jetinteriorguy
New member
I have an RIA model 1911 with the .22 TCM conversion. It’s a blast, literally. You get both a powerful round with very little recoil and as a bonus makes a nice short range flame thrower. The only issue with it is you can’t load the mag to full capacity due to the taper of the case. I think if they made specific mags for it instead of using .38 Super mags it could probably function at full capacity. It’s been very reliable as long as you limit it to eight rounds as I recall. Other than the weight of an all steel gun it would be ok for CC size wise.I don't own one so I really can't rate it, (although I'm sure that hasn't stopped the majority of others from doing so) but I think you could do a lot worse. It's big, but it's also rather thin, and it holds a lot of rounds in the magazine.
I'm not really sure how I feel about the 5.7x28 FN cartridge. It was designed as a potential replacement for the 9mm Luger, with a heavy emphasis on armor-piercing and the versatility to serve not only as a pistol cartridge but also as a PDW cartridge. Unfortunately, due to it being contested by the German delegation, it was never adopted by NATO forces. Furthermore, its once impressive armor-piercing capabilities have diminished, as it seems like body armor has since been designed to stop 5.7x28 FN.
Proponents of the theory of Hydrostatic Shock often state that projectiles travelling at over 2500fps are capable of generating remote wounding effects, but if such is indeed the case, then it's not visible in Ballistics Gel with 5.7x28.
So yeah, it wouldn't be my choice for a CCW, and its advantages are of dubious viability in such a role, but you could do worse.
The most important facet of self-defense is confidence, because if what you're carrying doesn't make you feel confident, then you're more likely to hesitate or even panic in a self-defense situation. So if carrying a Ruger-57 make you feel more confident than carrying something more conventional, then by all means carry it.
Personally, I trust .40 S&W, although the prevailing sentiment right now is that it offers no substantial ballistic advantage over 9mm Luger and that carrying it is entirely detrimental because everyone shoots 9mm faster and more accurately.
There is no such thing as the ideal one-size-fits-all platform for self-defense, so the best anyone can do is to choose what they feel most confident with, train until they've become proficient with it, and carry it with the knowledge that in the event in which they need it, then they'll be far better prepared than the guy who is constantly swapping out their carry gun in accordance with the latest trends in pursuit of the illusive ideal carry gun.