FN Five-Seven pistol: Long Range Firepower, Part 1

PART 1 of 4:
Nutnfancy's table-top review of this excellent FN sidearm. All indicators point to the innovative FN Five-Seven pistol being an outstanding design. It's the companion pistol to the FN PS/P90 carbine and serves many of its special purpose functions. While more of a rifle caliber than a pistol one, it's advantageous to compare the design against a known and respected standard. Against the Glock 17, the 5-7 stacks up very well indeed. Essentially it has the same incredible light weight, equal firepower, good trigger, good sights (adjustable too!), ruggedness, simplicity, reliability, accuracy, ergonomics, and it's quality-built. But it uses the proprietary FN 5.7x28mm round which brings both good and bad news. The good is it provides laser-like trajectories out to 100 yards, Kevlar penetrating capabilities, amazing velocities (1700 fps for commercial loads), less recoil, and higher magazine capacities due to its small size. The bad news is the ammo is hard to find, it's expensive (compared to pistol ammo), current brass doesn't reload well, and few other guns besides FNs use it. While I don't have trigger time behind either of them at this point, my anecdotal study shows the 5.7x28mm to be a decent manstopper (surprisingly). But other downsides of the 57 is its high cost, wide grip, and limited accessories available at this time. It all others ways I think the design is a hit and would serve well as both a special purpose and all-around full sized defensive (or offensive) handgun. But honestly the jury is still in many ways on both the round and this design. It will have to be proven over time, like the Glock, preferably by adoption by LE and military units for it to gain world acceptance and respect. And for this design to survive, the 5.7x28mm load will have to become more common and popular with other manufacturers chambering for it as well. Sadly, I feel that without that type of support the round is doomed to a marketing failure. Nutnfancy Likeability Scale: 7 out of 10

*** Big thanks goes to ImpactGuns.com for hosting this review. Thanks guys.

Category:

Science & Technology

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[VixMusicProduction]

the funny thing is... the FN P90 use the same rounds as far as i know :). FN five seven is a Very good gun :)

[flurry]

the only reason some people want to Satanize this weapon is because it has no "Amercan Heritage".

"It can pierce body armor!" Big deal!

The Magnum .44, designed for big game hunting, doesn't need to pierce armor, since it will shatter all your ribs and your spine in the extreme case a vest can keep that humongous bullet from reaching your shirt. But hey, it's iconic American as Dirty Harry. And only big bulky dudes who can hadle its massive recoil have the right to carry serious firepower.

[bf2lover42]

@woget264 "it appeared on tv"

And that makes it true. The TV also told me that Starbucks allowing people to carry guns has a direct influence on the number of firearms related homicides.

Have you thought that the people who own that channel also own shares of competing brands?

"it was tested and rejected by the armed forces"

The military also tested the number of stoppages in 60,000 rounds and they counted stoppages caused by the testers not knowing how the burst trigger works.

[woget264]

@bf2lover42 yeah no it wasnt it was tested and rejected by the armed forces it appeared on tv people saw it and tolled the video games to make it. If it hasnt been adopted after 10 years it wont its specifically a pop culture gun. And yes polymer might but good a majority of instances but in the most extreme seen in combat i wont rely on plastic a fat ass soldier carrying a 150 lb ruck and weighing 200 lbs falling on his plastic gun has a higher chance of wrecking the whole thing

[bf2lover42]

@woget264 I'm sorry, I do know that the XM8 and G36 use the same internals, but G36's do not melt. If they did, I think that the Spanish, Portuguese and German armed forces would have found it by now. Just because some idiot messed up his SL8 doesn't mean the G36's polymer won't stand as much abuse as an AR-15's aluminium receiver.

"bla bla bla videogames"

Bullshit.

The SCAR was known way before it appeared on videogames.

[woget264]

@woget264 Plastic also is not as consistent as metal in any manufacturing process. I didn't bring up the scar i brought up Fabrique National herstal not the scar specifically. The SCAR bothers me because the only reason people know it at all is because of video games not from its reputation. When plastic ages and is exposed to sun and cold it affects its molecular make up again that is common knowledge no degree required.

[woget264]

@bf2lover42 oooh realy and you are the vaunted engineer of youtube now huh? I dont have to take an engineering class to figure out that plastic will never be as good as metal the reason its used is because its cheaper, to save weight. They inject the "polymer"aka plastic into a mold again you dont have to be an engineer to know that. you push any of the pistols or assault rifles to their limits of abuse a metal one will fail after it. and does bf2 lover know that the xm8 and g36 are the same?

[aulvalenzuela21]

@NITECOREPD try a Colt govt. 1911 ;)lol

[MikeZ8709]

@flurry Nah, the "Gun Grabbers" don't care about its heritage; they hate all guns. They want it banned because it can penetrate armor and fit 20 rounds in the magazine. A .44 Magnum is definitely not something you want to get hit in the chest with (even with a vest), but its bulky, heavy, and only takes 5 or 6 rounds. The "Brady Campaign" (i.e. biggest gun-control advocates in the country) call the Five seveN pistol an "assault rifle that fits in your pocket." Ugh, I hate them.

[bf2lover42]

@woget264 "go find any piece of plastic and try that out"

I will just admit that you are full of shit and don't actually understand polymers. Next time take a Materials class in Engineering college before spitting bullshit like that.

Comparison between the AR15 and the SCAR? The lowers are very similar, and one uses polymer and the other is machined aluminium. You brought up the SCAR first.

And no, they don't melt. The XM8 had it's barrel melting, not the polymer.

[woget264]

@bf2lover42 So you are telling me when it is 30 degrees below zero PLASTIC is less brittle than metal go find any piece of plastic and try that out. And im talking about metal inserts in the plastic not plastic furniture that wont have any thing to do with the structure of the frame. The scar i dont uderstand what you youre getting at with the comparison to the ar15/m16 series of rifles.

[bf2lover42]

@woget264 The AR15 and the new 200 series AK also use a lot of polymer.

And the FN Scar features a "monolithic" upper made of metal. Why would you want a metal lower for the FN Scar since the regular AR15 lower is aluminium...

Plus, in cold weather a polymer lower is less affected by the fragility metals present in lower temperatures.