MachIVshooter
Member
So, it's not any secret that I'm not a huge Ruger fan. Most of what they put out is somewhere between ho-hum status quo and a blatant rip-off of other designs. I had sold off most of what I did have, retaining only an M77 varmint .220 Swift, an SP-101 .32 mag and a SRH 454, the latter of which I'd happily trade for an equivalent S&W if it existed. Alas, it doesn't.
Anyway, this latest offering was something that actually interested me. 5.7x28mm handguns are intriguing, but with a choice between the ugly, uncomfortable and very expensive FN Five-seveN or the Excel thing that's the size of a Desert Eagle and only holds 9 rounds, a good host seemed to elude the round for myself and many others. In stark contrast to the last few years of just pumping out more over-hyped variants of cheap-ish polymer pistols and the 10/22, the new 57 is what the FN pistol really should have been. It doesn't feel like a cheap BB gun, has pretty svelte contours & good ergonomics, excellent sights and trigger pulls that's not bad, albeit rather mushy & undefined.
Of course, the price is going to be what helps this pistol move. Although we see it listed many places in the $600-$650 range, those are perpetually out of stock, so if you want one this year but don't have the time to hover on those sights hitting the refresh button and pouncing the moment one comes in, or a good buddy at the LGS with allocation preferences who'll hide one away for you, expect to pay more in the $700-$800 range. A little steep, but a lot better than the $1,200 price point of the (IMO less desirable) FN. As with any new-to-market weapon, it's a matter of "how soon do you want it?"
I only popped off a few rounds out back for now, as my 5.7 ammo supply was pretty light considering that I didn't own anything so-chambered until today. Recoil is very mild, bullets go where I aimed, gun ran without a hiccup. Not much more I can say about it at this time.
It's a fairly large handgun, but light weight. Not comically large like the Desert Eagle, but good sized. The LxWxH measurements are actually pretty close to a 1911, but it is more "filled in" in terms of the silhouette. Grip is fairly thin, but long front to back, so shooters with small hands or short fingers may find it a bit much. I wear XL gloves, so no reach issue for me, but then, I find a Desert Eagle with Hogue grips pretty comfortable and don't consider a 92FS bulky at all.
Is this gun worth the money? It is, after all, another polymer pistol selling North of $500. If you had an interest in shooting the 5.7x28mm round from a handgun, though, I'd have to say yes by default, given the extremely limited options you have.
Of course, my justification for buying it has more to do with R&D than personal interest, given my business. I'll be threading the barrel and coming up with a suppressor design that performs well yet doesn't cause issues with the semi-delayed blowback system that depends entirely on case-to-chamber wall friction (just like the PMR-30). That will prove a challenge, but it's what I do!
Anyway, this latest offering was something that actually interested me. 5.7x28mm handguns are intriguing, but with a choice between the ugly, uncomfortable and very expensive FN Five-seveN or the Excel thing that's the size of a Desert Eagle and only holds 9 rounds, a good host seemed to elude the round for myself and many others. In stark contrast to the last few years of just pumping out more over-hyped variants of cheap-ish polymer pistols and the 10/22, the new 57 is what the FN pistol really should have been. It doesn't feel like a cheap BB gun, has pretty svelte contours & good ergonomics, excellent sights and trigger pulls that's not bad, albeit rather mushy & undefined.
Of course, the price is going to be what helps this pistol move. Although we see it listed many places in the $600-$650 range, those are perpetually out of stock, so if you want one this year but don't have the time to hover on those sights hitting the refresh button and pouncing the moment one comes in, or a good buddy at the LGS with allocation preferences who'll hide one away for you, expect to pay more in the $700-$800 range. A little steep, but a lot better than the $1,200 price point of the (IMO less desirable) FN. As with any new-to-market weapon, it's a matter of "how soon do you want it?"
I only popped off a few rounds out back for now, as my 5.7 ammo supply was pretty light considering that I didn't own anything so-chambered until today. Recoil is very mild, bullets go where I aimed, gun ran without a hiccup. Not much more I can say about it at this time.
It's a fairly large handgun, but light weight. Not comically large like the Desert Eagle, but good sized. The LxWxH measurements are actually pretty close to a 1911, but it is more "filled in" in terms of the silhouette. Grip is fairly thin, but long front to back, so shooters with small hands or short fingers may find it a bit much. I wear XL gloves, so no reach issue for me, but then, I find a Desert Eagle with Hogue grips pretty comfortable and don't consider a 92FS bulky at all.
Is this gun worth the money? It is, after all, another polymer pistol selling North of $500. If you had an interest in shooting the 5.7x28mm round from a handgun, though, I'd have to say yes by default, given the extremely limited options you have.
Of course, my justification for buying it has more to do with R&D than personal interest, given my business. I'll be threading the barrel and coming up with a suppressor design that performs well yet doesn't cause issues with the semi-delayed blowback system that depends entirely on case-to-chamber wall friction (just like the PMR-30). That will prove a challenge, but it's what I do!
