I apologize in advance if this question has been asked before, the search feature is not working.

I realize that the 5.7x28 round was developed for the P90 as a personal defense weapon/round. I'm trying to visualize how effective this round would be as personal defense round: small diameter, low weight, extremely high velocity.

Most of the current handgun target games don't appear to incorporate the round.

Despite all of this, I have a burning interest in acquiring a 5.7x28 handgun because of the oddball cartridge.

Therefore, I need to ask, what application would this round be good for?

As always, thanks in advance for your help!

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Judge control not gun control!

I find most targets don't care what they get hit with. If they don't come up with new cartridges and guns to shoot them how will they extract more money out of shooters?

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Remain Viable

The 5.7 allows for an extremely flat trajectory for shots out to roughly 100 yards.

The infamous Ft. Hood shooting resulted in a number of dead soldiers, sadly. The insane Army Major used a 5.7 pistol.

The pistol also offers a 20rd mag capacity & there is a 10rd extension available, or there used to be. I've not looked for the extension in years.

The FN pistol is also exceptionally accurate. No clue about the Smith or other versions.

There are aftermarket threaded barrels available for the FN model, I have one of them.

My .o2

I don’t have one but have seen them at shows, particularly the PSA version. Also seen the FN, S&W, and Ruger.
I would get a threaded PSA for about $500 and change, or a Tisas, they have two under $400 and one under $300.
Ammo was very expensive but coming down some with the popularity of the round, I think.

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I’m your Boogie Man, uh huh.

Intriguing little round. Fast, flat, noticeably less recoil than a 9mm (if that matters), holds a lot of bullets. Challenging to load for; the FN and the Ruger begin extraction under pressure, allowing the shoulder to blow forward enough to be visible to the naked eye, and also making the proprietary coating necessary for reliable functioning. I bought the S&W because its gas operation is fascinating in its own right, and it doesn't blow the shoulder forward nor does it need the coating. Nonetheless I mangled the first dozen cases in the sizing die. I have and do load for nearly fifty different cartridges, rifle and pistol, for over forty years, so while certainly no expert neither am I a novice. Turns out you have to thread the decapping spindle way down toward the bottom of the die, leaving the pin sticking way down below; this puts the expander ball inside the case, where it needs to be. If you adjust the die as you normally would, the expander ball is in the neck and crushes the case beyond redemption when inserted into the die. Being of such small capacity slight variations in charge weight matter a lot. It is arguably about the same terminally as a nine; depends on whose videos you watch as to whether domestic ammunition/bullets will penetrate soft armor, if that's a concern. I thought it might make a good ranch gun around here for small varmints, but the supersonic crack is annoying without ear pro (you don't have time to put ear plugs in when you jump a coyote out of the hen house). So, yeah, fun and fascinating. Practical? I dunno.

OP as you note, the original intent was to develop a round for a military personal defense weapon that had little recoil, high capacity and the ability to defeat body armor (with ammo that's restricted). The FN P90 was the original home.

Utility in a handgun?????????????? Who knows. No clue as to velocity & terminal effects. I seem to recall low recoil, but there's nothing said about muzzle blast. I don't recall the barrel length of the P90. I'd assume that to be ferocious?

OK, after some search, the P90 barrel length is 10.4 inches, so you're going to lose some of that 2350 f/s velocity going shorter. The performance standard was to duplicate the terminal effects of 9x19 mm ball ammo, so you're going to lose some terminal effect also, but you do-I think- get to use expanding bullets. The question then becomes will the penetration be enough to reach vital areas?

Have you ever said to yourself that it would be wonderful to find a good carry gun with some power; yet, as easy to shoot as your .22LR-du-jour?
Well, these few pistol offerings are as close as you can get. Easy recoil, with generally easy slide actions. However, the round is 'Magnum' loud, with commensurate muzzle flash. Ammo cost is also a factor here....though yes...there's some light at the end of that tunnel.

I've handled the new Tisas. The trigger is a no-go for me. Flat, with nice, sharp edges. Were I to find a deal on one, I'd have to budget time to dress that all down. It feels a bit more 'odd', or different , as with the original in this genre, the FN. I would highly suggest you get each example into your hands before deciding. The length of the cartridge makes for some concessions in the shape of the grip.


That said, I've had-shot the Ruger, PSA Rock, and now the Smith. They are the easiest to shoot, in that same order. I got the Ruger first, then when I shot the PSA against it, I consigned-off the Ruger. The PSA feels the best out of the five of them. But, the Smith was even faster back on target, had/has a thumb-safety, and has stainless mags. So, ditto the Rock.


IF the safety option doesn't matter to you, I would tell you to with the PSA. IF PSA would introduce a thumb- safety option, I'd get another for sure.

Unless you're rich, get a 22 mag pistol. Ammo is flat out ridiculously priced.

The coating is a lubricant. The round was designed for blowback mechanisms, and with high pressure blowback, and delayed blowback actions, if the cases are not lubricated, they will stick in the chamber and be torn apart.



The shoulder is moving forward as the case is extracted. Timing is critical so the case sidewalls are only exposed when pressures are low enough that the sidewalls don't burst.

From Chinn, Vol IV, read it for free at: HyperWar: The Machine Gun





If you are reloading those cases, even in a gas gun, I would make sure they are lubricated before firing. I know nothing about the factory coatings other than what I feel on discarded rounds. I would be leery about firing sized cases that I did not lubricate before firing, (for example, leaving the sizing lube on) because I don't know if the original factory lubricant would still be intact after slzing. You shoot a dry 5.7 in a blowback action, what happens after the case is pulled apart, will be interesting. Might stick in a gas gun, don't know.

My experiments with ballistic gelatin illustrated tumbling wound channels. The S197 sporting rounds tend to fragment though.

https://youtu.be/LRvfC8EVkiE

To me, the idea seems to be similar to the M53 22Jet.
Rifle bullet at near rifle velocities, in a handgun.
With this cartridge the magazine gives you rifle-like capacities too, and quick reloads.
Interesting, but not totally compelling. Maybe if I were in the military, but I wouldn't know what to do with it as a civilian.

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Send lawyers, guns & money...

My daughter has one. It's easy to shoot but loud ...reloading is a bit more complicated. I was with her on the ranch up in Montana. We set up a caller looking for a coyote..30 seconds here came a fox tunning...looked like wiley...salivating for the Roadrunner. Got to about 30 feet she went to shoot the sucker...had forgotten to chamber a round. Well she did so...fox took off got about 30 yds...hit the call he stopped and came back to maybe 25 yds...when she pulled the trigger it was DRT...there was no hide to save. The poor critter just exploded. She killed and sold 6 or 8 coyotes with it. killed a giant coyote killing a calf.in the pasture next to the house.

I'm making popcorn and pouring a scotch for this thread.

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Retired LE Instructor/Armorer

I have the FN pistol.
For a sidearm with a 20-rd capacity, you hardly know you're carrying it.
I'd like to get around to pairing it up with one of these new-fangled 5.7 carbines I keep seeing.

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Because of the metric system?