FN Five Seven pistol opinions and experience

[d'zaster]

Hey Guys,
I am considering picking up a 5-7 pistol. I have read a lot of mixed reviews and would like to get your feedback. Who among the THR crowd have experience with this pistol? Is yours Reliable and Accurate, what do you like or dislike about the gun? What's it good for - or not? Does anyone on the this board have experience reloading this cartridge? Ok....that's a pile of questions....

Thanks in advance.

 

[Rodentman]

I like it. I don't know that it would be my first choice if I had a strict budget, but fortunately I don't. It's pretty pricey. I got mine lightly used though. it's reliable but not the most accurate handgun I have.

For ME the fun is the reloading. I reload quite a few calibers, including the little 5.7. It takes time and strict attention to detail, and it's small. But it is rewarding too.

I also have a 5.7 upper for my AR and with a 50 round mag, well that's a hoot. There is a 5.7 forum with a ton of info on the pistol and reloading.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

A friend has one that I've shot a bit and I like it a lot. I almost bought one, but never could find one that had a price I could afford when I had the money. Ammo is a challenge -- finding it and paying for it.

And there are some comparisons to the 5.7 on YouTube that are worth looking for. (One of them is a comparison to the Kel-Tec PMR-30 which performs surprisingly well, too.) I got a PMR-30, and finding one at a price I could afford, and pay for the ammo was a challenge there, too: a gun in great demand can be pricey.

I like FN guns. Picked up an FNS-40 recently, and may get another in trade in the near future.

 

[barnbwt]

Well, the standard response you'll get is "I sold that pistol; I'll tell you why...the rent is too, damn, high" but ammo honestly isn't all that bad now that the supply has stabilized. Just don't expect the ammo to cost half as much as junker 45acp even if it weighs half as much.

The legitimate critique is the sheer size of the gun, which is frankly too large for any woman I can conceive of, as well as a good share of all men in general. The grip is over 2" long, if memory serves. The safety placement, while brilliant and deserving of imitation, is also a turn-off for folks desiring to maintain cross-weapon training movements.

Accuracy is very good at basically any range, provided you don't develop a flinch from the awesome blast and sound (the recoil is not powerful, but it is quite sharp, and is transmitted by FNH's typical razor-sharp pyramid checkering. Those without workin' man's callouses will likely object). Word's nor scales can quite describe just how lightweight and toyetic the thing feels. The ignorant would probably believe you could walk through a metal detector with it

"One of them is a comparison to the Kel-Tec PMR-30 which performs surprisingly well, too."
Both are loud and can hold 30 rounds, but the PMR is A) a rimfire, and B) 22mag from a rifle is more comparable to 5.7. The RIA 22TCM 1911s (and soon, Glock & Boberg conversions) are much more in line with both the concept and capabilities of the FNH gun (esp the poly framed variants)

TCB

 

[Havok7416]

I have had one for 7 or 8 years and I've shot it quite a bit. It's a good gun with little recoil, but it does make quite a racket. The 20-round mags are a plus and Blackhawk makes a left-hand SERPA holster for them (I'm left handed). As barnbwt mentioned, the safety is in a convenient spot for modern finger placement and I like that. Getting the slide back together can be tricky sometimes due to the way the slide mates with the frame. Adjustable sights are super handy too.

The main problem with the gun is that it shoots proprietary ammo that typically costs .50 to .75 cents each.

I've been looking into reloading for the 5.7 but can't bring myself to do so. The time and effort required for the return doesn't seem worth it to me for the amount of shooting I do with it - I'm still shooting the initial batch of ammo I first purchased. Another handicap to reloading 5.7 is that the pistol seems to spew brass all over the range.

If I hadn't bought my Five-SeveN, the aforementioned RIA .22TCM would be looking pretty tempting to me now if only because it seems (so far) to be a more forgiving round to load for and it's compatible with 9mm equipment.

 

[usp9]

Great pistol, very well made, high quality, reliable and accurate. Recoil is light. The report is a bit louder than other smaller bore pistols. I always double up on hearing protection. Ammo is easy to find. I'm still working on an original case bought a few years ago. I see it today for sale around $22/ box.

I bought mine on the used market several years ago for a good price. Check out a nice used gun before buying new as it may save several hundred dollars.

I don't reload.

 

[Havok7416]

The only 5.7 ammo I've seen for $22/50 is American Eagle. Trent has some posts on here of research he has done hands-on with that ammo that made me completely reconsider buying any. In a nutshell, he had numerous problems with bullet setback that could very easily have been catastrophic.

 

[TfflHndn]

Too bulky, ammo's too pricy. Look at a Rock Island .22TCM before you buy. 1911 style, more velocity and cheaper ammo. Compare and get what you like. I'm a 1911 fan, so I went with the .22TCM. Love it.

 

[Morgo]

Its fun to shoot, as others have mentioned not much recoil and has a decent muzzle blast for the small round, usually gets some attention on the range.

Not keen on the fixed sights, mine came with them currently changing them to adjustable.
Trigger is ok, could be better.
Well built, solid, fairly large and reasonable light.
Accuracy so far is decent to good, not a target gun but hopefully it will improve with the adjustable sights.

I'm still just using factory ammo as I've been adding some new reloading components to load for the 5.7 and doing load data research. When I get time I'll start loading for it.

 

[HKGuns]

Great pistol. Highly recommended. Light well made and light recoiling.

 

[barnbwt]

You're mixing your stripes and solids, there, HKguns (and your obscure marketing references )

TCB

 

[d'zaster]

Thanks gents. Interesting about the 5-7 ar upper. That makes it even more appealing as I reload a lot of calipers. I think 22tcm is cool too.