Any Good Reason Not to Get a FN 5.7?

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I think the FiveSeven handgun and personal defense weapon (PS90) have a lot going for them but:
The cost/round is unnecessarily high, due no doubt because of the few number of vendors, principally FN themselves. And it's been enough time now that if it was going to take off in number of cartridge and/or compatible weapons vendors it would have happened.
Here in CA, the notion of limiting the round count in either of these weapons to 10 in the mag makes them essentially useless.
They are pricey for what they are, at least the handgun is.
I came close a few times to buying the pair, but right now I have an H&K MP5 and a USP9 and likely will buy an HK45 and a Kriss Vector. Makes a bunch more sense from my perspective.
B
 
MP5, mess of other HK, and a Vector, and the Ammo's too pricey? :scrutiny:

TCB
 
barnbwt said:
MP5, mess of other HK, and a Vector, and the Ammo's too pricey? :scrutiny:

TCB
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Well yea. Used ammo doesn't retain much resale value :)
Seriously, psychologically the per shot pain hurts a lot more than the firearms purchase. The firearm being a one time fixed cost and the ammo being a variable and ongoing cost that rises the more you enjoy shooting the particular firearm. I really try my best to not have to think about ammo costs when I head to the range and the 5.7 is not something that I can mentally disguise.
B
 
But 45 ACP is just fine? They have similar cost. And you could have bought several thousand rounds of 5.7 for what your Vector costs over a CX4 or AR-45. I agree it's mostly a psychological thing, and the diminutive size does not help peoples' perceptions there (I personally think our perceived "cost deserved" number comes from a combination of bullet diameter and recoil, and maybe a bit by flash/boom levels; just see how much people pay for 45-70)

FWIW, I feel you on the 'fixed cost justification.' Hell, I just dropped a G on a chopped up G36, so I can't exactly judge...

Used ammo doesn't retain much resale value
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You might be surprised what used 5.7 brass goes for to someone who uses it.

TCB
 
Are you really seeing 45acp ammo run a similar cost to 5.7? 100 round packs of Federal 45 are in stock at the local Walmart for $38 and the shelf was full. WWB 9mm 100 round packs are in stock for $26. It seems quite a bit cheaper than what I can find 5.7 for, which was in stock today at $35/50 at the the LGS.
 
Please do see again what you are buying though; FMJ vs. defense ammo. Also worth mentioning, I usually got .20/case selling the brass when I used to get rid of it, which brings cost down by a third. So pull 10$ off that 30$ price tag and that's more in line with what you're actually turning into smoke & noise at the range. For defense ammo, the prices are nearly identical.

My point isn't that 5.7 is the choice for the budget-conscious; just that the ammo cost is hardly prohibitive as many seem to think.

TCB
 
As far as cost goes there is this.
http://www.gunbot.net/ammo/pistol/57x28/

Right now ammo is going for 48 cents to 58 cents a round.

That is not cheap, but there is practice ammo out there and as others have related already some of the ammo deals are in the same ballpark as some other pistol defensive rounds are.

Granted, for the 9x19 versus 5.7x28 ammo price comparison the 5.7x28 comes out on the losing end. For the other larger calibers the price for ammo is as said already. A dollar or two either side of the larger calibers for price.

I'm not a 5.7x28 fan. I just thought a slight actual look at the price of the ammo might be needed.

If one likes the gun and cartridge combo then fine. If not that's fine too.

The FN company has ads out trying to ballyhoo the Five-seveN as a women's gun for defense at home. There's one for the guys as well.

It's not my cup of tea, but then there may be a few out there for who it is.

I like the 7.62X25 round myself. Just a personal choice.

Yes, I have other defense calibers and rely on them for the most part.

I just like shooting the Yugo Zasatava M57 is all.
 
I like the 7.62X25 round myself. Just a personal choice.
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Yarg, speaking of rounds we can't afford to shoot anymore...and that's just crummy FMJ :(. At least tok's $$ enough for crummy corrosive that I'm no longer particularly interested in subjecting my guns to it, which is a bit of a benefit in itself :D.

TCB
 
I shot one here about a month ago. Honestly, it was fun and it seemed like a nice enough gun. I could see some real reasons to own one.

But, as just about everyone else said, ammo is pricy, the gun itself is overpriced, and I just can't see where I would buy one just for an occasional hoot. Good concept, poorly executed marketing strategy and support.
 
