the cases from used .223/5.56 brass,
AND, with a quick barrel switch, the RIA also uses 9mm.
So...no 5-Seven at my house...
Cosmodragoon
New member
... at the same time RIA has a 1911 chambered in 9mm & .22TCM...
which is almost the exact same round...
and I vastly prefer 1911 control scheme,
you make the cases from used .223/5.56 brass,
AND, with a quick barrel switch, the RIA also uses 9mm.
So...no 5-Seven at my house...
The .22 TCM is another one where the original ammo was considered "armor piercing" and is not normally available. However, people seem to love it and some of the comparisons I've seen between the two lean towards the TCM. Having it in a 1911 is valuable to a lot of people, as is being able to easily convert back and forth with 9mm.
In case you don't like the 1911 platform, RIA also makes .22 TCM9R to get the same ballistics in a shorter package. I think there are conversion kits for Glocks and they sell a few different CZ-style pistols made for it. Sure, this ammo may be even more obscure but I think RIA has some kind of incentive program where you can send the brass back. I'll leave this topic to someone who actually knows about it.
marine6680 said:I have never been very impressed with the performance of the 5.7 ammo.
It's effects in gel are no better than lower cost and more readily available defense ammo in other calibers.
Depending on the particular load, it may work better against body armor, but that isn't really a concern for most people.
As a range toy, it would be great, dampened a bit by the higher cost and harder to find ammo.
Pretty much this for me. I find the gun and round interesting but the cost of the gun and ammo is a turn off. If I get one, it will be a fun/range gun but I included other uses out of curiosity and just in case it gets pressed into other duties.
I went 22 tcm for the lower price of admission and the 9 mm conversion.
But I like a 1911 style pistol.
Pistol came with 1 magazine, but mags are availible, or other mags can be slightly modified to work.
Ammo, brass, components,dies are availible. It is still a short round nose pistol bullet.
As that was the design.
I have seen ads/release for conversion slides for the 22 tcm 9r, which uses thehost gun 9 mm mags.
The overall length of the ammo is shorter. Than standard tcm.
I havent tried any lower flash powders in the pistol, just H110/W296.
I haven't tried any other bullets than the 40 gr jhp yet.
The bolt action rifle can take the pistol mags.
But I like a 1911 style pistol.
Pistol came with 1 magazine, but mags are availible, or other mags can be slightly modified to work.
Ammo, brass, components,dies are availible. It is still a short round nose pistol bullet.
As that was the design.
I have seen ads/release for conversion slides for the 22 tcm 9r, which uses thehost gun 9 mm mags.
The overall length of the ammo is shorter. Than standard tcm.
I havent tried any lower flash powders in the pistol, just H110/W296.
I haven't tried any other bullets than the 40 gr jhp yet.
The bolt action rifle can take the pistol mags.
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