Is the 5.7x28 a viable round?

lrrifleman

lrrifleman

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Greetings!

Since there are now at least four reputable gun companies manufacturing pistols for the 5.7x28, I am toying with the idea of picking one up.

However, I am of the old school philosophy that a defensive round has to be heavy and punch a nice hole. I kind of see the 5.7x28 as a souped up hyper-velocity 22. Has the 5.7x28 developed any type of record as a personal defense round?

As always, thanks in advance for your assistance!
 
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To my mind it’s viable as range cartridge or intermediate varmint round, when chambered in a rifle. I think the .22TCM is faster at 2000 fps from a 5” barrel; it’s what the 22 Remington Jet wanted to be. Don’t think there’d come a time where I’d consider one for self defense or duty purposes. If US law enforcement adopts it, I may take a second look. That said, it looks like a viable plinker. Lots of cool video on YouTube.
 
Unless and until ammo is available that will perform up to FN standards, the round will be only a useful novelty or perhaps a boutique SD round. It has little potential for widespread use simply b/c the price of ammo and the few available production pistols will cause most shooters to look elsewhere. JMHO. Sincerely. bruce.
 
lrrifleman said:
Steve, I was not aware that round was used in the Ft Hood shootings.
Click to expand...

Sadly, yes. There are other reports of LE shootings using this round in the P90. The phrase "dead right there" occurs quite a bit, but that is no surprise with a 10.5" barrel on a P90.
 
That kinda makes me question my decision to buy a couple Federal .327 magnum revolvers. Lots of power behind a .32 caliber bullet. Someday they might start making that caliber cartridge again. I've been offered to get schooled on reloading that cartridge but I thought I might have sold both by now. My GP100, 6" in .327 FM is like shooting a .32 on steroids. At least the 5.7 x 28 is still being made. I love the gun, I have the trigger pull just right, scary accurate at 25 yards, etc. It's within 1/4 oz. of my 629-6 with 6" barrel in weight. Imagine shooting a .32 out of a M629 6" revolver; feels like a BB gun. That 5.7 has my interest but I have enough "not so popular" calibers...mainly the .327FM.
 
As someone who hasn't shot the round but has considered it for years, (thanks to Stargate SG-1)I don't consider it better or worse than any other pistol round. It has its strengths and weaknesses. Long range trajectory, capacity, and lack of recoil being big pluses; ammunition cost and availability, and the unique problems as a reloadable cartridge spring to mind as minuses. While touted as body armor penetrating, I think that is finicky at best with most civilian readily available rounds and not necessary in an edc. If they could make the rounds break 2k fps in a pistol I would be a bit more interested. I think the comparison a lot of people make about it being a small 5.56 is of note, in that 5.56 was not originally designed for human targets and was marketed as a varmint cartridge. The smaller, lighter, slower round makes it a pistol round in my mind, no matter what platform it's fired from.
 
I worked with a fellow that spent time in some hot spots that this round found a use in. While the P90 was light weight, held a lot of ammo, and was deadly at close range, he said it took several hits to ensure a kill, and wasn't great in thick foliage.
 
The Secret Service uses it in the P90, or at least they did. I don’t know the current status. But it took a lot of lives at Fort Hood, so it is not a creampuff round in the lethality department. I remember the 5.7 also being used successfully in some foreign embassy shootout, but I don’t remember the details.
 
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It is an interesting and fun round to shoot. I have a FN Five Seven and a FN PS90, I am very happy to see more guns available in 5.7x28, hopefully we will see more ammo availability
 
That this tumbling round is effective has been proven on several occasions, see other threads on this forum about it.

IWA gave us yet another inexpensive mass-produced 5.7x28mm gun (Tisas PX-5.7), and more will follow. The ammo situation will change big time in the coming months and years, there will be a lot more options and much lower prices.

I would not have expected it, but after so many years, 5.7x28mm finally managed to step out of the shadows, it's here to stay, and probably all thanks to Ruger.
 
I have a Ruger 57 and it is a great range toy, but my local indoor range won't let me shoot it because of the 2500fps, say the backstop is only rated to 2000fps.
Now S&W has come out with the M&P 5.7 at a lower price than I paid for the Ruger
 
pawngal said:
I have a Ruger 57 and it is a great range toy, but my local indoor range won't let me shoot it because of the 2500fps, say the backstop is only rated to 2000fps.
Now S&W has come out with the M&P 5.7 at a lower price than I paid for the Ruger
Click to expand...

Does any of the 5.7 ammo run at 2500 fps from a pistol?

As for the M&P 5.7, it would be my choice just for the "different" operating system.
 
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