Plenty of new cartridges become obsolete due to lack of interest or number of guns made for it. A couple of years ago Ruger introduced the .327 Magnum, lack of interest killed it.

About 10 years ago, Remington and Winchester both introduced their lines of short magnum rounds. Some of them are dead or dying.

The 5.7's future is not assured unless enough manufacturers make guns chambered for it and enough people buy it.

Even if it does become obsolete, there will probably still be someone somewhere that will make ammo or reloading componants for it. It will just cost more and be harder to get.
 
barnbwt said:
Please do see again what you are buying though; FMJ vs. defense ammo. Also worth mentioning, I usually got .20/case selling the brass when I used to get rid of it, which brings cost down by a third. So pull 10$ off that 30$ price tag and that's more in line with what you're actually turning into smoke & noise at the range. For defense ammo, the prices are nearly identical.

My point isn't that 5.7 is the choice for the budget-conscious; just that the ammo cost is hardly prohibitive as many seem to think.

TCB
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I'll wager a few folks carry small, 1911-style handguns for defense.

In which case, many of those refuse to feed HPs in .45 acp.

Even more carry 230 gr. ball ammo, as its been working for, I don't know, over 100 years?

PS: Called the BIL. He said a friend uses his pistol for neck, head, and shoulder shots inside 20 yards. They're usually one shot stops.
 
I disagree on costs. *when* found on shelves in Utah, it is a dollar up or down from a box of 45 fmj....

I think people repeat the cost thing without knowing.
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Emphasis on when, and also a big IF.

I've never seen 5.7 ammo in stock at big box stores in a major metropolitan city in my area if that's saying something.

I see small LGS carry it and in very small amounts.
 
justice06rr said:
Emphasis on when, and also a big IF.

I've never seen 5.7 ammo in stock at big box stores in a major metropolitan city in my area if that's saying something.

I see small LGS carry it and in very small amounts.
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This in spades.

I, too, have never seen 5.7 in a Walmart. Ever.

However, when ammo dried up after Connecticut, 5.7 was still available in Cabelas by the bushel. Nobody shoots it round here evidently.
 
That's funny; Cabela's carried it in 2000rnd ammo cans a few years back (before they stopped those due to low demand over sticker shock, I'm guessing. 2000rnds of any caliber is pretty pricey, but few can fit that many in an ammo can. The next bulk competitor on the shelf was like 500rnds of 9mm FMJ; go figure). I bought most of my stash at a combination of Dick's and Gander Mountain stores (I've made it more a point to stock up since the FNH ammo plant strikes). Even Bass Pro gets it in as much as they get anything else in (meaning it sells instantly).

Historically, there's been far more demand than supply for the caliber, as best I can tell, which does not speak for it disappearing any time soon (seeing as they're also selling guns like gangbusters ;))

Wal-Mart won't carry the stuff because it's expensive. Sorry to be elitist, but we all know it's true. Wal-Mart doesn't stock PS90's either, "for some reason"

However, when ammo dried up after Connecticut, 5.7 was still available in Cabelas by the bushel. Nobody shoots it round here evidently.
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It was funny, I could usually get it at the LGS whenever I dropped by until suddenly I couldn't; turns out a single guy with a PS90 was burning up the entire supply trickling in, and the LGS hadn't adjusted their order to compensate. I suspect PS90 sales drive the consumption several times that of the pistols, and FNH has been selling a ton of those rifles.

I'll wager a few folks carry small, 1911-style handguns for defense.

In which case, many of those refuse to feed HPs in .45 acp.

Even more carry 230 gr. ball ammo, as its been working for, I don't know, over 100 years?
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Well, I doubt a five-seven is on the radar for folks who'd carry a small 1911, for a variety of reasons, so there's that. I'm guessing the rest of your post is making the point that FMJ is adequate for self defense, hence no need for defense ammo? Whatever floats your boat, bud, but many (most?) folks prefer to carry expanding rounds since it's what the cool LEO kids do these days :D. I would say they increase effectiveness and reduce through-shots, but 45acp already kills a man with a thumb strike and will plow through a bison regardless its expansion ;)

TCB
 
barnbwt said:
That's funny; Cabela's carried it in 2000rnd ammo cans a few years back (before they stopped those due to low demand over sticker shock, I'm guessing. 2000rnds of any caliber is pretty pricey, but few can fit that many in an ammo can. The next bulk competitor on the shelf was like 500rnds of 9mm FMJ; go figure). I bought most of my stash at a combination of Dick's and Gander Mountain stores (I've made it more a point to stock up since the FNH ammo plant strikes). Even Bass Pro gets it in as much as they get anything else in (meaning it sells instantly).

Historically, there's been far more demand than supply for the caliber, as best I can tell, which does not speak for it disappearing any time soon (seeing as they're also selling guns like gangbusters ;))

Wal-Mart won't carry the stuff because it's expensive. Sorry to be elitist, but we all know it's true. Wal-Mart doesn't stock PS90's either, "for some reason"


It was funny, I could usually get it at the LGS whenever I dropped by until suddenly I couldn't; turns out a single guy with a PS90 was burning up the entire supply trickling in, and the LGS hadn't adjusted their order to compensate. I suspect PS90 sales drive the consumption several times that of the pistols, and FNH has been selling a ton of those rifles.


Well, I doubt a five-seven is on the radar for folks who'd carry a small 1911, for a variety of reasons, so there's that. I'm guessing the rest of your post is making the point that FMJ is adequate for self defense, hence no need for defense ammo? Whatever floats your boat, bud, but many (most?) folks prefer to carry expanding rounds since it's what the cool LEO kids do these days :D. I would say they increase effectiveness and reduce through-shots, but 45acp already kills a man with a thumb strike and will plow through a bison regardless its expansion ;)

TCB
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I think you're reading too much into it.

I use FMJs when I carry a 1911 because that's what they were designed to use. I don't always carry one, like now that it's hot out for example, but when it isn't, I've got 8 230gr. fmjs on tap. They're reliable, and I don't use the 1911 for house duty. That's G19 territory. The 1911 is heavy, yes, but thin. Very thin. Thinner than the FN in fact.

I own steel, alloy, aluminum, and polymer handguns loaded with the ammo that is most reliable in them for an intended task, whatever dictates that. I just see no need for 5.7, its like an answer to a question no one really asked. I really don't even get all tingly over 22 TCM, but it's cheaper, so hey, how can I argue?

I only thumbstrike bison.
 
I just bought 2,000 rounds of FN ss197 on Gun Broker for 23.65 per box, delivered. That is less than I can buy the cheapest 45 acp locally, which is 23 per box plus 8.8 tax.

Ordered the pistol too in a different deal. They go for about 1140 to low twelves plus about 35 shipping on GB if you watch for a few days. Damn expensive gun!
 
Dang, Rod! That's highway robbery! That's 50% more than what I pay for brassed case at the LGS, and several dollars more than I pay at Walmart!

One thing no one has brought up (at least, I haven't seen yet) is reloading it.

Can you get tips cheap, or is that another ordeal?
More importantly, isn't it a royal PITA to reload? You can't tumble it, or shouldn't rather, as it takes off that fancy coating. So what then?

From what I understand, 5.7 is picky about powder weight. So much so, that 1 grain over is too much...
 
meanmrmustard said:
More importantly, isn't it a royal PITA to reload?
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Yes, it's an absolute PITA and should not be entered into lightly as it is very easy to KABOOM this round.

But, I find it for $23 a box at the Academy down the street, so no need to try to reload it. No shortage of supply here in Dallas.
 
ClickClickD'oh said:
Yes, it's an absolute PITA and should not be entered into lightly as it is very easy to KABOOM this round.

But, I find it for $23 a box at the Academy down the street, so no need to try to reload it. No shortage of supply here in Dallas.
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That's not bad.

They, oddly, carry at my dads LGS in NE Missouri.

Its nearly $40 after tax. Nobody up there shoots it though. Farm folk are ok with 357 Magnum.

It sounds like a regional thing.
 
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meanmrmustard said:
Dang, Rod! That's highway robbery! That's 50% more than what I pay for brassed case at the LGS, and several dollars more than I pay at Walmart!

One thing no one has brought up (at least, I haven't seen yet) is reloading it.

Can you get tips cheap, or is that another ordeal?
More importantly, isn't it a royal PITA to reload? You can't tumble it, or shouldn't rather, as it takes off that fancy coating. So what then?

From what I understand, 5.7 is picky about powder weight. So much so, that 1 grain over is too much...
Click to expand...

When you refer to "tips", do you mean the blue polymer tip on the bullet? If so, there's no requirement for that to be there.
 
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